Do Your Most Important Work First
Start small.
Jet lag has caught up with me this week. It’s getting increasingly harder to wake up at 4 am to make my regular writing sprints, and I miss it.
Still, I try to write first thing when I wake up. But I miss connecting online and doing the work with fellow writers. It’s not like there is much conversation during these sprints because most of the time we’re writing. Yet knowing that others are toiling away at their stories, doing work that isn’t always valued, gives me the strength to show up daily and do the work.
Yesterday, I woke up tired. I figured it was best to catch up on sleep and write later. Usually, this isn’t much of a problem, because I’ve learned that, while keeping a routine is important, it’s never too late to find 10-20 minutes in my day to get some writing done.
This type of writing session doesn’t have a word count or specific goal attached to it. Its sole purpose is to keep the writing muscle warm until I can get back to a regular practice.
Except I wasn't paying attention and let the day slip by.
Even ten minutes can seem hard to do when I’m visiting family and the daily schedule doesn’t only depend on me. This is when my writing discipline needs to kick in.
By the end of the day, I was in a terrible mood. I couldn’t understand why. I spent a lovely day with my family and got some positive returns on a few projects. There was no reason to be grumpy.
Then it hit me.
Maybe it was because I didn’t get my writing done.
I once listened to an interview with the prolific Belgium author, Amélie Nothomb. She said she stopped writing for a morning, the only time in her career. The experience was so horrific that she never did it again. Nothomb, an award-winning author, has published 28 books and written 70 more unpublished manuscripts in 30 years. The woman is a writing machine.
To be clear, I’m a Monday-to-Friday writer and this works perfectly well for me. Not to say I don’t sometimes write on weekends. But I commit to writing five days a week, otherwise, the pressure is too high, and I inevitably fall off the bandwagon.
I can’t remember who said, “do your most important work first”, but it’s something I try to adhere to seriously. Creative work is the first thing that goes when the list of work, family, and social commitments is long. And yet it brings the most meaning, joy, and purpose to my life. It also makes me a more enjoyable person (ask my husband).
For me, writing isn’t the hard part. It’s making sure I protect the time to do it. It’s not getting distracted by the people and events around me.
That is the hardest part of writing.
“It’s not the writing part that’s hard. What’s hard is sitting down to write.”
- Steven Pressfield
I’ve learned that when I get blocked, it’s not because I lack ideas. It’s because I’m distracted by something else. I can’t focus and get the words on the page.
Do you struggle to do your most important work? Do you feel you lack the time, energy, and resources to do it? These are legit reasons.
Start small.
Author Shaunta Grimes from the Ninja Writers has given herself the goal to write ten minutes per day for the rest of her life. That’s it.
“I made it so small that it’s harder to skip it than it is to just do it.”
-Shaunta Grimes
Personally, I find ten minutes too short. I set my timer for 25 minutes. There are tons of free timers you can download on your computer. Don’t use your phone, it will be too distracting.
Here are some useful resources on doing your most important work:
- The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
- Your Art Will Save You by Beth Pickens
- Real Artists don’t Starve by Jeff Goins
Beth Pickens and Jeff Goins also have podcasts if you’re more into audio these days:
Other things worth sharing:
- Demi Adejuyigbe did not release a new video yesterday. As my friend Rob pointed out, Adejuyigbe said 2021 would be his last year. I thought some wishful thinking might change things. Alas, it did not! After reading this Vanity Fair article, I can understand why. Thank you, Demi (and Earth, Wind & Fire) for giving us something to look forward to every 21st of September!
- The Guardian published a fascinating article this week about the late Terry Pratchett. Like Nothomb, he took full-time writing (very) seriously. It should come as no surprise then that there are authors who get published and make good money writing (re the advances he refused!).
Which is why I should get back to it now.
Happy writing, happy creating!
G.G. Law
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