September 26, 2011

I was wrong–again.

For twenty years, I’ve told students and wannabe writers that you have to put the writing first! Do it before other things take over your day.

Fight the impulse to clean your kitchen first, or straighten your office, or clean up the mess the kids made before leaving for school.

“But I can’t work in chaos,” writers protest.

You know what? Neither can I anymore–at least not well! And when I force myself to, the work is doubly tiring. Doubly stressful. Much less satisfying.

Energy Drains in Disguise

Something I read today made me realize my advice might be a tad off. Not wrong altogether, since if we don’t make writing some sort of priority, we won’t do it. However, to eliminate energy drains in your life, you need to look at the whole picture. Certainly all the things you do in a given day take your energy. Every action you take on your lengthy “to do” list uses energy.

What you may not realize is that actions you don’t take use energy as well. Your disorganized office, the piles of laundry on the bedroom floor, the stack of bills to pay, the two birthday gifts to buy, the clothing needing repair–all this drains your energy reserves as well. It happens whether you are looking at the unfinished business or just thinking about it.

It siphons off energy that could be used in a much more positive way. “These items on your mental ‘to do’ list, the ones you’ve been procrastinating about, distract you or make you feel guilty and drain the very energy you need to accomplish your goals.” (So says Cheryl Richardson in Take Time for Your Life.)

NOT an Excuse to Procrastinate

Taking care of the unfinished business that nags at your mind–and keeps you from feeling like you can settle down to write–may be necessary before you can tackle your writing assignment. Don’t go overboard though, or you’re just procrastinating. Washing the dirty dishes is one thing–taking time to replace the shelf paper in your pantry is something else.

Figure out the things that you MUST have done to feel at peace in your environment, and do those things ONLY. (It helps to do as many of them as you can the night before too.)

Eliminate the chaos in your environment, and you’ll eliminate a LOT of the chaos that blocks your writer’s mind. Now…off to clean my office.

6 Comments »

1. 

   Thanks for this post. I think this is very true for me. My mental chaos is made worse when I try to work in an office where I have to dig papers out of untidy piles and have to search for a pen any time I have to write something down. Cleaning up my office before I work helps me get work done.

   Comment by Jodelle — September 26, 2011 @ 12:17 pm

2. 

   Jodelle, I’m the same way. I need to train myself to quit about fifteen minutes early, and then use that fifteen minutes to clean up my office, clear my desk, and make my To Do list for the next morning so everything is ready to go when I walk in there. It’s a new habit I would really like to develop!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — September 26, 2011 @ 2:47 pm

3. 

   Its funny how the simple things can get in the way. My little guy has started music class & he loves it… the trouble is getting him to sit still long enough to give him the instructions. Once I do (even if it takes 15-20 minutes) he is usually content to practise for over an hour – while I write.

   The trick for me seems to be finding distractions for my “distractions” (son to music practise, hubby to the grocery store) so I can find just a few minutes to write…
   Sometimes I even read or write while I’m in the basement doing laundry, its amazing how no one seems to miss me… Cheers

   Comment by Ally M — September 27, 2011 @ 10:20 am

4. 

   Loved your comment about finding ways to “distract your distractions.” Ain’t that the truth!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — September 27, 2011 @ 3:38 pm

5. 

   Thank you! I have been feeling double guilt over my housework, or other activities I enjoy, getting in the way of my writing. I feel guilty when I neglect other activities and housework to write and I feel guilty when I don’t thinking I am procrastinating. In the end I don’t do anything productive. I feel better knowing that by doing the housework, or gardening, etc. first and then carving out some writing time I am actually doing myself a favor as a writer.

   Comment by Ann Schwarz — October 7, 2011 @ 4:14 pm

6. 

   Thanks, Ann! Isn’t it awful having to prioritize according to guilt? I have chosen the few things I have to do to feel calm in my environment–clean up my kitchen, exercise–and then I let the rest wait. If things are just picked up well, I can ignore the rest. But everyone is different. I know someone who can’t write until she has laundry sorted and washing. For me, that can wait!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — October 9, 2011 @ 1:59 pm

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