Jo Piazza on achieving perfection, Susan Orlean on mahjong tiles, David Epstein on sand and stone, plus #1000 words of summer, stickers, and the specter of your own mortality
"Starting work and getting into the zone is the hardest part of each day - once I'm in, I'm good. The thing that helps me jump over this hurdle is to know exactly where I'm going to start each day. Sometimes I write down my starting point when I'm finishing work the day before, so I can jump in there. Sometimes I just think about it when I'm coming home from dropping off my daughter at daycare. Whatever it is, knowing exactly where to start (and not flailing, trying to decide) is one of the big differences between a productive session that moves me forward and panicked, anxious floundering."
I agree completely. In fact I just recently wrote about this exact method: I write in the morning, but at night, I review my work with fresh eyes and find a good entry point for the next morning.
Loved Productive Terror so much: deeply personal, vulnerable, revelatory, and 100% relatable. As an academic, I also get paid to write and teach; but the vast majority of academics I know struggle with perfectionism and meeting deadlines. A deadline is a must for me—as is the prospect of sending drafts off to readers I admire. Writing a nonfiction book based on years of research is a combo of obsession, anxiety, passion, self-doubt, and joy!
"Starting work and getting into the zone is the hardest part of each day - once I'm in, I'm good. The thing that helps me jump over this hurdle is to know exactly where I'm going to start each day. Sometimes I write down my starting point when I'm finishing work the day before, so I can jump in there. Sometimes I just think about it when I'm coming home from dropping off my daughter at daycare. Whatever it is, knowing exactly where to start (and not flailing, trying to decide) is one of the big differences between a productive session that moves me forward and panicked, anxious floundering."
I agree completely. In fact I just recently wrote about this exact method: I write in the morning, but at night, I review my work with fresh eyes and find a good entry point for the next morning.
That is a really, really good idea!
Loved Productive Terror so much: deeply personal, vulnerable, revelatory, and 100% relatable. As an academic, I also get paid to write and teach; but the vast majority of academics I know struggle with perfectionism and meeting deadlines. A deadline is a must for me—as is the prospect of sending drafts off to readers I admire. Writing a nonfiction book based on years of research is a combo of obsession, anxiety, passion, self-doubt, and joy!
So so good. If anyone needs me, they'll find me in a room full of 5x9 notecards.
So helpful as I grapple with the terror of my own impending deadline! Thank you