The inspiration for this post about managing unproductive habits came from freelance writer Lindy Alexander’s website. In thinking about what is holding me back from my work as a writer, I came across the following quote:
“We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch.” John F. Kennedy.
The question I find myself asking as I go about my work/life, whether it’s freelance writing, Crossfit class, German language learning etc, is what I am doing (or about to do) going to become a ‘crutch’ and how will I manage it. Do I need this gadget? Am I spending too much time on reading German text and not actually practicing my conversational German? (common mistake). Should I do more chin-ups on the bar and less time on the treadmill?
When it comes to writing the crutches are everywhere. The crutches that arrive like some annoying uncle or aunt who doesn’t know when to leave. For me they include over-checking my emails, staying in my comfortable niche, professional networks, how I work with and source clients, writing courses, working with deeper focus, following through from pitch to final product, podcasts and other distractions, time management, health, and so on.
Over the past few years, I’ve become familiar with a lot of the literature in the productivity field. From Stoic philosophy to Seven Habits of Highly Effective People to the latest New York Times best-seller self-help guru. But now, when I look at all the unopened titles waiting for me on my Kindl reader, I suspect that my reading of other people’s tips, hacks and discoveries, may have flipped over into crutch-realm.
Nevertheless, a lot of this sage advise is very useful and I have adopted the following practices when it comes to my own writing:
– work to a system rather than some motivational goal.
– scheduling my time and avoiding to-do lists
– In the words of Samuel Beckett, “fail, fail again, fail better”.
Make time to sift through your habits. Work out which should be in your writing toolkit and lose the crutches.
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