How to banish procrastination to the fiery pits of productivity hell

A couple months ago I was asked the following about my writing approach on Twitter: “Your mental game is the difference. Wonder what your thought process is like. What time do you get started? What are you thinking when you feel the urge to do something besides sit down and work? What goes through your head when you get the impulse to procrastinate?” The short answer is: If your work is your play none of this matters. Nobody procrastinates or has trouble getting up/started to do fun stuff. If you have a business where you enjoy the writing, look forward to the writing, even get irritable and cranky when you don’t get to do any writing then you will have effectively banished procrastination to fiery pits of productivity hell. When that happens it’s not procrastination that’s the problem — it’s life getting in your way. But, you may wonder, what if you don’t love the writing you do? Maybe you are writing for clients and need the money. Or maybe you have to do a bunch of other writing you hate as a means to an end? Then what? That is where Forward Intent comes in. i.e., work at least a little harder than required. Earl Nightingale taught about this decades ago and is nothing new. Whatever your work is, don’t try to avoid it, try to do it better. It’s not unlike the movie City Slicers about the radio ad salesman who hates his job, bored with life, lost his way. He goes on a cattle drive, has an adventure, comes back and his wife asks if he’s going to quit his job. He says no, he’s not going to quite his job, he’s going to do it better. That scene has alway stuck with me. You don’t have to love the work to do it, but if you do it better than you are doing it now… you will almost certainly not hate it as much. And, who knows? You might… MIGHT… even end up liking that work, and perhaps even learning to love it a little. But do the work you must. Write you must. If you don’t, time is passing anyway. Question is are you going to agonize about writing? Or simply get busy writing? It also helps to have different ways of looking at writing, different ways of approaching it, different techniques for making it happen. And I daresay the June Email Players issue not only teaches a powerful way of doing any kind of persuasive communication (writing or otherwise), but can take even the most dull and boring and plain vanilla ideas and help make it stand out like a glow-in-the-dark MAGA hat amongst a sea of pussyhats at a candlelight vigil. You can read more about all the stuff I’m teaching inside at the P.S. below. Or, simply subscribe here: []( Ben Settle P.S. Here are some of the tips I teach inside the June issue: * The persuasion secret used by Gary Halbert to turn a man who tried to bully him in the army into being his collector when he became a bookie (and who also later became the best man at his wedding). * The controversial (but totally ethical to use if you want, don’t worry…) tactic Earl Nightingale used in one of his videos to influence probably millions of people to get off the couch, become successful, and make lots of money. * Why Hollywood screenwriters are some of the most persuasive “copywriters” on the planet… and real life examples (word-for-word) you can study to apply to your emails, sales copy, and other selling endeavors. * Why I believe it’s the height of stupidity to put your kids’ pictures anywhere online (even just for friends and family to see) — and the sales trick I pull out out of my self-righteous sleeve to prove this to even the most narcissistic and solipsistic attention-seeking parents who live and die by Facebook & Instagram likes. * A cunning secret used by the world famous evangelist Billy Graham (arguably one of the single most persuasive & influential men who ever lived) to “sell” a hostile mechanic who wanted to bludgeon him with a tire iron to not only back off but also do business with him. * The sales & persuasion method Doberman Dan Gallapoo used “on” me many years ago when he saw me stubbornly sabotaging my own business that has saved me from a lot of pain, misery, and despair. * The “can’t lose” persuasion secret I will use on Willis when he comes of age to make absolutely sure he stays far, far away from dating and/or marrying a woman of low character or who has a body count bigger than ‘nam. * Why your email readers’ imaginations and the images you put in their minds with your words are far more persuasive than pictures from your computer you insert in your emails. * The totally shameless and admittedly creepy “sales job” I will run on Willis if he wants to run away from home when he’s a teenager that will give him almost no choice but to sit down, shut the hell up, and thank God for me and Stefania. (Yes, the info inside the June issue goes way beyond just making you better at selling in business — it can apply to nearly any other aspect of your life, too, as you’ll see.) * A trick I learned from reading Reddit to know if something you write or say when selling/marketing/pitching hits a nerve (i.e., is persuasive) or not. * The 4 sales letters/ads I consider to be amongst the most influential & persuasive ever written. (This issue does not have any advertising examples — as the principle it teaches transcends just advertising — but I do name them and have been studying each for over 20 years now… always pulling something new out I can use in my own advertising every single time.) * The secret to selling (online or offline) without giving someone anything to object to and that can work even if you lack great selling skills, credibility, proof, writing talent, personality, or anything else. * An example of how I insert lots of sales, copywriting, and persuasion methods/teaching into my fictional books. (If you’re a fiction writer this is something I believe you should be doing whenever it makes sense — as it can only strengthen & hone your copywriting skills.) But that ain’t all. I am also including a bonus training I did for a private mastermind called: “Snob-Friendly Writing Secrets of a Mentally Disturbed Pulp Novelist! I taught it to Email Players subscriber Kevin Johns’ private mastermind members about fiction writing, publishing, & marketing. And I am including a copy of the transcript of this training with the June Email Players issue. Here’s a lil’ taste of what’s inside this bonus: * An almost laughably simple to “leap frog” over the 700 other books on someone’s kindle so they read your book first. * Ways for fiction authors to get their books bought and read, with a rapidly growing fanbase. * An old writing trick (that literally goes back thousands of years) for structuring a story for maximum engagement, impact, and reader experience. * A trick I learned from the story “A Clockwork Orange” to help make my fiction an easier, faster, more pleasant and engaging read. * The World-Building secret I use to “get away with” constantly shilling my fiction (directly and also totally on the sneak) in my emails, on Twitter, and other places on the internet to help create demand and momentum. * How to write fiction (and anything else, for that matter) where it’s not a slog or chore… and something you eagerly look forward to each and every day. (There is no way I could have written 9 novels not to mention a word count of non-fiction books & newsletters that dwarfs Tolkien, CS Lewis, and JK Rowling combined… if it was a slog or chore.) * The Beauty and the Beast secret used by Disney to create a near-fanatical wing of his customers that will probably never leave nor forsake the company no matter how hard the try to butcher even their most beloved brands. (Star Wars, Marvel… nobody destroys brands like Disney — but it won’t matter to the fanatics, and what they did with Beauty and the Beast is a great “template” any fiction writer can use to create their own wing of fanatics amongst the readership.) * The biggest — total pain in the ass — writing mistake I made when writing fiction early on that is still creating nothing but misery, complications, and frustration for me, my publisher, my editor, and even my audio book guy to this day. * Why I totally rewrote my entire first novel from scratch the last week of December last year… even though the book has a rabid (albeit small) fanbase and it’s been consistently selling for years. * Shameless advice to fiction writers (I learned from observing Tolkien, George Lucas, and David Morrell the author of “First Blood” that the Rambo movies are based on) who struggle with being perfectionists, wanting everything to be perfect, and who maybe even psychologically can’t let something see the light of day if it’s not perfect. * The purely business reason why I wrote a screenplay based on my first novel… even though I have zero illusions it will ever get made into a movie or that Hollywood wouldn’t mutilate it beyond recognition by filling it full of pronouns, gays, and awkward race-swapping even if did. * Why one of the best guys to study for writing fiction wasn’t even a writer (much less novelist or creative writer) but a technology investor & inventor who created almost his own religion for his products amongst his fans & customers. * Tips on approaching the writing of a fictional series of books… and how to plan it and write it and promote it. (My 9-part Enoch Wars novels ain’t exactly New York Times best-sellers, so I can only share what I’ve been slowly implementing — but so far it’s been working as planned over the last few years, and I think nearly any fiction writer can do the same.) * The single best writing trick I know and have used (regardless of what kind of writing you do — fiction or otherwise) for creating books people look forward to buying, reading, & consuming. * The marketing technique I have been using for years to help write fiction that does not bore, create apathy, or put people to sleep. (That’s not to say everyone who reads them likes them… just the opposite… but there is rarely lukewarm response, usually it’s love or hate, and it’s because of this marketing secret I use in every sentence.) * The #1 purely mercenary capitalist reason why fiction writers should avoid using fapGPT or any other AI tools to write even a single word of their stories or books. (Broke broccoli heads & money Twitter dorks who think fapGPT is the Second Coming won’t want to hear any of this, but nobody cares what those schlubs think anyway.) * At the same time, I also reveal one totally legitimate use for fapGPT to create commercial writing (especially fiction) that I would absolutely use if I cared enough to subscribe to it. * Why writers are he ones who make civilization work and will have to save civilization from this awful mess we’re in now. * A little talked about documentary (you can find on Amazon Prime) that I believe should be mandatory for anyone who is easily seduced by AI like fapGPT to watch before doing anything kind of writing (or do any kind of art). * The difference between using AI and a swipe file to help write your sales copy. * The brilliant thing Marvel (and other comicbook movies like Joker 2) do with their advertising that works so well people are almost more excited to watch the trailers (advertising) than the movies themselves! * The pros and cons of getting your fiction in with a big established publisher. (Personally, I don’t bother — not only because my politics would get me canceled and all the “offensive” stuff probably edited out like they are doing to established authors… but there are other reasons too.) * My (probably biased — but no less true) reason why authors should all have their own mobile apps. Here’s the link to subscribe while there is still a little time left to do so: []( This email was sent by Ben Settle as owner of Settle, LLC. Copyright © 2024 Settle, LLC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this email may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Settle, LLC. Click here to [unsubscribe]( Settle, LLC PO Box 1056 Gold Beach Oregon 97444 USA