Erik Marshall

I find getting started to be the hardest thing about writing. On a larger scale, when beginning a project or chapter, sitting down, figuring it out, and starting to write is terribly difficult. On a more daily level, the same holds true. I know what I should write today, and have the research done. I get up extra early with most of the day in front of me. And I do something else. An hour goes by and I still haven’t started. Most of the time I simply get distracted and next thing I know it’s lunch time. One thing I have found about the dissertation process is that continuity is important. It is important to read, research, and, most importantly, write every day in order to keep momentum going. Otherwise, you lose the thread of the project and have to reacquaint yourself with it, wasting valuable time.  But getting started remains difficult.

I do the right things. I have given up excessive teaching requirements. I have a quiet space dedicated to writing. I get up early. But I take a long time to get started, and then I lose it completely. Here are some of the things I have found get in my way, and what I know I should do about them, but often fail to do.

1. Social networking. The first thing I often do in the morning is check twitter, then facebook or RSS feeds, all of which lead to endless clicking and commenting and socializing. Solution: either save it for later, or put a firm deadline on it. Use these things as a reward.
2. Blog reading. I might argue that reading blogs in RSS is more important than the others to my work because of the number of blogs I read that relate to my research, but I should schedule that for a certain time after morning writing.
3. Cleaning or tweaking my workspace. When I sit down to write, nothing seems more important than making more coffee, doing dishes, or rearranging the desk. I need to resist this urge, or schedule 20 minutes in the afternoon for such things.
4. Teaching /other work stuff. Sometimes you simply have to grade, or respond to student emails or prep for class. I usually save this stuff for late afternoon, after I am burned out on other things. I also try to postpone responding to emails until a set time, and do them all at once, instead of as they come in.
5. Worrying about the rest of the day. Sometimes I obsessively schedule and reschedule the rest of my day, including social obligations, tutoring and other work. Again, this needs to be compartmentalized.
6. Napping. I’ve been really good about this lately, and there’s nothing wrong with a quick 20 minute nap. Problem is, I’ll bring a book with me and read for awhile (again, tricking myself into thinking I’m working by reading for pleasure), and the 20 min nap is really an hour.

Most of these are related, and I know other people share these and have others to add. The solution, it seems, is to come up with a strict schedule and keep to it, and turn off the Wifi while working.  My laptop even has a little button for that, as shown at the top of the post.

Does anyone have any other ideas or just want to complain? I suspect a lot of people have this problem no matter what they do or what they are working on. What about those of you who don’t, who are always successfully juggling several projects? How do you do it?