1: We stare at the screen.
“Slowly and painstakingly formulating half a sentence, reading it over, deeming it to be inadequate, deleting it, staring at the screen some more, then trying again,” Oliver Burkeman writes in Meditations for Mortals.
The writing coach Stephen Lloyd Webber once noted that it’s ironic that we call this activity “writing,” since much of our time is spent not writing, not deleting what we’ve just written.
Isn’t the answer just to “fall in love with the process?” Isn’t that what the experts say?
“Since it’s so agonizing to produce good work, the thinking goes, why not delight in the simple fact of working instead?” Oliver asks.
Not really. “That train of thought doesn’t really work,” he suggests, because “it’s just a fact that we do care about the outcome, [so] telling ourselves we don’t isn’t going to help. . .
“Besides, this sort of talk is only really tolerated among arty types,” Oliver notes. “Try telling the customers of your accountancy practice or law firm we’ve decided to focus on ‘loving the process,’ not filing their taxes or drawing up their wills, and see where it gets us.”
2: There is, however, a different approach. A better approach. Set a quantity goal.
“There’s no need to pretend we don’t care about the results of our work, or to eradicate the part of us that seeks control,” Oliver suggests.
Instead, “give that part something to do—just make sure it has nothing to do with the quality of the result.”
Like. . . .
“Eight hundred words per day;
“One hour on the side business every evening;
“Five potential customers contacted;
“Three pages of the material for the examination turned into flashcards;
“Or the three-hour rule.”
We can do these things. We can focus more on quantity and less on quality.
One idea? Follow the recommendation of entrepreneur James Altucher: Write down ten ideas about the project we are currently working on.
Examples include: Ten people to reach out to, ten possible plans for the weekend, ten ways to make money, etc.
But what if we can’t think of ten?
“Here’s the magic trick,” James writes, “if we can’t come up with ten ideas, come up with twenty ideas.”
Focusing on quantity overwhelms our perfectionism: “Perfectionism is our brain trying to protect us from harm,” James observes. “From coming up with an idea that is embarrassing and stupid and cold cause us to suffer pain. We like the brain. But we have to shut the brain off to come up with ideas.”
By producing something, rather than something good, we regain some measure of control.
3: Getting better at getting better is what RiseWithDrew is all about.
Monday through Thursday, we explore ideas from authors, thought leaders, and exemplary organizations.
At the end of each week, we are exploring some of the life lessons Oliver shares in his wonderful book Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts.
Another strategy we can try out is “freewriting.” Instead of staring at the screen, we set a time-based quantity goal.
Example: I will write for ten minutes without stopping.
Then, we set a timer and we start writing. “In no way is this technique only useful for professional writers,” Oliver observes. We “can use it to write about any professional or personal challenge we’re facing.”
It’s not a race. The goal isn’t to generate as many words as we can. “Writing slowly is fine,” he notes, “so long as we don’t stop. . .
“In freewriting, we fire the gatekeeper, jam the portcullis open, and write regardless of whether or not we’ve got anything to write.
“If we can’t think of anything to write about, write about that,” Oliver suggests.
Be aware that this strategy may take some time to get used to.
“Need I say that I hated freewriting at first?” he recalls. “Allowing one’s ideas on to the screen with no quality control violates everything the uptight perfectionist stands for, even though we can always edit or delete it later.
“Still, the method surprises me, over and over,” Oliver writes. “Sometimes because it leads to good writing or creative solutions, and at other times because it reminds me that when my output falls wildly short of my standards—when the writing’s no good, or no creative solution presents itself—the world never actually seems to collapse.”
Indeed.
More next week!
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Reflection: Am I making progress in my work and creativity by focusing on output, or am I trapped in the pursuit of perfect results that keeps me stuck and second-guessing?
Action: This week, set a quantity-based goal for my biggest project—whether it’s words written, ideas generated, or minutes spent creating—and stick with it, letting go of the need for perfection.
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