THE 25 ABSOLUTE BEST TIME TIPS FOR WRITERS AND OTHERS Jurgen Wolff – www.FocusQuick.com
1. DISCONNECT YOUR INNER CRITIC! The inner critic, the part of you that questions whether you're doing the right thing, doing the thing right, etc. is probably the number one obstacle to achieving your dreams. Have faith. If you don't feel it, fake it! If you still are bothered by a critical inner voice, imagine hearing whatever it says in the voice of Donald Duck--that usually takes away the emotional impact. I have created a program that will help you transform your inner critic: http://www.TameYourInnerCritic.com/sales.html 2. DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Assume there is a better way to do it than what you have always done or the way others tell you to do it. Sometimes you can start at the end and work backward. If you're trying to decide which project to work on next, go forward in time in your imagination. Imagine having finished one, in turn. Which of the visualizations gets you most excited and motivated? That may be the right project to do next. Or start with the way you like to do things. For instance, if trying to organize your home office, instead of starting with the types of organizational structures people say you should use, think about how you like to work. If you like piles, use piles--but organize them better. You might label them: Pile 1: Jan. 1-7, Pile 2: Jan 8-15 and so on. Or you might like to keep things in shoe boxes--hey, if it works for you, it works!
3. WRITE DOWN YOUR FEARS. A research study showed that students who spent 10 minutes writing about their fears before taking a stressful test did better than those who wrote about something else or didn't write at all. Adapt this to any situation that stresses you. If you are anxious about writing, for instance, spend the first five minutes writing down your fears ("nobody will care," "I am not worthy"). I would also add writing five minutes about the best possible outcomes ("this could be a best-seller," "this could change someone's life for the better"). 4. USE REWRITING TIME WISELY . Let a little time go by between writing something and critiquing it. Also, be sure you are in a different state when you are critiquing than when you were creating. You were in a creative state, now you want to be in an analytical state. There are some simple ways to do this: (1) Change your location. Don't critique at your writing desk. Go to a different room, even a different location, like a coffee shop. (2) Change your posture. For critiquing, sit back. (3) Change the look of what you are critiquing. Print it out on different color paper, use a different font. The more it looks like somebody else wrote it, the better. Another way to save time is to make sure you deal with the big issues first. Don't start playing around with changing the dialogue until you know the structure is right. 5. OUTSOURCE. This is a fancy way of saying, get somebody else to do some of the work. First, figure out what you can outsource to free up more time to write. Would it make sense to have a cleaning person come in once a week or maybe once every two weeks? Could that person also do your laundry and ironing? What about other chores? Consider hiring a student who wants to pick up a bit of extra money. Then figure out what parts of your writing you can outsource. For instance, research. I used a service called Hire My Mom (.com) to get some research done for my current book. I paid $12/hour and got the services of an experienced researcher who has a young child and wants to work from home. She did a great job, too. If you conduct interviews and have been transcribing them yourself, that's an easy one to outsource. I used fiverr.com to find someone to transcribe the webinar I did recently on screenwriting. I paid a total of $20 to get a transcript of a one-hour phone call. (However, the person I used for that, from fiverr.com, said she'd underestimated how long it would take and now is raising her prices. But even at double that, it would be a bargain.) You can also outsource things like proofreading, getting together an index, etc.
6. CREATE A TO-DO LIST THAT ACTUALLY WORKS You’ve probably heard the advice to make a to-do list for the following day, prioritize the tasks, and do them in the order of priority. Many people make the list. Some label according to priority. Very few do the lists in that order. Here’s an exercise that may help you change your behaviour, but with minimal pressure or pain. Make the list, number the tasks, and do them. For each one, note the order in which you actually did it (as well as the order in which you intended to do it). For example, there may be a phone call you really should get out of the way first thing (number 1) but it’s actually the 6th task you do that day so you’d write 1 in front of it but 6 in back of it. At the end of each day and again at the end of each week, look over the list to find the ones that don’t match. What do they have in common? For instance: •
Are they big tasks that intimidate you because of their size? Chunk them down and list the chunks as separate tasks.
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Are they tasks you find boring? Can you delegate any of them? Or link them with something you do enjoy?
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Are they vague, such as “Discuss project problems with X?” Be more specific: “Tell X he has to create a revised project plan by the end of the week.”
When you find such commonalities, brainstorm how to overcome what makes them difficult for you, and soon you’ll find that doing tasks in the order of their priority is no longer such a challenge—and that your productivity and how you feel during your day improve dramatically. 7. FINISH How much time have you wasted on half-finished projects? It's quite common for people to abandon a project in the middle because at that point it's hard work, it has not yet lived up to our expectations for it, and maybe we have an idea for a brand new project that's sure to be better. Of course the latter is an illusion--that new project's halfway point will be just as difficult. Here are the steps to sustaining your project all the way to the end: (1) Commit. If possible, publicly and to people who will hold you accountable.
(2) When you have ideas for new projects along the way, jot the down and save them. Promise yourself you'll review them when the current project is done. (3) Break the work down into small chunks and give yourself a small reward for each step you take. The middle is long, taking it in small steps really helps. (4) Keep working on transforming your inner critic into a constructive guide. It's the inner critic who is whispering that you should stop. One benefit: in future you will be more careful about what you start, knowing that you will have to finish it! 8. TAKE NAPS What, doesn't napping take time rather than give it? Well, think back to the last time you felt exhausted but dragged yourself through whatever task you had to do. Probably you did it slowly and maybe you made lots of mistakes. Instead, take a 20 minute nap. No longer than that, so set your alarm clock. A full sleep cycle is 90 minutes. If you are totally exhausted, take the 90, but usually 20 will refresh you. If you sleep more than 20 but less than 90, you'll be deep in the cycle when the alarm rings and just feel sluggish. 9. DON'T PANIC! Nobody is less efficient than a person in a panic. They go from one thing to another, all the while feeling awful because really the should also be doing a third thing. So what's the solution? Try Dr. Wolff's six steps: 1) Get down everything you think you need to do in the time between now and your deadline. Everything, doesn't have to be in any particular order. 2) Find what can be eliminated or postponed. Assume you will find several things, and you will. 3) Find what can be outsourced. Again, assume you will find several things. Consider online outsourcing companies (see the Resources page on this site), students, relatives, services like laundries. If money is tight consider bartering. 4) Now take what's left and organize it. What needs to be one in what order? What tasks can be clustered so as to save time? When you've got the plan, go over it one more time with steps 2 & 3 in mind--squeeze out a couple more things to delete or defer and to delegate. 5) Focus on each step of the plan as you do it. Don't worry about all the steps you're not doing right ,now, give this one your full attention. 6) Record your progress. Cross things off lists, or fill calendars, or whatever gives you a sense of moving forward. Take short walks, go for a swim or workout--things that don't
take a lot of time but give you a chance to breathe. It's all about regaining control, and these steps will allow you to be in charge of your life again. 10. DON'T WASTE TIME ON WORRY This is another tip that relates to dealing with your inner critic. One strategy: Have an interview with the inner critic. Ask him/her/it what are the specific concerns about the story--"it doesn't work" isn't a good enough answer. Insist on specifics, but without defending the current story. Make a list of all the specifics your IC comes up with. Then do something physical (even a minute of jogging in place is fine) and go to a different room and get into a neutral frame of mine--imagine this is somebody else's story--and go over the list. Which, if any, are valid concerns? If some are, check whether they are big enough to warrant reworking the story, or whether they can be addressed as you go along. For instance, if one of the comments is that a certain character seems weak, can you fix that by making sure she comes alive in the scenes you already have planned, or does it mean having to rejig the story to give her a bigger role? This strategy gets you away from the generalizations ("The whole thing doesn't work, maybe I should start over, or maybe I should do a different story altogether") to specifics ("OK, there's not enough happening in the second act, so let me look at whether a subplot might help with that and also bring out more about my protagonist's earlier life"). If the IC can't come up with specifics, you know that what you're experiencing is just general insecurity. Put it aside and work on faith for a while. When you get some momentum going, the anxiety will fade. 11. HOOK THE READER FROM THE START This is about efficient story-telling--setting a pace that keeps people reading. Q stands for question. When people read the opening of your novel, play, screenplay or even nonfiction book, it should raise some questions in the minds of your reader. They should want to know more--that's what keeps them reading. Dickens was a master of this. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." What great economy! We wonder, how can it be both? Or in what ways was it both? You also need to provide some answer. "Lost" just had questions, no answers, and the audience got (or at least a pretty big share of the audience) got tired of wondering. You want a nice mix: question one, question two, then answer one, question three, answer two, and so on. Always moving forward but also feeling some satisfaction at getting some answers.
When you have a first draft, go through it and in the margins note the questions you are raising and when you are answering them. If you're too close to the material, have someone who is fresh to it do it for you. Then look at the pattern and how you might manipulate it to create a better pace. This is especially important at the start, to draw in the reader, but it works all the way through and often it's especially important in the middle. Often that's a place where not enough new questions are raised and the reader gets bored. 12. MAKE CRITIQUES SMOOTH AND FREE OF CONFLICT I didn't originate this but I think it's a terrific way to critique someone else's material or even your own. It's called PPC--for Positives, Potential and (Solvable) problems. You start with the positives: what's working? You go to potential: it may not be good enough yet, but if it gets to that point, what's its potential? Could it be a thinking person's action movie? Could it be a novel that brings the reader back in touch with what it meant to be a child? Could it be a non-fiction book that saves lives? Or one that reminds people that it's not all doom and gloom out there? Then, and only then, on to problems, but stated as solvable. In other words, rather than saying "this story sags in the middle," you say, "How can the pace in the middle be speeded up?" or instead of, "This character is weak," it might be, "What would make this a stronger, more interesting character?" Can you see how this creates a much more positive, constructive atmosphere whether you're dealing with someone else's work or your own? 13. COPE WITH HAVING TOO MUCH TO READ What to do when you have too much to read from jurgen Wolff on Vimeo. 14. OVERCOME EMAIL OVERLOAD How to cope with email overload from jurgen Wolff on Vimeo. 15. COPE WITH OVERWHELM What to do when you feel overwhelmed from jurgen Wolff on Vimeo. 16. ADAPT If you want to make money from your writing (or anything else) you have to find the overlap between your passion and the marketplace. Right now, the marketplace for writers is tough. Newspapers are dying or cutting back, as are most of the general-interest magazines. We have to be alert to where the
opportunities are and at the moment these areas seem to be most promising: * articles for niche publications * niche books that you self-publish * downloadable information products based on your expertise (or piggybacking on someone else's) * screenplays for low-budget, independent films * copywriting, especially for websites and online marketers * plays for amateur productions (a hidden market--it's small money per production but can add up to a lot over time) If you're finding that the markets for your writing have disappeared, consider whether any of the above might be your next step. Writing for markets that don't exist is a waste of time. 17. MAKE THE RIGHT SMALL 1000 DECISIONS We spend a lot time thinking about the BIG decisions: should I wrote a novel? Which idea? Or a screenplay? These are the big romantic, dramatic decisions--we get to say, "Oh yes, I'm working on a screenplay." But it's the 1000 small decisions that actually determine whether we reach our objectives. Do I sleep in or do I get up and work on the book for half an hour? Do I watch "American Idol" or write? Do I go to a networking event or stay in nice and warm by the fireplace? My suggestion: make a list of the little decisions that you typically make that lead you away from your goal. Then make a list of the little decisions you typically make that move your toward your goal. Then do one or two fewer of the negative ones daily and one or two more of the positive ones. Remind yourself (maybe with Post-It notes?) every day. Recent research suggests it doesn't take 21 days to form a new habit, it takes 49, so hang in there, keep it simple, and you'll be amazed at the results over time. 18. USE THE POWER OF TWO SIMPLE QUESTIONS There actually are two simple questions that have incredible power to unlock ideas when you are stuck or blocked. One is, "Yes, but what if you could?" So if you say "I don't know how to improve my first draft, I say, " "Yes, but what if you could--what would you do?" Sounds silly but often that's all the nudge you need. But there's one question I find even better: "What if you had unlimited resources?"
So if you say I don't know how to improve my first draft and you say, "What if you had unlimited resources, what would you do?" I might say, "I'd hired Stephen King to give me advice." Well, probably that's not practical, but maybe my subconscious mind is saying the answer has something to do with Stephen King and his work in some way. It might be worth thinking that over, re-reading his book on writing, deciding in what ways my story has any similarity to any of his--and somewhere in there the answer may lie. The next time you're stuck, give it a try. You can also apply this to overcoming procrastination: Regarding whatever you are putting off, jot down the answer to these three questions: 1. I’m not going to do this right now, but if I did, the first step I’d take is… 2. I’m not going to do this right now, but I feel comfortable promising that I’ll do it on …(date) 3. I’m not going to do this right now, but the useful thing I AM going to do right now is… That’s it—but actually write these down, don’t just answer them in your mind. And when you’ve answered question two, make a note on your calendar on the appropriate date that you’re starting the task that day. 19. WORK IN A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT It's worth taking a few minutes to check whether your working space is set up for maximum effectiveness. A few things to consider: * do you have the things you need frequently within reach? (How much time do we waste looking for scissors, tape, etc.?) * do you turn off your 'email pings' when you work? (Do you really need to hear you've got access to another Nigerian fortune?) * is your to-do list within view? (Out of sight, out of mind) * do you have at least one plant nearby? (It's been shown they help air quality and attitude) * do you have at least one image that stimulates your imagination? (You'll need to change these regularly because once you get used to it, it becomes invisible.) What else do you do--or can you do--to make your working space work better for you? 20. ONE MORE QUESTION I’m ambivalent (at best) about Dr. Phil McGraw but I am a big fan of one of his catchphrase questions: “How’s that workin’ for ya?” When he asks it of one of his guests, usually the answer is, “Not too good” (they’re not big on grammar on the Dr. Phil Show). It’s a great question to ask about various aspects
of your life. For the writers, what are you doing to achieve your writing goals? (pause here for your answer….) How’s that workin’ for ya? For everybody, what are you doing to move toward your most cherished goals? How’s that workin’ for ya? If the answer is, “Very well,” then carry on doing that and consider whether doing more of it would bring even better results. If the answer is, “Not very well,” then consider what you could do differently to give you a different outcome. Most people waste a lot of time battling reality. They do things because they SHOULD work, and when they don't, they do it again, and harder. Shameless plug: Another option if the answer is “not very well,” or if you want more of what is working, is to join my 60-day Breakthrough Strategy program—more info at www.jurgenwolff.com. 21. KNOW THE PRESSURE POINTS On Wednesdays, Steven Pressfield, author of “Gates of Fire,” and “The Legend of Bagger Vance” as well as “The War of Art,” holds forth about writing (his blog is www.stevenpressfield.com). Recently he described the sticking points (or block points) writers typically encounter: 1) Before we begin. We’re afraid to launch, to commit. 2) An eighth of the way through. The honeymoon rush of enthusiasm wears off. We start having second thoughts. “What have I done? Where did I get the crazy idea that I could pull this thing off?” 3) In the thick of the action. We’ve committed so much that we can’t go back–but we can’t see the end either. Befuddlement strikes, the fog of war. Paralysis. 4) Nine-tenths of the way through. We suddenly discover our whole premise is faulty; we must scrap 65% and start over. Arrrggggh. 5) In sight of the end. Can we close the deal? Will we freeze? Will we chok 6) When we’re actually done. Now we’ll be judged. We are struck by fear of failure, fear of success, “the full catastrophe,” as Zorba the Greek once said. Sounds about right, although fortunately we don’t hit all six every time. For some people it can be a big help to know that this is common, not something unique to them. Of course I'm also in favor of balancing these points with the joy of coming up with an
idea, the thrill of having a character come alive on the page, the satisfaction of working out a complicated plot...But if you hit an of the six, it's not a reason to give up or throw it away, it's just stuff that happens. 22. PUT A LIMIT AROUND DEPRESSION First, let me go on record as saying I know that clinical depression is no joke, not something you can snap out of--I've been there. But we also have periods of "the blues" which often come for creative people when the world doesn't appreciate their efforts. I've been there, too. When I was working in Hollywood and some script project of mine got twisted around or rejected, my first response was to indulge in fantasies of moving to a Greek island and turning into a hermit. I have a friend who has basically the same reaction, but his choice is Thailand. Over time, I realized that probably a career as a hermit is not really in my future, but allowing myself to indulge in it for a while softened the blow. Based on personal experience, here are four strategies that help (at least somewhat) to soften the blow of rejections: • Go ahead and indulge your fantasies of escape, but try putting a time limit on it (e.g., for 48 hours or 72 hours I’m going to think about how great it would be to become a hermit in Greece or Thailand—or your choice.) •
Have at least one personal project that you work on just for the joy of working on it, and that you may never subject for the approval (or disapproval) of others.
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Check whether the rejection has anything useful in it—any constructive criticism you can apply to improve the project. If so, note it even if you don’t feel like working on it right now. (I’ve left this as step number three, since it’s difficult to be objective when the sting of rejection is still burning.) Remember how many great books, works of art, and scientific theories have been rejected before they finally were accepted and lauded.
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I won’t pretend I’ve found a way to make rejection fun; it’s still a pain in the neck or other parts of the anatomy, but these steps should help you avoid wasting too much time feeling bad. If that feelings hangs around and goes deeper, get some help, it's an illness. 23. Don't waste time writing what someone else could write (or has written) In his short manifesto, “A Brief Guide to World Domination,” Chris Gillebau says that the two most important questions are, “What do you really want out of life?” and “What can you offer the world that no one else can?” For many reading this, your second answer will have something to do with your writing. However, it’s all too easy (as I noticed during my years in Hollywood), for this question to turn into, “What can I write that is similar to what somebody else has written and had a big success with?” Leaving aside any issues of selling out, personal integrity, etc., it’s the wrong question even on the commercial level. Generally, the people who do make a lot of money do so by
offering something that is in some way new or different. And most of the time they (like J. K. Rowling) choose that topic because somehow it has chosen them. The question: What can you write that only you can write? 24. EMBRACE THE NEED FOR SPEED Chris Heatherly, Vice President of Innovation for Disney Consumer Products said this about their process for developing new toys: “We moved really aggressively to find partners who shared our vision and had applicable technology. Speed is of the essence in these things. Len (Mazzocco, head of creative) always says that ‘God gives everyone the same ideas at the same time.’ If you don't move fast, someone else will have your idea and do it before you can get it to market.” I’ve had the same experience with ideas for scripts and books. I’ve delayed and totally independently somebody has come up with a very similar idea. The moral is: if you’re convinced it’s a good idea, move fast! 25. GET OVER PERFECTIONISM Would you like to know a quick intervention to use when you find yourself unable to stop tinkering with your writing project in a quest for perfection? Here are the steps: 1: First recognize that your well-intentioned desire to make your writing as good as possible has stopped helping you and now is undermining you. 2: Think about your favorite three works in your genre. Are they perfect? No! For instance, I love Elmore Leonard’s books, but frankly sometimes they’re weak on plot. I also like Carl Hiaasen’s crazy comic novels but sometimes he gets carried away with the eccentricities of his characters. I enjoyed the film “Knocked Up” but felt that the semi-improvised bits with the guy and his roommates went on too long. Whether or not you happen to agree with these judgments, I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t say any of these works are perfect—what’s more, neither would Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen or Judd Apatow. 3: Recognize that you have reached the point where you have to let go and get your writing project out into the world. You’ll get more feedback and maybe there will be some things you will want to change—or maybe the world will be much less aware of its imperfections than you are. 4: Consider creating a little ‘the end’ ceremony or ritual to make step 3 more tangible. If you implement even a few of these 25 it can tranform your use of time.
You’ll find many more useful techniques in my book, “Focus: use the power of targeted thinking to get more done,” published by Pearson and available from Amazon and other booksellers. For friendly guidance with your writing, see my book, “Your Writing Coach,” published by Nicholas Brealey and my writing website, www.TimeToWrite.blogs.com. Feel free to share this publication with your friends and colleagues. If you have questions or feedback, let me know at jurgenwolff@gmail.com.