Hello darlings!
Who is she, writing #MHAWS back to back to back?? I hope you are setting goals (for me: writing six MHAWS in June and July) and checking things off the list all summer long. Or maybe you are enjoying a holiday instead? And reading this in September, when you finally get through all your emails? That’s amazing. Do that.
Have you ever really needed to complete a task but you JUST CANNOT MAKE YOURSELF DO IT? (Mirya raises her hand) (It will surprise no one that Mirya is a chronic hand raiser. She’s working on it.) (no she isn’t working on it).
Normally, my advice is to put the hardest thing you must do in the time slot of the day where you are most effective. For me, that’s the first thing in the morning, especially when I have my writing group – I get up, make coffee, and sit down and WRITE. And when my brain and heart and psyche are all cooperating, I start with my hard tasks. Things like final rounds of editing (especially addressing all those comments that say something like “mirya fix this” or “better writing here you fool” or dealing with mean reviewer comments (does anyone like this?) or deciding that a paper is done enough to submit.
But sometimes, this just does not fucking work. I go to work on the hard task and my entire being rebels. NO NO NO. I don’t wanna. No work. Internet. Forever! I just cannot make myself do the really hard things and so I end up doom scrolling, cleaning the house, doing laundry, making my pets hang out with me, going down endless internet rabbit holes, and ultimately doing nothing at all. Here are some strategies that I use to get shit done when I really can’t fathom working.
Eat dessert first
Do the easiest, most enjoyable tasks first. What is it that you WANT to do? What is your favorite thing? For me, that’s 1) reading some new piece of scholarship for a project or 2) figuring out how to make a pretty graph or 3) writing code or 4) some other thing that calls to me at that exact moment. Instead of starting with the hard, gut wrenching shit, do the easy thing. Get yourself going.
What is the thing that you fall into easily? What is the kind of task you enjoy doing and can easily just start working on? Start there. Do that. Use that success to work your way to slightly harder tasks.
Do this, not that
You might think: what can I get done today? STOP IT. (what? the queen on long term planning is saying don’t set a goal for the day??) The problem with that is that if you waste your time, you’ve just wasted a whole fucking day. Instead, think: What can I get done in the next 15 minutes? 10 minutes? If I get that done, how about 30 minutes? How about 45?
Or maybe you work in word counts. Saying: I want to write 2000 words today is genuinely freakish behavior. Saying: I want to write 200 words in the next block of writing time is something that is actually accomplishable.
Work in micro units (of whatever measure makes the most sense to you). Break that shit down. Don’t empty your inbox; reply to 5 emails. Don’t address all the comments; address 3 comments. Don’t write the lit review section; read a single article and write a sentence about it. Small little nibbles, not giant bites.
Just give up (for the day)
I mean, seriously. If it is REALLY not working on a particular day, go touch some grass. Log off. Go talk to some friends. Do some yard work. Walk to the grocery store. Have a glass of wine at lunch and enjoy the sunshine. You will be so much better off than spending the entire day staring at a document while you also stare at your phone and mourn the death of democracy or whatever ritual self-immolation you are engaging in.
If you are stuck, start small, give yourself the easy work, and log the fuck off.
XOXOX
Mirya
Such useful advice! Especially after spending the last two days in a vicious cycle of doom scrolling and then spiraling over my lack of productivity. Appreciate your newsletter!
I really needed this today, Mirya, thank you.