“A person who chases two rabbits catches neither.” ~ Confucious I DON’T KNOW if my brain has become more scattered over time, or if it’s a result of too much digital communication and attempted multitasking, but it sure seems more challenging than ever to get focused when I sit […]
THERE’S NO ARGUING with the fact that we are all moving towards a more digital world. Most of us communicate almost exclusively through digital means when we aren’t face-to-face. We get our news, follow our favorite sports teams, and ask questions in the digital realm. Which leads me to a […]
IF IT’S BEEN A WHILE since you sat down to write, I can relate. Like many other writers I know, I have what I call “fallow periods” during which I don’t write. Times when my writing energy or motivation is low and I flounder, feeling at a loss for creative […]
This is Part 3 of an exploration of Atomic Habits, by James Clear, and how habits change the way we think and perceive ourselves to be. How they can make or break our ability to succeed. And, in particular, how we can apply these principles to our writing life. If […]
A MONTH OR SO AGO, I discovered a book that has forever changed how I think about goals and the way I attain them. Two years ago, I wrote a 15-part series titled “Your Best Writing Year Yet!” in which I detailed the methods and tips I have found useful […]
I’VE BEEN THINKING BACK (a sometimes dangerous thing to do) — journaling and reflecting on the activities, achievements, and failures of this past year — in fact, this past decade. After all, what better time to look back with perfect hindsight than year 2020 — a number that doubles as […]
AS I’M SURE YOU’VE NOTICED, we are slip-sliding quickly to the end of the calendar year. It’s time to take final stock of where you are with your goals and make that last big push to reach the finish line. At the start of the year, we embarked together on […]
IN THIS SERIES on writing productivity, I have borrowed heavily from general principles of productivity that, when applied to work and life in general, can bring about positive results. These principles include setting and achieving goals, and managing and maximizing your writing time. But does ALL advice about productivity translate […]
“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” ― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft I HAVE THIS HABIT of starting each new year in high productivity mode and then later, as the year progresses, find myself slowing down. By […]
LIFE IS BUSY, it seems there’s never enough time for everything, and other responsibilities tend to crowd out writing — that thing we say we love and want to do most. If you have difficulty accomplishing your writing goals, have trouble getting organized, tend to procrastinate, or simply feel that […]
SO YOU STARTED THE YEAR OUT STRONG. You created your big rock goals, developed an action plan for accomplishing those goals and scheduled time on your calendar. You review your plan frequently to keep yourself motivated. Sure, you’re not perfect, but you’re making progress, and that’s what counts. In fact, […]
DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE GETTING STARTED? Do you schedule writing on your calendar, but when it’s time to write suddenly discover you have too many other commitments or priorities? Or maybe you think you should sit down to write because you promised yourself you would, and you think about it […]
