Recently, I released a podcast about Questioning the Premise of “Writers Write”, which is common productivity advice, akin to “BICHOK”. The question-the-premise is important because not everyone should write every day. And not everyone does their best writing when the pressure is on for them to write more consistently.
Here is just a quick reminder: not all free time is creative time.
This is something that’s been coming up in coaching conversations a lot lately. “But Becca, I have so much free time.”
Well, sure. There are minutes when your attention is not otherwise occupied. But the energy required to do creative endeavor is a different level of energy than it requires to watch television. Or read books.
If you’ve ever played video games, you’re familiar with the energy scores on avatars in many video games with special powers. So, if you play a Jedi character, they have certain powers (flying, moving objects, etc.) and each of those powers takes a different kind of energy. It costs more energy points to heal someone than it does to move an object. It costs more energy to fly than it does to jump.
Intuitively, we know this. But yet, somehow, when it comes to the “but I have free time” comment, we assume that all minutes are created equal and all tasks are created equal and all brain functions are, as well.
But of course, they are not. It takes energy from more places (and a different kind of energy, as well) to write. It takes less energy to watch television. It takes less energy to read than it does to write. (Or plot, or think.)
When your brain is worn out, expecting yourself to be able to plot or write or edit is asking for frustration and distraction.
Additionally, we also have capacities. Buckets of certain kinds of motivations that are limited. So if you’re spending your whole day making decisions, then it can be frustrating to have to sit and make a bunch of decisions about how to write a book. Or how to plot a book. Or a scene, or create a character. That’s just straight-up decision fatigue.
So, somedays, you shouldn’t be writing. And some times in your life, you shouldn’t be writing. There are a lot of things that we do because we think we “should” do them, but then it turns out that the “should-ing” is based in nothing more than idealism or someone else’s personality.
If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s here. Let me know if you have questions or comments!