The Imperfectionist: The power of 15 minutes (and other ideas)

Putting ideas into words doesn't have to mean writing, of course. You can also do it the old way, by talking. But in my experience, writing is the stricter test. You have to commit to a single, optimal sequence of words. Less can go unsaid when you don't have tone of voice to carry meaning. And you can focus in a way that would seem excessive in co... See more

The mathematical genius Alexander Grothendieck once had a metaphor for solving problems. He suggested that instead of forcing open an impossibly hard kernel with a hammer and chisel, one should simply let it sit in water and wait. Over time, the shell softens and opens with ease. This is also true in writing; time is the only non-substitutable ingr... See more

Author and writing instructor Natalie Goldberg on how to improve your writing (or anything else):

“In order to improve your writing, you have to practice just like any other sport. But don’t be dutiful and make it into a blind routine. “Yes, I have written an hour today and I wrote an hour yesterday and an hour the day before.” Don’t just put in you... See more

1. You have more time than you think. You just waste way too much of it on social media and returning emails. Therefore, during your scheduled writing time, use an app to block yourself from accessing those time-sucks.


2. Schedule your regular writing time. Put it in your calendar. It is sacrosanct. It should be regular. It’s best if you work in the morni

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“Given the exact circumstances in which I find myself, am I able to write for fifteen minutes?” If your answer is no, explain to yourself why you are answering no. If your answer is yes but you don’t start writing, explain to yourself why, even though you feel able to write, you aren’t writing. If your answer is yes and you do write, have a chat wi

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The obvious benefit to working quickly is that you’ll finish more stuff per unit time. But there’s more to it than that. If you work quickly, the cost of doing something new will seem lower in your mind. So you’ll be inclined to do more.

The converse is true, too. If every time you write a blog post it takes you six months, and you’re sitting around... See more

Substack comment on the synergy in fast & slow writing:

I definitely lean towards the side of editing, restructuring, and rewriting, but I recently started a typewriter practice where I soft-publish a few one-take, one-page essays per week. I've been surprised by the legibility of those drafts. Getting tempted to move into a faster pace, while a

... See more

Substack comment on the synergy in fast & slow writing:

I definitely lean towards the side of editing, restructuring, and rewriting, but I recently started a typewriter practice where I soft-publish a few one-take, one-page essays per week. I've been surprised by the legibility of those drafts. Getting tempted to move into a faster pace, while

... See more