How To Knock Off Your To-Do List

Hi. I’m back. At least for today.

I figured I could send you all a spammy email about my Promising New Technique For Getting Things Done!!!!!!!!! Or I could post this on my long-dormant blog. I’m guessing you deduced which route I took. Because you’re all super smart like that.

Have you been meaning to, say, vacuum? Exercise? Straighten up or at least eliminate the tumbleweed problem in your dining room? Post on your long-dormant blog? I have figured out a way to get all that done. And more!

Decide to write a novel.

And then, when it’s time to sit down and do the actual writing, you’ll find yourself accomplishing feats you never thought possible!

I took a wonderful class with Patti Gauch at the Highlights Foundation two weeks ago and I came home raring to go. For that whole hilly drive home, ideas and excitement, plot lines and emotional growth were bursting with impatience to get out of my head and onto paper.

Patti is a uniquely brilliant teacher. She taught us (there were eleven of us) what I would have guessed was unteachable–first showing examples of very particular techniques in books she admired–mostly by Gary Schmidt–and then sending us off to write. And she keeps sending us these lovely, inspiring emails. It’s almost enough to make me actually sit down and write!

I came home wanting to ignore the demands of daily life. I wanted to lock myself away and write, write, write. But days passed before I found the time to sit. And then I realized it was really important that I vacuum. And start to clean my office. Also, Thanksgiving’s really soon and we can’t have dinner for 27 with our house looking like THIS.

Now you, too, can be super-productive like me. It helps if you say it out loud, too. Like, “Hey friend, I’m planning to work on my novel today.” And then just wait! You might even do some not-novel-writing writing. I did! I handed in the probably-not-even-due-yet Author’s Note for my next nonfiction picture book, With a Baseball in her Hand. About this girl right here, Edith Houghton. I could look at that picture all day. And I might. Did I mention I’m writing a novel?

It’s simple. You can “write a novel” too!  Try it!