Finishing what we start
November 19, 2008 | Books, Ministry Life
I read a report recently that gave me comfort. It said that there really isn’t such a thing as multi-tasking. That our culture has convinced ourselves that trying to juggle several things at once is multi-tasking, when it is actually still doing one thing at a time, but without sharp focus on any one central point.
Ahh. Relief! Because I have been trying to multi-task for years. Just because everyone says it is possible.
The result? Hummingbird head. I’m trying to do ten things at once: blog here, blog there, write a chapter, arrange speaking engagements, Twitter, Facebook, send out invoices, clean my house, pay bills, interview authors for CML, take a shower…
That results in a watered-down version of productivity. That quote and another interesting tidbit sparked a discussion this week on The Writers View. What are the tips and tools needed to write a book from start to finish?
It all started when I read a Twitter from Max Lucado (http://twitter.com/MaxLucado).
He was working with his editorial team to write a new book (FearLESS). He was pulling long days, shutting out everything else (except an occasional twitter on his progress). He even had a team member that did nothing but pray for the book and the process as he brainstormed, prayed, and wrote. His goal was to write the book that week.
What?
Instead of trying to do everything that he had to do, he shut it all down to concentrate on ONE THING.
For some, that might not work. But for Miss Hummingbird Head, the light came on. I can’t work on 10 different things and concentrate fully on any one project.
This will change the way I work, the way I write. For me, I need to shut everything down and concentrate on writing. Blogging needs to be done in a chunk. Bills and housework in another chunk. Focus, Suzie, focus. Because that is the way your brain is wired.
What about you? Do you finish what you start? Are you a multi-tasker? What are your thoughts?
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Yes, thanks to some of the posts this week on TWV, I’ve started working in chunks of time, instead of flitting exactly as you describe – like a hummingbird.
Today, I wrote in chunks of 4 hours, with no interruptions, and edited in chunks of 2-3 hours. Seems much more efficient, although I am very tired tonight!
Great post – and TWV question!
November 20th, 2008 at 12:11 am