Some thoughts on productivity

Hi writers,

Like most people these days, I am working from home. That means, as I sit at my kitchen table, there are other tasks calling for my attention. Laundry that needs folding. A bed that needs making. Clean dishes to put away.

Sometimes these chores are particularly alluring when I have to sit down and crank out some writing. There is something satisfying about cleaning that is hard to replicate in a writing practice. There is such a clear before …. And after.

I can see the clean laundry go from a pile on the bed to neatly folded items in a drawer. I can see the dishwasher go from full to empty or empty to full. When I am done I can confidently check it off my list. It is definitely done. I can feel productive.

It’s not that way with writing. I could spend an hour writing and see that I have new words on the page … but how many of those words will be used in the final edit? What will be switched around, cut out, added? Will I get anything done at all – anything tangible? And how will I know if it’s “done?”

On the other hand, sometimes I appear to be doing nothing at all and I am actually processing, moving words and paragraphs around in my head, watching an idea click into place or living a section of life that I might be writing about later. What does productivity even mean when you’re talking about a writing practice?

It’s alluring to check those tangible tasks off your list. But there’s something really special about sitting with the mysteries of the in between, those tasks that have no beginning or end, but are meant to simply be … experienced.

Happy writing,

Allison

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