The WMF Archives: When a Writer Wastes Time on Unnecessary Evils (and the Writer is Me)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

When a Writer Wastes Time on Unnecessary Evils (and the Writer is Me)

6:00 AM

By Pam Houghton

Some days it takes me forever to actually sit down and write. Oh, I might go through the motions of a few menial tasks such as correcting typos or posting articles to different websites. But the actual task of sitting down, concentrating and getting some honest-to-goodness writing done sometimes gets lost in a never-ending flow of time-wasters.

Here's what I'm talkin' about.

1. Excessively checking e-mail. Old-fashioned as it may seem to those who are Twittering their lives away, e-mail has a hold on me like the Dalai Lama over his faithful followers. I log in constantly, even if I last checked 30 seconds ago. I need to break this habit, especially since the only e-mail I might get within the span of a couple hours is a discount coupon from Kohl's.

2. Facebook. After a brief infatuation with the time-sucking social media site where I logged in more frequently than the sun shines in Florida, I'm finally pulling myself away from its evil charms. Evil because it's so easy to get seduced into scanning the little status updates (Going to be a productive day! Life is good! Go Wings!) when I should be reading more erudite material...like People.

3. Worrying about television shows I missed the night before because I was too tired to stay up late. Or watched another show instead (I don't DVR anything). I waste time surfing the Internet for full episodes I can watch later on my laptop, then setting up a viewing schedule in my head.

4. Checking my kids' grades in Power School, the new website that allows hovering parents like me to hover even more. (Note to self: grades don't change much between 2nd and 4th hours.)

5. Surfing the web for inane topics such as "Bret Michaels latest news" or "Kate Gosselin/hair extensions."

6. Trips to Kroger for milk which turn into might as well get some ice cream which morphs into we could use more bread; then what am I gonna fix for dinner? Which results in reading recipes on the back of a pasta box in the international foods section and a whole new list of ingredients to buy.

7. Making the beds.

8. And when I need to get away from the laundry: Caribou or Starbucks? Caribou or Starbucks? Caribou or Starbucks?

What do you waste your time on? Or are you better behaved than I am?

Labels: Pam Houghton, the writing life, time management

24 comments:

GalaktioNova said...: Writing forums and critique groups! These are the biggest time-wasters for me. Reading thread after thread of endless discussions of somebody else's stories... this is the bane of my writing life. I KNOW doing it makes me feel important :-) but it definitely strips me of some cash I could earn in the meantime.

What an inspirational post, thanks a lot!; May 1, 2010 9:45 AM
Pam Houghton said...: Oh yes, those too! Especially the discussion threads over on LinkedIn. Oh dear, a lot of time to be wasted there!; May 1, 2010 9:46 AM
Diane J. said...: The dishes, the laundry, the post office run, exercise...(or the thought of exercise- I have to give myself a 40 minute talk about why I should exercise - then I either exercise for 30 minutes or eat a donut).; May 1, 2010 12:38 PM
Pam Houghton said...: That's funny.; May 1, 2010 12:41 PM
Lori Dolnick said...: I actually think that playing Pathwords on Facebook in between writing paragraphs gives the words a chance to form. When I'm researching something for a big article - it just takes time to gel. So those unnecessary evils become little breaks so my mind can wander and solve problems and then lets me return to that focus again. And with our oh, too busy days... it's very hard to find time to gel anything.; May 2, 2010 5:46 AM
Pam Houghton said...: That's a good way of looking at it Lori. And probably true!; May 2, 2010 7:32 AM
Alyssa Ast said...: lol it sounds like you wrote about me Pam. I have learned that if I keep my facebook window open in the background I can get a little more accomplished.

I waste way to much time Instant messaging.. It seems I don't follow the business hours I set for myself. Maybe I should make it a goal this week to do this. Great post!; May 2, 2010 10:59 AM
Anonymous said...: Not me, I am very disciplined when it comes to my writing schedule...
First I start by brewing some coffee. As I drink said coffee, I open the window, or notebook, with what I am starting of finishing.
Next I briefly check my emails, and facebook.
Then I exercise my brain, by reading articles and opinions of fellow writers, mothers and women with my same interests, responding only to what I see fit.
By this time my mind is awake and ready to be creative, before I start though, I need to make sure the cats are fed, the dishes are put away, the bathroom is...
Oh wait, this list is starting to look like yours...; May 2, 2010 12:13 PM
Kim Smith said...: I'm so glad I'm not alone. :-); May 2, 2010 12:36 PM
Carol Tice said...: EMAIL!!! I really need like a 12-step program...but it's so hard when some of my editors are in touch frequently and rush assignments might be up for grabs!

And with success in writing comes whole new ways to waste time...on BNET I'm NOT on email but instead in this cool virtual newsroom where I can 'hang out' with other awesome writers and my amazing former WSJ editor...instead of writing what I've pitched.

Finally, Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook...crack can't be worse.

But incredibly, lately I do feel I'm getting a little better! I needed to write like 5 blogs for a couple of small business clients to close out my month on Friday or $1000 in revenue would push over into the next month, and I actually sat myself down and got it done! So there's hope for us all...; May 2, 2010 3:32 PM
Lucy Smith said...: If you're using Firefox, a really great add-on is LeechBlock. You input whatever sites you want to block, and set some times/days, and LeechBlock will do the rest. So if you don't want to be allowed into Facebook Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm, easy. You can even set a 30-character code to get into the admin for it so it's a pain to change the times or disable it if you feel inclined to slack off.; May 2, 2010 5:13 PM
Pam Houghton said...: Hmm...that's something to consider!; May 2, 2010 5:21 PM
Kate Forgach said...: This post could relate to any work performed at home. Some apply even to office work, although I notice I tend to dither away time at the office.; May 3, 2010 10:48 AM
La Fleur said...: I was once so focused and dedicated to my writing. Now, I do everything but write. I waste a lot of time watching PBS. I'm addicted to the cooking and travel shows. By the time I watch those shows, God help me if CSI, Law and Order, or Antiques Roadshow are on, it's time for me to hit the sack. I work an 8 hour day, so not much time to dedicate to writing there. The weekends have become a total veg experience for me.

Maybe I'm burnt out and need a break. I don't know what my problem is these days. Oh, by the way, I spend a lot of time contemplating 'what my problem(s) is/are. Oye.; May 3, 2010 2:01 PM
Kimberly Surico said...: So glad I'm not alone. Thanks so much for your post Pam!; May 3, 2010 2:17 PM
Anonymous said...: I've got to say that I spend way too much time with emails also. I've got it down to three times a day but I get sooo many emails that it often takes me a hour or two to read them. Every three months or so I do go through and delete a bunch of sites that aren't servicing me like they were. But like so many, I do spend too much time with emails.

I have also started working on an online journal that I guess takes up a lot of my time too. Then there's the exercise and the meals and then my husband comes home and it's his turn to use the computer. Maybe if I had a laptop. . .; May 3, 2010 7:02 PM
Carolee / Home4ever said...: Have you read the 4 hour work week?

The author suggests checking email once a week- I would die!; May 4, 2010 7:10 AM
Pam Houghton said...: Once a week? Then I'd need 40 hours just to catch up!; May 4, 2010 7:20 AM
MinnesotaScottson said...: Your comments sound like what my wife goes through on a daily basis as independent, contract writer.
I am also a writer, one who works for a newspaper. There are times of the day when I shut down the instant email notification so I can focus on just my writing. There are always a million things to do each day. You just need to decide each day what really has to get done and do it. Otherwise you wind up with no free time for yourself.; May 5, 2010 4:35 PM
mantislove said...: Aside from the last week or so I have been the opposite. I actually "waste" time writing. Of course I do not have a job writing, so I am sure that is what makes a difference. Like right now I am supposed to be finishing a children's book series, but instead I have been focusing on my novel.

That said though, I still do a lot of the time-wasters listed above as well.

And checking emails once a week!!! That would be horrible, who in the world could do that? Most of us would have to do an automatic reply, saying "I only check my emails on Wednesday, so call me if you need to talk." And I don't know about you all, but I would converse a lot longer if I was talking to someone, and not just replying to an email.; May 6, 2010 10:44 AM
Pam Houghton said...: I'm touched by the number of people who have the same problem as me - and how we all waste time in such similar ways! Thanks everyone for adding to the conversation. It's been interesting. Anyone new to the post- feel free to share more!; May 6, 2010 4:08 PM
Cher'ley said...: I spend too much time reading articles about how others waste their time. LOL ...and all of the above and a few more. (I still get phone calls and snail mail.); May 11, 2010 9:54 AM
Skye said...: I've actually just started trying to write my first novel. I've written poetry since I was old enough to form sentences, but I have to admit this is very difficult for me with all the other distractions in my life. For instance, I work work from 10 PM to 6 AM 3-4 days a week, I have a 5 yr old son who just resently started summer vacation, and a husband who insists the house stay clean at all times and dinner be ready by the time he gets home. I hardly have time to sleep it seems much less wirte, but I do love writing. I should be writing now, but I keep finding myself rereading and rewriting over and over. How do I make my brain stop worrying about what I've already wrote and just keep pushing forward until I come to a stopping place where I can go back and fix mistake or reword my sentences? Any advice for me?; May 27, 2010 6:11 AM
Pam Houghton said...: Hi Skye - I suffer from perfectionism too, but you have to find ways to relax into your writing.

What works for me is telling myself - over and over - it doesn't have to be perfect. That way I can keep a conversational flow going and not get lost in the little technical details of writing, which you can go back and fix later.

Also, I have found myself struggling with a piece that I can't make work, no matter how hard I work at it. At that point, I'll admit it's not working and move on to a completely different topic. I may return to that original piece some day, but I don't beat myself up if I don't.

Getting some kind of a writing gig where you are committed to write daily/weekly/a couple times a week also loosens up the writing muscles, and forces you to push through those moments when you feel stuck. Maybe as simple as your own blog?

But again - it's mostly a mental game where you must convince yourself it's okay to loosen up and keep going, no matter how imperfect the story is coming out at the moment. As mentioned, you can always go back and fix things later.; May 27, 2010 7:36 AM