Day 305: Adjusted method of clearing the decks
I’m feeling MUCH better today than I have been for several weeks. Actually, I was feeling rather good on the tail end of yesterday, too, which might be why I was able to spend so much time working on my book.
Today I went through the process of clearing the decks, which I haven’t done for a while since I’ve been sick.
I came across the idea of “clearing the decks” from the book 5,000 Words Per Hour by Chris Fox. Basically, it’s eliminating everything that will distract you while writing, such as turning off the internet so you won’t check social media, checking your email inbox, turning your phone on airplane mode, making coffee, cleaning your desk, etc.
For me, I discovered that the thought of chores that I still need to do that day will sometimes nag at me while I’m writing, so I have started doing my house chores before starting work. I will usually wash dishes, start a load of laundry, and then I have a schedule of one chore a day. It usually only takes me 20 minutes max, and it ensures that I don’t have a ton of chores to do on any particular day.
I have noticed that doing some chores everyday like this will also prevent the sudden and tumultuous onslaught of the desire to procrastinate by cleaning the toilet or washing dishes rather than write. :)
Some days I also have cooking to do, such as prep for something I’m cooking for dinner or starting the crockpot. I will usually get that done before I start work, also, because the thought of cooking stuff that I still need to do will definitely nag at me while I’m working and distract my thoughts.
I used to also check email and social media before writing, because again, the thought of needing to do that will nag at me and distract me from my work. However, in January I did a reevaluation of my social media, and in February I reevaluated my self-publishing tasks. I adjusted it so that I’m only doing social media on Saturdays, and I simplified the tasks I need to do when I launch a book.
The reason is because I’m really not very good at either social media or self-publishing, and all that stuff causes me stress. So checking social media and email everyday had been causing me small amounts of stress before I start work, and I noticed that it will sometimes be extremely difficult for me to switch from a marketing mindset to a writing mindset. That might not be a problem for other writers, but for me, it’s really hard for me to shift mindset sometimes.
To eliminate that problem, I no longer check email or social media before work. I do need to check email every day, but I will do it at the end of the day, and social media is Saturdays only.
The really surprising thing is that because of that, my thinking has changed so that I don’t even wonder about social media at all during the week, whereas before I would be curious about what was happening. For a while, I would even forget to check email so now I have notices on my phone and I glance at them at the end of the day to see if there’s anything urgent I need to take care of.
The only exception to this method is if I have time-sensitive things on my To Do list that would nag at me while I was writing. In that case, I’ll just do those things quickly first thing in the morning, and then get to work right afterward.
Clearing the decks has also melded into my writing routine: after clearing the decks and before starting writing, I’ll make a pot of tea, fill a bottle of water, use the bathroom, and then do my Bible devotion. After that, I’m usually ready to start work on my book.
Now that I think about it, I suppose clearing the decks is actually a part of my writing routine.
Today was one of those exception days. I did chores and my writing routine, but then I had to do some things on my To Do list for my newsletter, my blog, and a Facebook promo I’m doing next week. It ended up taking longer than I’d like—but then again, it always takes a long time when I have to do those kinds of marketing things. (I did mention that I’m not very good at social media.)
Now that that stuff is done, I’m ready to start work on my Hawaii book. I will hopefully finish Snowflake step 8 today and be able to start writing the manuscript.
***
I finished my Snowflake step 8 scene spreadsheet! I did end up doing some blocking while I was working on it, so I may not have that much blocking to do for the story when I’m writing it, and my time tracking for my blocking will likely not be accurate. I wonder if I should combine my Snowflake step 8 and blocking all under simply blocking? Yes, I think I’ll do that.
I started writing the manuscript, too, but only got about 300 words before my IBS flared up. I thought it might get better later and I could keep working, but it never died down, so I didn’t get much writing done today.
Outlining: time spent: 0
Blocking: time spent: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Editing: Time spent: 0
Writing: Time spent: 38 minutes
Writing: Total number of words: 338 words
Writing: Average speed (sprints): 968 words/hour
Writing: Overall writing speed: 530 words/hour
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 2 hours, 23 minutes
My takeaway for today: Since I have noticed that I tend to do some blocking when I do Snowflake step 8, I decided to adjust my time tracking and combine Snowflake step 8 and blocking all under blocking.
Today I went through the process of clearing the decks, which I haven’t done for a while since I’ve been sick.
I came across the idea of “clearing the decks” from the book 5,000 Words Per Hour by Chris Fox. Basically, it’s eliminating everything that will distract you while writing, such as turning off the internet so you won’t check social media, checking your email inbox, turning your phone on airplane mode, making coffee, cleaning your desk, etc.
For me, I discovered that the thought of chores that I still need to do that day will sometimes nag at me while I’m writing, so I have started doing my house chores before starting work. I will usually wash dishes, start a load of laundry, and then I have a schedule of one chore a day. It usually only takes me 20 minutes max, and it ensures that I don’t have a ton of chores to do on any particular day.
I have noticed that doing some chores everyday like this will also prevent the sudden and tumultuous onslaught of the desire to procrastinate by cleaning the toilet or washing dishes rather than write. :)
Some days I also have cooking to do, such as prep for something I’m cooking for dinner or starting the crockpot. I will usually get that done before I start work, also, because the thought of cooking stuff that I still need to do will definitely nag at me while I’m working and distract my thoughts.
I used to also check email and social media before writing, because again, the thought of needing to do that will nag at me and distract me from my work. However, in January I did a reevaluation of my social media, and in February I reevaluated my self-publishing tasks. I adjusted it so that I’m only doing social media on Saturdays, and I simplified the tasks I need to do when I launch a book.
The reason is because I’m really not very good at either social media or self-publishing, and all that stuff causes me stress. So checking social media and email everyday had been causing me small amounts of stress before I start work, and I noticed that it will sometimes be extremely difficult for me to switch from a marketing mindset to a writing mindset. That might not be a problem for other writers, but for me, it’s really hard for me to shift mindset sometimes.
To eliminate that problem, I no longer check email or social media before work. I do need to check email every day, but I will do it at the end of the day, and social media is Saturdays only.
The really surprising thing is that because of that, my thinking has changed so that I don’t even wonder about social media at all during the week, whereas before I would be curious about what was happening. For a while, I would even forget to check email so now I have notices on my phone and I glance at them at the end of the day to see if there’s anything urgent I need to take care of.
The only exception to this method is if I have time-sensitive things on my To Do list that would nag at me while I was writing. In that case, I’ll just do those things quickly first thing in the morning, and then get to work right afterward.
Clearing the decks has also melded into my writing routine: after clearing the decks and before starting writing, I’ll make a pot of tea, fill a bottle of water, use the bathroom, and then do my Bible devotion. After that, I’m usually ready to start work on my book.
Now that I think about it, I suppose clearing the decks is actually a part of my writing routine.
Today was one of those exception days. I did chores and my writing routine, but then I had to do some things on my To Do list for my newsletter, my blog, and a Facebook promo I’m doing next week. It ended up taking longer than I’d like—but then again, it always takes a long time when I have to do those kinds of marketing things. (I did mention that I’m not very good at social media.)
Now that that stuff is done, I’m ready to start work on my Hawaii book. I will hopefully finish Snowflake step 8 today and be able to start writing the manuscript.
***
I finished my Snowflake step 8 scene spreadsheet! I did end up doing some blocking while I was working on it, so I may not have that much blocking to do for the story when I’m writing it, and my time tracking for my blocking will likely not be accurate. I wonder if I should combine my Snowflake step 8 and blocking all under simply blocking? Yes, I think I’ll do that.
I started writing the manuscript, too, but only got about 300 words before my IBS flared up. I thought it might get better later and I could keep working, but it never died down, so I didn’t get much writing done today.
Outlining: time spent: 0
Blocking: time spent: 1 hour, 28 minutes
Editing: Time spent: 0
Writing: Time spent: 38 minutes
Writing: Total number of words: 338 words
Writing: Average speed (sprints): 968 words/hour
Writing: Overall writing speed: 530 words/hour
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 2 hours, 23 minutes
My takeaway for today: Since I have noticed that I tend to do some blocking when I do Snowflake step 8, I decided to adjust my time tracking and combine Snowflake step 8 and blocking all under blocking.
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