Who has time to write?
Short bursts can be surprisingly productive
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Joan Didion’s packing list has become staple blog fodder, but it’s her description of her and John Dunne’s daily writing routine (from The Year of Magical Thinking) that’s stuck in my craw:
“One summer when we were living in Brentwood Park we fell into a pattern of stopping work at 4 in the afternoon and going out to the pool. He would stand in the water reading (he reread "Sophie's Choice" several times that summer, trying to see how it worked) while I worked in the garden. It was a small, even miniature, garden with gravel paths and a rose arbor and beds edged with thyme and santolina and feverfew. I had convinced John a few years before that we should tear out a lawn to plant this garden. To my surprise, since he had shown no previous interest in gardens, he regarded the finished product as an almost mystical gift. Just before 5 on those summer afternoons we would swim and then go into the library wrapped in towels to watch "Tenko," a BBC series, then in syndication, about a number of satisfyingly predictable English women (one was immature and selfish, another seemed to have been written with Mrs. Miniver in mind) imprisoned by the Japanese in Malaya during World War II. After each afternoon's "Tenko" segment we would go upstairs and work another hour or two, John in his office at the top of the stairs, me in the glassed-in porch across the hall that had become my office. At 7 or 7:30 we would go out to dinner, many nights at Morton's. Morton's felt right that summer. There was always shrimp quesadilla, chicken with black beans. There was always someone we knew. The room was cool and polished and dark inside but you could see the twilight outside.”
Wow, how annoying
I mean, must be nice. Minus the shrimp quesadilla.
If your schedule does not allow for writing until four then puttering around the garden whilst your partner reads in the pool, worry not.
Being short on time can be a good thing
Parkinson’s Law says that works expands to fill the time allotted. I first noticed this in the year after graduating college when I went from a few freelance gigs to a full time job.
Much to my surprise, I found I actually got more done with my reduced free time: I picked up groceries on the way home from work, squeezed in a freelance assignment in front of the TV in the evening, made sure to check out a gallery or other such stimulating cultural item on the weekend.
Sure, I was 22 and not yet crushed by life. But even now, near 40, with a baby, I’ve been getting a good amount of writing done, just in the brief windows throughout the day when the little lump breastfeeds and/or naps on me.
I probably sound annoying, like one of those atomic tomato timer people urging you to squeeze more productivity out of your day. If that is not your thing, I understand. We should all take more breaks to sit in a towel and watch “Tenko.”
BUT if you do want to squeeze in more, then the good news is it’s possible, even with little windows of time. I recently met a small business owner who writes twenty hours a week just during her toddler’s naps and after their bedtime! How annoying inspiring is that?
Why short bursts work
Committing to something for ten or twenty minutes feels more doable, less onerous than hunkering down for hours.
Where do you even find an open block of several hours in your schedule?
If you do manage to block off a couple hours, you might end up thinking to yourself, “Aah, I have so much time. I am rich with time. I will commence this work by opening a bag of delicious Doritos…”
When you’re working in twenty minute increments, it’s easier to stack together a few sessions over the course of consecutive days. Once you get a streak going, it feels good and can motivate you to keep it up.
For some people the pressure can also be motivating. Gotta jump right in!
For other people, the pressure might have the opposite effect: “Omg I only have these ten precious minutes! How do I use them optimally?! Aah, delicious Doritos!”
For such people, I would suggest you turn off your evil internal optimizer and just write down whatever comes to mind. Trust that whatever comes to mind is what you need to get down. Even if you don’t wind up using it, it’s good to clear it out of your head to make room for new ideas.
Start with 10 minutes
If this idea intrigues you, test it out. Give yourself a 10-minute creative session…
First thing in the morning instead of picking up your phone
On your commute (i.e. on public transit, or use voice memos if you drive)
In the waiting room at the doctor
In line at the pharmacy
Wait, doctor? Pharmacy? Are you sick? Sorry for forcing this idea on you! Please go get some rest.
I don’t mean to be annoying. It’s just been helpful for me to have a creative outlet while life is a bit crazy. Some days I wake up before five to write, only to get a few bleary-eyed minutes in front of my laptop before the baby cries. Still, those few minutes to myself help make the stresses of daily life a little less annoying.
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