Melissa’s Story
Her name is Melissa. Her resume came in a stack of 150 resumes. She was my only interview. She had it on paper — an top-notch education in Instructional Design — and proved it in person — intelligence, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn. Melissa was a perfect match for the entry-level editor’s job I had to offer. She lived up to it ever day and became a dynamite writer and editor.
While Melissa was training, she and I would meet weekly. When we got to month three, she came in with a problem. “I just can’t get my writing done.” she said. “I get myself and my workspace ready, and then I’m stuck with nothing.”
I asked her to tell me about her day.
Her description wasn’t surprising.
Melissa was working in the wrong order.
Very often without realizing, we send the muse packing. We build our own writer’s block instead — simply by how we order our day.
After a short conversation, Melissa solved her problem. She made one change and never had an issue with getting stuck again.
Working in the Wrong Order
What Melissa told me was with this: Each morning she cleared her desk of details and took care of actions that required contacting people on her projects. She would
- Check her email.
- Make phone calls.
- Check facts and do research.
- Straighten her files.
- Clear her in-box.
Those tasks needed attending. No question about that. They are important and necessary to organization, communication, and lowering project stress. But by the time she finished the list, people started adding email, calling her, and putting more stuff in her in-box. Melissa never had a chance to get away from the details she had a goal to finish.
The issue was one of timing. Melissa had that list at the wrong part of her day. When Melissa left the list to write, the unfinished list was still on her mind. Those details became her block.
How to Stop Building a Writer’s Block
As writers, we need to access our ideas and our subconscious when we write. Our subconscious is where the proverbial muse lives. It’s also where we can’t seem to get when we feel we have writer’s block. That access comes more easily through a clear mind and reflection, than it does after time working with details and fragments of information.
Here’s how Melissa stopped building her writer’s block.
During our conversation that day, Melissa decided to rearrange her day. She moved the list to two places — after lunch, when everyone feels not so thoughtful, and before she left her desk at the end of the day. She also let everyone know her new routine, so that they knew not to expect things from her during the first two hours each morning.
Melissa’s motto became Write first, then hit the “to do” list with a vengeance.
One way to deal with writer’s block is to not build one before we start.
When we start with an uncluttered mind, writing is faster, easier, and more productive, because we have no clutter, details, or irrelevant thoughts to break throught, no interfering noise to set aside.
Even if you write the news, you might try this version of re-ordering. Read your sources the night before. Choose your topic and a possible approach to it. Let your unconscious work while you sleep. Then in morning, focus on reading only those main sources with news-breaking details for your story. That will keep your mind free of information that it doesn’t need when you sit to write.
Still, the writing process is individual.
Have you found the order that works best for you?
Would you tell us so we might try it?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Liz can help with productivity problems, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.
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That’s exactly the process I use. I spend the morning writing my daily post. As soon as it’s posted I answer email. Then I start reading blogs, the news, and other articles to stay informed.
For me personally I found out a long time ago I work best when I schedule myself and stay in a routine.
On long term projects I’m the type of person who thinks about it for several days. I get a good idea what I want to accomplish and how it should be done. Then I sit down and do it all at one time.
Big Roy,
It sounds like you pay a lot of attention to what works for you. I find that’s the best way to get the most from what you write. 🙂
Your way of working sounds a lot like mine. Hit the keys while the head isn’t filled with other people’s ideas and concerns yet. . . .
Awesome thoughts, Liz. I’m guilty of this myself, and what makes it worse is I KNOW better. I know that when I jump into writing or drawing right away I am way more productive than with I deal with all the crapola first. But I still do it. I’m sure a lot of it comes from blank page syndrome.
So what I’ve been doing lately is getting some real basic draft stuff down first. Nothing even remotely polished, but some good roughs. I then get the email and stuff out of the way, and then come back to the draft after lunch. I’ve started to realize I’m actually more creative in the afternoons (something I’ve always though otherwise) so it seems to be working out. I also started plotting my tasks using a task flow worksheet (I’m posting about it and a template this week on lifehack.org, stay tuned 🙂 ) It’s helped to clearly see all the “sections” my day will have, so I can make sure my creative time is free and clear.
YEA, Tony!
It’s all about finding the time and the way the works best. Then the whole thing’s so much more FUN!
I definitely find it’s important to be careful about what I give ‘first priority’ to in the mornings. If I’m answering e-mails, then I’ve given that priority to other people’s agenda. So I’m working to push the ‘must do’ list further up the day… It makes a difference to my whole day, not just my writing, when I’ve started out by writing something that I really want to write.
Thank you for reminding me what is important — the writing, and not the answering of emails.
Hi Mark,
What a nice way to say it — then I’m giving first priority to other people’s agenda . It does make it seem as if “my” own work is work less than someone else’s.
Your logic is compelling. Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Michele,
Welcome,
I hadn’t really gotten to that point myself — that the writing is the important thing. So thank you for saying that out loud.
I hope you’ll come by and comment often. Your insights are most welcome.
One thing that I do when working on a big writing project is to make a commitment to write for 15 minutes every day. It doesn’t need to be relevant to my project… just 15 minutes of writing. More often than not, the 15 minutes turns into a much longer time and I get some good writing done. Just the idea that I can write about anything for those 15 minutes somehow breaks the block.
Kirsten,
What a great idea! As soon as I saw that 15 minutes in your comment, I thought I bet it lasts longer. We do a great job of getting ourselves started my letting ourselves know that the commitment doesn’t need to be a big one. 🙂
One step is all it takes to start.
What great point you make, Kirsten. 🙂
Yes, I am a big fan of breaking things into small steps! 🙂 I do that with just about any big task. Otherwise, I would be overwhelmed and not accomplish anything.
You and I both, Kirsten. It’s amazing how quickly I can get myself overwhelmed. So much so that I usually shorten the word to just “whelmed” so that it doesn’t sound so BIG. 🙂
My email was off for ages so I’d start my day with playing some games of Spider Patience (level 3) while my eyes opened fully. (I start at 5.30 or 6 am.) When not emailing, I then write a thousand words. Now I’m back on email, I do have a quite look first and answer urgent ones, but I don’t email again until I’ve done my words.
If I come to a pause, I revert to more Spider. Sometimes I become obsessed with a game and restart it many times until it comes out. This is permissable if I’m thinking about my work while I do it, but it’s definitely Bad if I put the radio on.
I’ve never yet suffered from Writers’ Block but live in fear of it. Just because it hasn’t happened, doesn’t mean it won’t.
Katie
Katie,
I think that what you’re doing is the reason that you’re not getting writer’s block. Einstein had his violin. You have your Spider Patience. I bet that game is high graphic and has no words. It gets the rest of your brain cooking. You’re letting your subconscious work. I wouldn’t worry about writer’s block — you know how to handle what you’re doing. 🙂
Oh dear. You are so right! I blogged about it today. Will better my life as of tomorrow! 🙂
HI Sanne!
I think we all do this sometimes. But if we’re not aware, we can do it ALL of the time and we can be tired, beat up and frustrated. I’m glad you found what you might be doing in the wrong order! 🙂