How To Write More By Not Writing
In today’s culture, we’re pushed to the limits of work, work, work, work. Even right now, as I write this article, I’m doing something akin to ‘work’ while shirking any sense of relaxation. It’s nearly 10PM and I’m trying to squeeze as much work from this day as I can.
But you can’t work all the time—nor should you.
Stephen Covey, in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, breaks this down into P and PC.
That is, production and production capability. We can’t only focus on production. We must also be able to maintain a body and mind that is capable of producing in the long term.
That means, in order to maximize your production—and in this case, my main production is writing—I should focus on not-writing some of the time.
What things should I focus on instead, when I’m not writing?
Meditation and Focus
There’s no shortage of distractions coming at you on a day-to-day basis. It’s one of the main obstacles standing in the way of my writing. When I’m at my computer, other things come up. I get text messages. I have to go to the washroom. I want to google something. I want to check my emails. The list could go on forever, and sometimes I find myself distracted for hours, frustrated and angry at my inability to focus.
That’s what I think the benefit of meditation is. It’s a daily practice where you quiet your mind and force it to focus on something of your choosing (I use the mantra ‘ohm-chi’).
The greater your ability to focus, the greater your ability to produce words on the page.
Exercise And The Body
Writing is a sedentary activity that requires us to sit still for long periods of time.
If you were to simply type into google “sitting and health” you’ll find a plethora of articles explaining how bad sitting is for your body. We did not evolve to sit for long periods of time.
If you’re interested in being on this planet for awhile, and producing a lot of great writing while you’re here, you should be doing something physical at least once a day.
For me, I try to mix it up. I like to rock climb, do yoga, go on runs (or walks), and do weight training.
And as a side note, I also feel like exercising has had the greatest positive affect on my mental health out of anything I do.
Social Gatherings and Fun
Writing is a human endeavour. You’re trying to connect with others through your words and inspire them through your stories. That means you should have some understanding of how we humans interact, and engage, and communicate with one another, and you should be a part of some type of community or group.
If you’re not currently a part of a group of friends who do things on a regular basis, join a local club, or start a writing group, or start bowling every Tuesday, or start frequenting your local pub.
For me, I do not drink, as I think that negatively affects my production capability (PC), so my weekly social activity is my climbing gym (and it’s an efficient 2 for 1!).
Art and Inspiration
There’s nothing that makes me want to write more than being inspired by other’s ability to create something magical.
And the two things that inspire me the most (other than great writing) are movies and paintings.
I love going alone to a movie, with a notepad, and writing down scenes and lines that I love.
When I go to art galleries, lines and phrases of poetry will naturally spring forth from the void, and I’ll jot them down. These will almost always make their ways into my completed poems.
I try and go to a movie once a week and an art gallery once a month (but I’d love to do it more).
How do you write more by not writing?
