Writing is emotional work in that people can respond to what you write in a way that actually hurts.

This is worth pondering for a minute.

Other kinds of work like, say, washing dishes or taking out the trash, are not the same.

Sure, someone might point out a bit you missed on a plate, but typically you didn’t invest much of yourself into washing the plate. You might be annoyed, but you’re unlikely to be hurt in the way you will be if someone pans your book on Amazon.

High Stakes

In contrast to other kinds of work, in writing we have more to lose because we are exposing a vulnerable part of ourselves. The stakes are high.

And because the stakes are high, we are prone to procrastination and escapism. It can be tempting to run away from our work into all sorts of negative, counterproductive diversions:

• Endlessly scrolling through social media (pick your poison: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok)
• Surfing news sites for longer than anyone should
• Watching entertaining but unimportant videos
• Checking email incessantly
• Any of the 20+ addictions commonly recognized by the medical community

Diversions like these may seem insignificant—just a few minutes here and there. But a few minutes here and there adds up, and sometimes a few minutes turns into a few hours or even days or…

Creative Jiu-Jitsu

This foe of creative work is real. In fact, having coached thousands of writers over twenty-five years, I think it is one of the most vexing enemies to creative work.

We’re in a pickle. We want deeply to do the creative work from which we are constantly tempted to escape into counter-productive actions.

What to do?

Instead of trying to overcome your need for escape or diversion, I encourage you to collaborate with it. I call this “creative jiu-jitsu.” To this end I want to offer five practices to help you infuse more fun into your creative work.

1. The Myth of the Eight-Hour Work Day

Historian Benjamin Hunnicutt said in an NPR interview that when humans were hunter-gatherers, we worked much less than eight hours a day. Fast-forward to the Industrial Revolution, which ushered in a period when a 70-hour work week was not uncommon. Fortunately, the labor movement with some paradoxical help from the Great Depression eventually got us down to 40-hour work weeks.

My point: the eight-hour work day is made up. We invented it, and it’s become the norm. But is it realistic for writers? I don’t think so. I remember hearing Anne Lamott, beloved writer to writers, say that she writes about four hours a day. Ernest Hemingway shot for 500 words a day.

I’ll just come right out and say it: Expecting yourself to write for eight hours in a day is in most cases unrealistic.

Action step: Adjust the duration of your writing sessions.

2. Sprints

Twice a year for the past couple years I’ve hosted a virtual writing retreat inside BookCamp, my mentoring and community hub for writers.

In these retreats I use something called the pomodoro method, which involves writing for 20 or 25 minutes and taking a 5-minute break. You do this four times. After the fourth time, you take a longer break.

Writers who participate are always so impressed by how much they can get done with this method. It works!

Action step: Write in short sprints.

3. Little Breaks

I’m a big believer in little breaks. But to be productive, little breaks do not involve social media or other addictive inclinations. Here are some examples of little breaks:

• Get a drink of water. Not tequila.
• Go for a walk or run.
• Wash your hands and splash water on your face.
• Eat a healthy snack.
• Shoot some hoops.
• Go for a coffee or tea.
• Stand up and stretch.
• Do a 5- or 10-minute meditation.
• Simply walk around your room a bit.
• Do a mini crossword or Wordle.

You get the idea. These are simple, brief, life-enhancing breaks that give your mind a rest.

Action step: Take little breaks while you’re writing.

4. Connect with Other Writers

Writing is more fun when you’re able to connect with a community of other writers—to ask questions and share both your wins and worries.

Some writing communities offer coworking sessions, where you show up and work on whatever you want while others do the same.

Some have closed Facebook groups where writers can feel safe sharing their struggles or asking questions that non-writers may not even understand.

And look for writing groups where you can get training from experts and connect live with other writers.

Incidentally, BookCamp has all of these features and more!

Action step: Find a community of writers.

5. Celebrate Your Wins!

Question: when do you celebrate? I hope you celebrate your birthday and those of the people in your life. Perhaps on holidays?

But what about when you just finished a draft of something you’ve been working on? What about when you show up to write every weekday?

I’m always encouraging writers to lower the bar for what merits celebration. Celebrating is a key strategy for following through on your writing projects because doing so creates momentum.

I tell writers to think through what celebration looks like. It could simply be a post that announces what you’ve accomplished. Getting those comments and thumbs up can be wonderful. Or celebration might look like an indulgence of some kind.

One day I took twenty minutes to create a file I now keep on my laptop called “Rewards Brainstorm.” It’s a list of ways to reward myself, ranging from cheap things (“Dairy Queen Blizzard”) to more expensive things (“Take a trip to Chicago”) and in different categories like desserts, clothes, gadgets, entertainment, trips, and subscriptions.

Because I struggle with rewarding myself, having this list helps me follow through on celebrating in meaningful ways. Maybe it’ll help you too.

Action step: 1. Brainstorm a list of rewards, cheap to expensive, in multiple categories. 2. Celebrate a recent win!

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Adopting some combination of these five practices will help you enjoy the process of becoming the most productive you’ve ever been.

Question: Which of the above five strategies do you think would be most helpful to you? You can leave a comment by clicking here.