Rethinking Writing Productivity

Writing productivity is especially relevant this time of year, when we’re thinking about how to squeeze the very most out of our days. For many writers, the festive season is when we’re juggling day jobs, family, holiday preparations, and—oh, yeah—writing. But instead of micromanaging every minute of the day to achieve maximum productivity, I want to challenge the overachievers out there to slow down. Intrigued? Read on!

Rethinking writing productivity: Make room for slow writing this holiday season.

Back in August, I had mapped out a blog post on writing productivity in the traditional sense—tips and tricks to get the most out of your writing time. While this flavor of content can certainly be useful, I’m starting to wonder if it’s eclipsing the real issue: why do we need to be on this perpetual achievement treadmill to feel satisfied with our existence?

BENEFITS TO GOALS AND TASKS

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” —Andrew Carnegie

I should note, however, that there are clear advantages to setting goals and laying out a roadmap to achieving them. As Andrew Carnegie reminds us, one path to happiness is by setting a goal and working towards it. And, honestly, I do think there’s truth to this sentiment. From personal experience, I know that if I’m feeling down, one way to boost my energy is by giving myself one small task that I can accomplish easily. Once I’ve done it, I usually feel revived and more motivated. Having something to work towards, whether it’s big or small, helps us move through the days with a sense of purpose and direction.

To this end, I’d recommend checking out the writing productivity tag on Jessica Brody’s official author website. She’s developed lots of tips and tricks to help writers hack their brains and achieve their writing goals.

THE TOXICITY OF ACHIEVEMENT CULTURE

The flip side is that the drive to achieve can become toxic. It’s easy to become addicted to achievement, especially for folks who thrive on external validation. If you fall into this category, your sense of self-worth may rest heavily on your personal and professional accolades—even if you possess other (arguably more important) traits, like being compassionate or empathetic. 

It doesn’t help that Western culture routinely celebrates this “more is more” mentality, without acknowledging that it’s impossible to keep piling on without letting something else go. But because this model is so ingrained and celebrated in our culture, we tend to feel like failures if we can’t keep up. We let achievement culture dictate not only our lives, but our sense of self-worth.

WRITING PRODUCTIVITY WITHOUT THE ACHIEVEMENT TREADMILL

By the end, people want a eulogy, not a CV—and that is who you were, who you were connected to, who you helped, who loved you, and who did you love. Not what did you make and what did you earn and what did you build. —Esther Perel, psychotherapist

Writing is a major area of my life where I feel down on myself if I haven’t achieved enough. I tend to measure my self-worth by the quantifiable things I’ve done: the number of books I’ve read in a year. The number of words I’ve written in a day/week/month. Tangible progress I’ve made on that new outline. If I don’t achieve those goals, my brain descends into a negative thought spiral that ultimately ends in: “My life will be meaningless if I don’t achieve my writing goals.”

Which is ridiculous.

And it’s led me to an epiphany: I need to change the goal.

Instead of striving for maximum writing productivity and hitting certain quantifiable metrics, I’m going to strive towards writing a story that I love. I want to dive into my writing because I’m excited to spend time with my characters in their world, not because I’ve told myself I need to write XYZ words. My theory is that if enjoyment—not measurables—is the goal, then writing productivity will happen organically.

Changing the goal also means changing certain expectations. First and foremost is shedding the need for external validation. After all, that’s the main reason so many of us are addicted to achievement. But if the goal is delighting yourself with your own story, then it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks of it. Chances are, though, that if you write a story that you love, you’ll find an audience who loves it, too.

It might also be necessary to change the timeline you’d envisioned for finishing your book. One of the great things about not sprinting towards achievement is that it allows the time and space for slow writing. Slow writing takes into account the importance of activities outside of typing away at the keyboard, like reading often and widely or taking walks to allow your back brain an opportunity to work through your story. Slowing the pace may mean that it takes you longer to finish your book, but that’s okay since the goal is loving your story—not sprinting towards publication.

So this holiday season, embrace slow writing. Prioritize making memories with friends and family--you may find inspiration for your story! And, more importantly, people are what matters (yourself included!)—not wordcount.

Now I’m curious: Are you a chronic overachiever? Does “changing the goal” resonate with you? Let’s chat in the comments!