Hillary Rettig's Blog, page 8

Select 2016 Blog Posts

Below is a list of select blog posts from 2016. Not surprisingly, many were on the topic of how to stay productive and otherwise cope during challenging times.

Also, I want to remind you that coaching is a fun and empowering way to start the new year, and nothing catalyzes progress faster. I take on a few new coaching clients every season, and work especially well with people who like a compassionate, yet direct and efficient, approach. If you think you’d like to work with me please check out my coaching page.

Thanks to everyone who supported me, professionally, personally, and politically, during 2016. We’re in for some challenging times, but we’ll get through them the way we always do: together. Many people in the U.S. and elsewhere have indicated a desire to be more politically active in 2017 and I will be providing tips for doing that in the next newsletter.

What to do When Your Gingerbread House Collapses

What’s the Right Number of Drafts?

How to Bingo Your Way to Fun Productivity

Inspiring Post-Election Words from Atul Gawande and Gene Sharp

Productivity Tips for a Distracting Time

Six Things to Do if You’re Having Trouble Finishing Your Work

Do You Have a “Room of ReQUIETment?”

On Trying to Write While Sitting in the Midst of the Battle of Hogwarts

An Insanely Simple Tip That Will Make Your Writing Sessions Fly

Beware Post-Summer Situational Perfectionism

(Also good for post-holiday!)

Update! And Why Self-Censorship Doesn’t Work

What to Do When Your Gingerbread House Collapses

I have no idea what went through the mind of whoever built this gingerbread house when it collapsed. But I’m guessing she (or he) didn’t get all self-critical and perfectionist about it.

Perfectionism is an obstacle to creative problem solving, admirably on display here.

Happy holidays, and remember that the secret ingredient is always compassionate objectivity (nonperfectionism).

“My Productivity Has Increased Tenfold.”

A heartfelt thanks to artist and coaching client Sonja Cillié for the below testimonial on our recent work together:

“I have benefited tremendously from our coaching sessions. My productivity has increased tenfold. When I come across a barrier now it doesn’t derail me completely anymore, I can get back on track the same or at the very least the next day. I am very aware of my perfectionistic thoughts and am able to be more compassionate (most of the time).”

Coaching will help you get your new year off to a productive and confident start. All coaching begins with a $375 Needs Analysis / Action Planning Process, and that may, in fact, be all you need! Sign up now, or learn more about my coaching here.

Also, order a paperback copy of The 7 Secrets of the Prolific directly from me and I’ll custom-autograph it for you or the person of your choice. (You’ll also get an e-copy!) Be sure to write the desired inscription in the memo section of your order form. (You can also get it from Amazon and iTunes, of course.) Here’s the latest review:

“I am an executive coach and leadership development professional, so I have read many, many, many books on procrastination and perfectionism. This book nails it in a way that nothing I have ever come across before does. Thank you so much for writing this, Hillary, you have helped me more than I can say. It would not be an overstatement to say this book has changed my life.”

Thank you for your continued support! I wish you well for the holidays and beyond. Although many of us here in the U.S. and elsewhere anticipate dark times politically, we’ll get through it like we always do, with love, political activism, and community. I have been reading All on Fire, the late Henry Meyer’s monumental biography of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. What strikes me is the many ups-and-downs the abolitionists experienced–including many “downs” right before they won and slavery was abolished. The important things are to: (1) take care of yourself (you’re precious), (2) find your people – the ones fighting the good fight, and fighting it effectively – and, (3) never give up.

“My Productivity Has Increased Ten-fold.”

A heartfelt thanks to artist and coaching client Sonja Cillié for the below testimonial on our recent work together:

“I have benefited tremendously from our coaching sessions. My productivity has increased tenfold. When I come across a barrier now it doesn’t derail me completely anymore, I can get back on track the same or at the very least the next day. I am very aware of my perfectionistic thoughts and am able to be more compassionate (most of the time).”

Coaching will help you get your new year off to a productive and confident start. All coaching begins with a $375 Needs Analysis / Action Planning Process, and that may, in fact, be all you need! Sign up now, or learn more about my coaching here.

Also, order a paperback copy of The 7 Secrets of the Prolific directly from me and I’ll custom-autograph it for you or the person of your choice. (You’ll also get an e-copy!) Be sure to write the desired inscription in the memo section of your order form. (You can also get it from Amazon and iTunes, of course.) Here’s the latest review:

“I am an executive coach and leadership development professional, so I have read many, many, many books on procrastination and perfectionism. This book nails it in a way that nothing I have ever come across before does. Thank you so much for writing this, Hillary, you have helped me more than I can say. It would not be an overstatement to say this book has changed my life.”

Thank you for your continued support! I wish you well for the holidays and beyond. Although many of us here in the U.S. and elsewhere anticipate dark times politically, we’ll get through it like we always do, with love, political activism, and community. I have been reading All on Fire, the late Henry Meyer’s monumental biography of abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison. What strikes me is the many ups-and-downs the abolitionists experienced–including many “downs” right before they won and slavery was abolished. The important things are to: (1) take care of yourself (you’re precious), (2) find your people – the ones fighting the good fight, and fighting it effectively – and, (3) never give up.

What’s the Right Number of Drafts?

“What’s the right number of drafts?”

Meaning: how many drafts does it take to produce a polished piece of work?

When I ask that question during workshops, people usually reply between two and five. (People who are familiar with my work and think they know where I’m heading usually answer with a higher number.)

But if there’s a journalist, or former journalist, in the class, they always give the right answer: “As many as it takes.” I guess journalists are taught this by their teachers and mentors.

I was reminded of this by a recent article on writing by the brilliant Rebecca Solnit in which she mentions, “I’ve seen things that were amazing in the 17th version get flattened out in the 23rd.” I imagine some readers were all: “Wait–what? 17 drafts?! 23 drafts?!!!”

For me, 17 is nothing. I probably rewrite every word of my books two or three dozen times. Even “simple” blog posts like this one get rewritten five or ten times.

This sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But it might not be as much as you think. By “draft” I mean a quick runthrough of a piece, or a section of a longer work, during which I fix only the most obvious problems. I can do a draft of this blog post, for instance, in five minutes.

Five drafts times five minutes/draft is still twenty-five minutes minimum for a blog post. It’s a nontrivial amount of time, especially when the pressure’s on to post frequently. (Plus, the occasional idea that never gels.) But it usually yields a good result, which is my main concern.

Keep in mind, also, that nonperfectionists can usually finish many drafts faster than a perfectionist can finish one or two–assuming she even finishes.

Working this way yields a better result because:

1) It’s holistic – allows me to better visualize and work with the piece (or section) as a whole.

2) It’s organic. I’m not trying to force or control anything; just letting the piece grow and take form at its own pace. Creativity hates attempts at control, and often just shuts down in the face of them.

I have no idea what Solnit means by “draft,” or how long hers take–and, ultimately, I’m in favor of whatever process works for any given writer. (The proof’s in the productivity!) But if anyone reading this is thinking, “Harumph! My work is too [intellectual / technical / specialized / whatever] for this freewriting-type process to work,” I humbly object! In her classic, Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day, Joan Bolker strongly endorses freewriting even for intellectual work, saying, “it causes you less pain while you’re doing it, and produces better writing.”

Writing, it turns out, is just writing, regardless of what is being written. “Easy,” “hard,” “intellectual,” etc., are just labels we stick on whatever we happen to be working on, and mostly aren’t helpful.

And nonperfectionism will speed, improve, and add joy to, not just your writing but every aspect of your work and life.

How to Bingo Your Way to Fun Productivity!

In a recent newsletter I mentioned how I sometimes roll a die to decide which section of my project to work on. When you pick a section at random it’s hard to take the work too seriously or otherwise get perfectionist.

Reader Nathan wrote in with another great randomizing technique from Viviane Schwarz: bingo cages (a.k.a., wheels).

“One of my most important work tools is a bingo wheel which I throw wooden balls in labelled with the projects I need to work on—I’ve found it absolutely impossible to run a schedule based on priority, they all need work all the time and thinking about which one is the most pressing is just wasting time. I spin out a project, set a timer and work on it for half an hour or an hour to take it forward, then I spin again until it’s time to stop working. It sounds quite ridiculous but it beats every other system I’ve ever tried for productivity; you just have to make sure the right balls are in the cage, throw in more if a deadline is approaching or take some out if something gets less urgent. Statistically, as long as it all gets done on time, who cares what order it happened in?”

Another reason these techniques work is that they get you out of the realm of abstract thought and into something concrete that’s right in front of you. (Abstraction can be tiring.) And they inject some fun and color into the process, which always helps.

I know some of you clever ones are thinking, “Why bother with all that old – fashioned stuff? I’ll just use a random number generator app on my phone!” No! You don’t want your phone, and its many distractions, anywhere near you while you’re working. (Plus you lose the whole concrete / color / fun thing.)

Inspiring Post-Election Words from Atul Gawande and Perennial Wisdom from Gene Sharp

I’ll send out another productivity newsletter in a bit, but in the meantime, Atul Gawande’s New Yorker piece offers one of the most healing and encouraging responses to the election I’ve seen. Excerpt:

To a large extent, though, institutions closer to home are what secure and sustain our values. This is the time to strengthen those institutions, to better include the seventy per cent who have been forsaken. Our institutions of fair-minded journalism, of science and scholarship, and of the arts matter more now than ever. In municipalities and state governments, people are eager to work on the hard problems—whether it’s making sure that people don’t lose their home if they get sick, or that wages are lifted, or that the reality of climate change is addressed. Years before Obamacare, Massachusetts passed a health-reform law that covers ninety-seven per cent of its residents, and leaders of both parties have affirmed that they will work to maintain those policies regardless of what a Trump Administration does. Other states will follow this kind of example.

Then, there are the institutions even closer to our daily lives. Our hospitals and schools didn’t suddenly have Reaganite values in the eighties, or Clintonian ones in the nineties. They have evolved their own ethics, in keeping with American ideals. That’s why we physicians have resisted suggestions that we refuse to treat undocumented immigrants who come into the E.R., say, or that we not talk to parents about the safety of guns in the home. The helping professions will stand by their norms. The same goes for the typical workplace. Lord knows, there are disastrous, exploitative employers, but Trump, with his behavior toward women and others, would be an H.R. nightmare; in most offices, he wouldn’t last a month as an employee. For many Americans, the workplace has helped narrow the gap between our professed values and our everyday actions. “Stronger together” could probably have been the slogan of your last work retreat. It’s how we succeed.

In other words: keep doing the good things you are already doing, maybe with a bit more emphasis. Keep reaching out for help and support, maybe a bit earlier and more often than you do now. And speak up and speak out, maybe a bit more than you’re currently comfortable doing. It only takes a bit from all of us to create an enormous amount of social good.

Remember that effective activism: (a) leverages your strengths (so that you can create actual positive outcomes), and (b) puts you in community with others who are leveraging their strengths (so: synergy). Avoid groups or projects that don’t meet these conditions.

And speaking of community…in his classic book From Dictatorship to Democracy, nonviolent resistance expert Gene Sharp talks about how democracy is forged from the activities of many and diverse groups:

One characteristic of a democratic society is that there exist independent of the state a multitude of nongovernmental groups and institutions. These include, for example, families, religious organizations, cultural associations, sports clubs, economic institutions, trade unions, student associations, political parties, villages, neighborhood associations, gardening clubs, human rights organizations, musical groups, literary societies, and others. These bodies are important in serving their own objectives and also in helping to meet social needs.

Additionally, these bodies have great political significance. They provide group and institutional bases by which people can exert influence over the direction of their society and resist other groups or the government when they are seen to impinge unjustly on their interests, activities, or purposes. Isolated individuals, not members of such groups, usually are unable to make a significant impact on the rest of the society, much less a government, and certainly not a dictatorship.

Whatever group you belong to, work to make it a bit more political and radical!

Tips for a Distracting Time

It’s been a crazy and, in many ways, difficult week here in the U.S. If you’re having trouble working (as I am and I know many others are), grab your timer and do short intervals. (Even a minute or two!) You will make progress and, perhaps even more importantly, keep the material fresh in your head so that you can re-enter it more easily when you have more focus.

And who knows? Maybe a couple of minutes will lead to a couple more, then a couple more, etc.

Did I tell you I sometimes use dice? I have a great purple set from Chessex (gamers’ choice; a cheap indulgence). Sometimes I roll a die to decide which part of my manuscript to work on. (Which chapter or section; they’re all numbered.) It adds a bit of color and fun to the process, and randomness is a great tool against perfectionism because you can’t really take a piece of writing that seriously when you’re only working on it because you rolled it.

For those (understandably) upset about the U.S. election, a few tips:

Don’t perfectionistically judge your reactions! As a society, and individuals, we’ve all had a shock.
Don’t perfectionistically push yourself to quickly “return to normal.” (Whatever that is!)
Do a bit of work, a lot of self-care, and whatever other productive activities you can. Empowerment is a process, and builds on itself. Small actions are the foundation.
Find someone to really talk it out with.
Take action in support of your values. If you’re worried about the world becoming less kind and empathetic, focus on being kinder and more empathetic yourself moving forward.
Moderate your language so as to help yourself and others remain calm. Yes, we’re in a debacle, but talking about “the end of the world” is hyperbolic and unhelpful.

Six Things To Do If You’re Having Trouble Finishing Your Work

Here’s the list:

(1) Show it! Often we procrastinate because we’re afraid to show our work to anyone. (“Afraid” is probably putting it lightly—we’re often terrified.) So stop hoarding your work and start showing it. But be judicious: there’s no point in showing to clueless or callous people. Show only to kind supporters who “get” what you’re trying to do.

Start now! Show bits and pieces, or the whole thing. Invite any feedback, or certain kinds of feedback, or no feedback at all. (Tell your audience what you want!) The showing, not the feedback, is the important part.

(2) Finish small stuff. Finishing is a skill you can practice. If you’re a fiction writer, write anecdotes and vignettes. (Bring them to completion, and then show them.) If you write nonfiction, write up (and show) one small point instead of several big ones. If you’re stuck on a complex email, write (and send) several small ones instead. (Here’s how to overcome email overload.)

Then move on (gradually) to finishing bigger stuff.

(3) Reduce the scope of–a.k.a., shrink–your unfinished project. Make it as small and easy to complete as possible by jettisoning subplots, subthemes, auxiliary topics, and everything else you possibly can. Use one or two examples to illustrate each point instead of three or four. Be ruthless! If you do this right, it will probably hurt a little. (Or a lot!) But you’ll be glad you did it. If you’re afraid you’ve cut too much, ask your mentors. You probably haven’t—and, by the way, the jettisoned pieces can form the kernel of other projects. (Look how prolific you are!)

(4) Stop trying to force it. Assuming we’re not being perfectionist or there’s not an “environmental” problem like bad management or a lack of resources, the only reasons work stalls are: (1) we don’t know enough about what we’re trying to do, or (2) we’re trying to force it in a direction it doesn’t want to go. So, do some more research if you need to, but in any case, stop trying to control the work, and let it flow how it wants to flow.

This advice would seem to make the most sense for “creative” projects, but it’s amazing how well it works for even “routine” ones, like grant proposals and office reports. Try it! (Don’t forget to work nonlinearly.)

(5) Ask for help. Always ask for help. Ask early and often. Ask even if you don’t think you need it. Empowerment is the foundation of all productivity and asking for help is one of the most empowered, and empowering, things you can do.

Oh, and don’t forget to…

(6) Give yourself frequent rewards while you’re working! They help keep you motivated!

All of the above applies to all kinds of work, not just writing. Got a big analytical project? You can also show bits and pieces, finish small bits, reduce the scope, let it flow, ask for help, and give yourself frequent rewards.

Good luck with your project!

Do You Have a “Room of ReQUIETment?”

Continuing on last week’s Harry Potter theme, I want to ask you:

Do you have a “Room of ReQUIETment?”

Of course that’s a play on Room of Requirement, the fantastic room at Hogwarts that could be anything, supply anything, a student needed.

Back in 1929, Virginia Woolf published A Room of One’s Own, which discussed, among other things, a creative woman’s need for space and privacy. (Of course, men need these things, too—it’s just that fewer women had them in Woolf’s day.)

But physical space isn’t enough. You also need a quiet, capacious mental space that’s free of judgment, worry, and external concern; and in which you can invent and play and create freely. I call that your Room of ReQUIETment.

Create it using the nonperfectionism techniques I’ve written about in The 7 Secrets of the Prolific and elsewhere.

See also:

Joyful Productivity and The Woodland Trail Metaphor

Harry Potter and The Boggart Perfectionism