Category: Productivity
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Resolving… Screaming at a Screen
It’s like screaming at a wallIt’s like screaming at a wallIt’s like screaming at a wallIt’s like screaming at a wallSomeday it’s gonna fall —Minor Threat, “Screaming at a Wall” Or how about “screen” instead of wall? Do you ever feel like that’s what you want to do? I started working remotely most of the…
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Resolving… Email!
New year’s resolutions are my favorite thing to look back on, year after year. What was I resolving to do 10 years ago? Did I actually resolve anything? Is there anything that feels especially strange? That makes me laugh? That seems woefully naive? Email is a topic of many of my resolutions. And email continues…
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Sources of Stress from Perfectionism in Writing
When every word has to be perfect, what’s our main instinct? Is it to start early, draft and draft again, ask numerous others for feedback, and revel in the chance to revise? Or is it to procrastinate, fret, give up again and again, and ultimately feel unsettled with whatever we produce? For most of us,…
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Embrace the Power of the Draft!
“Show me someone who can write and edit at the same time, and I’ll show you a slow writer.” I use this mantra a lot when encouraging people who find themselves feeling stuck in their writing. There are a lot of reasons someone tries to write and edit at the same time. Some of them…
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Writing Begets Writing Begets Writing
I’m going to share something from the actress and author Lauren Graham and completely fail to report which book of hers it comes from. In the book, she shares her approach to writing productively, which comes from a mentor she had. You pick your designated writing time and situate yourself in your writing place. On…
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Thinking to Write, and Writing to Think
For 10 years, I maintained a blog. This was back in the heyday of blogs. What did we call it back then? Web 2.0? Of course, the idea of user generated content populating the internet felt both exciting and Sisyphean. The phrase, “Hold on! Someone just said something wrong on the internet!” comes to mind.…