Daniel Connolly
Rather than wait for inspiration to write, I treat it like a job.
I took two leaves of absence from newspaper work to finish my book about children of immigrants, and during those leaves, no one was watching me. I could have slacked off and done nothing. So I played all kinds of psychological tricks on myself to make sure that I took it seriously. For instance, I rented an office and worked there, rather than trying to work from home. I put on formal office clothes - shirt and tie - even when I knew I'd be alone most of the day, writing. To hold myself accountable, I sent friends and family weekly updates on my progress. I wrote down what time I arrived in the office. I set timers so I worked in 90-minute blocks, with regular breaks.
All of these little tricks made me feel like I had a job - and they helped me move forward.
I took two leaves of absence from newspaper work to finish my book about children of immigrants, and during those leaves, no one was watching me. I could have slacked off and done nothing. So I played all kinds of psychological tricks on myself to make sure that I took it seriously. For instance, I rented an office and worked there, rather than trying to work from home. I put on formal office clothes - shirt and tie - even when I knew I'd be alone most of the day, writing. To hold myself accountable, I sent friends and family weekly updates on my progress. I wrote down what time I arrived in the office. I set timers so I worked in 90-minute blocks, with regular breaks.
All of these little tricks made me feel like I had a job - and they helped me move forward.
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