Creativity is infinite. Creativity is infinite. — Reese Witherspoon
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Posts Tagged ‘productivity’
Infinite You
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, art, creativity, inspiration, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on February 25, 2026| 3 Comments »
The X% Rule
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, action, creativity, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 29, 2025| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a way to approach projects, and life, from Oliver Burkeman:
The Imperfectionist: Seventy per cent
The 70% rule: If you’re roughly 70% happy with a piece of writing you’ve produced, you should publish it. If you’re 70% satisfied with a product you’ve created, launch it.
Do I believe this, as in, do I think that 70% is “good enough”? Not entirely.
Would I be more productive if I did? Absolutely.
And is most of my reluctance to sign onto this rule based in my little problem with perfectionism? Again, absolutely.
I do very much agree with the general idea:
I’m convinced it’s also the way to cultivate a particular kind of sane, action-focused, peaceful-but-energised approach to life that’s becoming more essential by the day. At the risk of offending any sticklers for traditional mathematics, I’m even tempted to argue that 70% is actually better than 100%, at least in this context.
So I think I’ll try to work my way down toward 70%. Will I get there? Maybe not, but when it comes to clearing away barriers to productivity, every step counts.
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Good Books Only, Please!
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, authors, creativity, genre fiction, GRRM, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on July 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »
We gave a dinner party over the weekend and talk turned (as it does) to entertainment. When, one conversant asked, would the Game of Thrones books ever be published? I don’t know the answer to that question (obviously, but the timeline tells its own tale) but I was interested to read this take by editor and journalist Maddy Meyers.
If George R. R. Martin doesn’t want to write Winds of Winter, that’s OK – Polygon
…without speaking to the man or knowing him personally at all, I am nonetheless prepared to make the case that George R. R. Martin simply does not want to finish writing The Winds of Winter.
He’s just not into it. If he continues to force himself to do it, the end result will probably be a pretty terrible book — and I think he knows that, and that’s why he can’t finish it, because he doesn’t want to publish a bad book. The alternative? We don’t get the book at all. And for me, that’s actually preferable.
Honestly, I agree. While I’d love for him to finish the rest of the series, a bad book is far worse than no book at all.
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On a Bit of a Tear
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2024, genre fiction, productivity, reading, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »
This isn’t something I would normally say, but I think I’m reading a little too much.
I’ve been on a bit of a tear, rereading some of my favorite stories. I’ve just finished to the tenth book plus spinoffs in one series, and I think I need to slow down after this.
It’s cutting into my writing time.
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This Guy!
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, art, creativity, inspiration, music, productivity, Writers, writing on December 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I was feeling pretty not terrible about closing in on three years of daily posts here, but this guy! Writing, recording and releasing an album every day? Seriously impressive.
‘Like brushing my teeth’: how Michiru Aoyama writes, records and releases an album every day
For two years, the Kyoto musician has risen at five, watched football, then made an eight-track album of super-deep ambient music – while fitting in a two-hour walk.
I’m still feeling not terrible about my streak, but this gives me an extra dose of inspiration. Win win!
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Today’s Motivation
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, genius, inspiration, Motivation, myths, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on August 4, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“The more shots you get at the target, the more likely you’ll eventually score a bull’s-eye, but the more misses you’ll accrue as well. The bull’s-eyes end up in museums and on library shelves, not the misses. Which, when you think about it, is a shame. It feeds the myth that geniuses get it right the first time, that they don’t make mistakes, when, in fact, they make more mistakes than the rest of us.”
― Eric Weiner, The Geography of Genius
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Blankety Blank Blank
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, Charlie Jane Anders, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on June 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »
If you’ve ever had writers’ block you’ll know that it is, hmm, not fun. In my experience, getting past it requires taking a step back and reassessing your project, your goals, and your self. It can also help to understand what kind of block you’re dealing with. For that, Charlie Jane Anders has some advice:
The 10 Types of Writers’ Block (and How to Overcome Them)
Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the terrifying mystique of Writer’s Block, it’s better to take it apart and understand it — and then conquer it. Here are 10 types of Writer’s Block and how to overcome each type.
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What Do They Say About Hope?
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, lists, optimism, productivity, Thoughts, writing on April 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
I think I should start posting earlier in the day. You know, when the schedule still glows with possibility, and my plans have yet to come to fruition but still could.
Have I finished baking the week’s bread? No, but it is in progress.
Have I aced today’s Wordle? No, but it’s still possible I could pull out a miraculous win. (It’s not, if I’m honest. Really not.)
Will I get to all that yard work on my list, including a date with a massive downed tree branch and a power saw? Soon, definitely!
Finished reading that book on building better habits (and generally being more awesome)? No, but I am halfway through and already feel a fresh cloak of virtue wrapping itself around me like a warm blanket.
Have I worked out a fix for a broken computer, created a brilliant new recipe, drafted a story, sent in that submission, raked and trimmed and seeded and cleaned and refilled and laundered and baked and donated and delivered? (Or realized that this list is unrealistically, impossibly long?)
Now, barring a sudden attack of zombies or a meteor shower, I’ll actually get a lot of these things done. But all of them?
Probably not. The gap between where I am and where I’d like to be will always be wider than my reach.
Still. It’s morning and right now all things are possible. Doesn’t the sun shine brighter for it?
Here’s to a productive weekend. Because hope, as they say, springs eternal!
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How to Do Better
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, creativity, Fiction, inspiration, learning, productivity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on March 4, 2022| 1 Comment »
“I have two questions for you,” I said. “One: Do you want to do better?” …
“Here’s my second question: Are you willing to feel the discomfort of putting in more effort and trying new things that will feel weird and different and won’t work right away?”
— Peter Bregman, If You Want to Get Better at Something, Ask Yourself These Two Questions
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Today’s Motto
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2022, productivity, Thoughts on February 24, 2022| 1 Comment »
Today’s motto: Don’t think about it, just do it.*
Simple. Right.
Thinking about things takes up a considerable amount of energy. Energy that could be better spent on more interesting projects. It’s also not nearly as productive as I like to imagine.
Today’s example: Do I want to do my taxes? I do not, but needs must.
Are there other, far more interesting projects I could work on? Hmm, let’s see. Yes.
Would I rather put taxes into the “think about it some more a.k.a. put it off until later” column? Of course!
Like many of you** I’ve been avoiding my taxes for weeks. It’s time for a strongly-worded memo (I suppose this qualifies) and a spot of bribery.
Project: Taxes. So fun.
Reward: Time in the workshop, the library, or the kitchen. Did I mention I just received an order of good chocolate?
/rubs hands with glee
/eyes tax forms
/eh. worth it!
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* I really wish Nike hadn’t turned that saying into an inextricably-associated-with-marketing phrase.
** I’m guessing, of course, but I like my odds.
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