Productivity
Terrible Article in Salon Romanticizes “The Suffering Artist”
It actually promotes self-loathing as a productivity strategy! My comment: Sorry, this is the kind of grandiose macho posturing bunk that holds many writers back. Writing, absent perfectionism, is not that hard. And true self-loathing (as opposed to facile expressions of it) is far more likely to lead to a block than anything. There are…
Read MoreHow to Measure Your 2013 Successes so as to have a Happier, More Productive 2014 (Part I)
As you evaluate your progress over the past year–or as your family attempts to evaluates it for you–one thing to keep in mind is that perfectionism often confuses success with failure. It basically recognizes just one kind of success, where you: (a) finish a monumental project, (b) do a spectacular job at it, and (c)…
Read More“Weight Loss for Writers” Class Premiers Online Jan 6
I’ve been waiting to teach this for years, and am so excited! We’re going to get healthier and write more. Description follows. Space limited, so register now. Lots of writers struggle with their weight, but has it ever occurred to you that weight gain has a lot in common with that other common writer’s malady,…
Read MoreSituational Perfectionism in Sex
The Times’s Joyce Wadler recounts how the high cost of Viagra and other “performance enhancing” drugs is putting her under pressure to be better at sex. “I’m a sexually confident woman, but the cost of these pills was giving me performance anxiety. I knew it was supposed to be about love and connection, but when…
Read MoreWhy, in Writing, Process Trumps Product, And Why You Shouldn’t Worry About The Quality of Your Work
Everyone’s obsessed with quality, but the way to achieve it is not to focus on it. That’s because: 1) Quality is an Emergent Property An emergent property is one that’s intrinsic to a system, and that arises organically as that system operates. Think of relationships: if you try to force them, they wither and die.…
Read MoreOn the Topic of Not Waiting for Ideal Conditions to Get Started
Here’s a gent who, having lost a lot of his vision in old age, continues to paint amazing things **using Microsoft Paint.** Very inspiring – and you won’t believe what he can do.
Read MoreAre You Waiting for Ideal Conditions to Start Your Project?
Recently, someone mentioned she was waiting to clear “a big chunk of time” before starting a project. Other things people wait for are: The kids to be in school (or out of the house entirely). A better work space (either at home or elsewhere). More money. Retirement. ”To do more research.” While there is often…
Read MoreLessons from a Struggling Math Student
Math teacher Ben Orlin has all the usual complaints about students. They don’t do their work, don’t show up for help, and settle for memorizing facts instead of working to truly understand the material. Unlike many teachers, however, he knows better than to label his students as lazy and unmotivated—in part because he once walked…
Read MoreWant to Get More Work Done? Then Show it Early and Often
There are many techniques that will help you boost your writing output, but one of the best is to show your work early and often: Show drafts. Show chunks (paragraphs and pages). And even show individual sentences and clauses. (“Hey, what do you think of this metaphor…” Or, “Super proud of how I framed this…”)…
Read MoreDo You Suffer from Procatination?
It’s so deeply unfair to the cat… More procatination here. And here!
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