“Write Every Day” Is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects • Hacker News Board

Re: “Write Every Day” Is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects

#31

Post by stinkytaco » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 2:26 PM UTC

exolymph wrote: post #27

I'm always amazed by how many people universalize instead of saying "this particular motivational phrase / piece of advice didn't work for me"

This puts into words what I was trying to put together into a thought.

I'm glad he found a system that works and I'd even like to hear about that system (productivity porn), but to say it's bad advice? This isn't science, there's not objective "good" or "bad" advice like "exercise every day" or "don't eat too much sugar" where you've got some real data to back up that advice. It's work. If it works for you, great.

Re: “Write Every Day” Is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects

#32

Post by jseliger » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 2:38 PM UTC

ivraatiems wrote: post #7

The author doesn't seem to understand the difference between motivation and discipline. He has been successful into tricking himself into a frequent state of writing motivation. He's very lucky to have done so. For the rest of us, who aren't so lucky, discipline will have to do. Writing every day (or every two days, or every week, etc) isn't a about finishing a project or being the best you can be. It's about making…

the rest of us, who aren't so lucky, discipline will have to do.

Or, enough discipline to get started: http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html. I also like the Seinfeld "Never break the chain" method: https://www.writersstore.com/dont-break-the-chain-jerry-sein... (if "method" is not too strong a word here).

Re: “Write Every Day” Is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects

#33

Post by cmdr2 » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 2:47 PM UTC

Disclaimer: I'm a work-in-progress like everyone else. What's written below may seem obvious to most folks here, but it still is a daily battle for me, and will likely be for the rest of my life.

--

Quote: "Here’s what happens when you resolve to write every day: you soon slip up."

Quote: "the brain does not necessarily distinguish between your .. abstract goal, to write a novel, and the accompanying specific plan, to write every day"

Quote: "When the specific plan fails, the resulting lack of motivation infects the general goal as well"

--

I'd rather address this behavior of the brain, instead of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Strategically, it makes more sense to simply shrug off every failed day, and trying to write again the next day, as if nothing happened. Don't even bother to reflect on it (in order to learn) - you've already absorbed some lessons subconsciously. Keep the for..loop light.

Even if you've failed for the past 1000 days, why not attempt to write today?

Even if you fail to write today, why not try to write again tomorrow? Taking these failures as a personal judgment ("Oh I'm a procrastinator", "Oh I'm always going to keep procrastinating and failing, what's the point?") is the real problem. Life is chaotic, stuff happens. Managing that emotional response, and simply coming back in every day and trying seems optimal. A bit like a mostly-dumb but relentless bull.

What do you have to lose? The worst case is you'll fail at the goal, but the default state of any goal is failure - only by working at it do you reduce the odds of it failing. So just going back in each day and trying, and not taking failed days as personal judgments seems optimal. We tend to forgive others, but not ourselves. If a close friend of yours was failing each day but really wanted to accomplish the goal, what would you advise them?

Re: “Write Every Day” Is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects

#34

Post by projectramo » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 3:24 PM UTC

Well, the advice to "write every day" is usually accompanied by other advice as well.

Something like: even if it is just a little bit before bed, or a little bit here or there.

The author seems to think it needs to be a lot, but I think part of the idea is:

1. You can write just a little bit, and that is okay.

2. Once you get started, you tend to keep going.

3. Finding the space, setting up the computer, getting your fingers on the keyboard and starting to type is a large barrier so once you overcome that you keep going.

4. There is built in gamification in terms of how many days you can go without breaking the chain. In that context, even typing in one line on your mobile can count.

5. Your unconscious will work on the idea if you are aware of it, even if you aren't actively working.

I'm not saying all of these are true (though I believe in the first 4 at least), I'm saying that the advice is usually part of a whole workflow and view of the writing process.

Re: “Write Every Day” Is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects

#35

Post by bbctol » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 4:39 PM UTC

onion2k wrote: post #9

hoodwink wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp." -Somerset Maugham

I don't think I understand that quote. Is that Maugham saying you don't actually need inspiration so you can just sit down and work without it? Or is he sarcastically saying jobs are badly configured because you can't just sit down at nine o'clock and produce something good? It could mean either.

I interpreted it as saying you can train inspiration to arrive, just like anything else, with enough discipline.

Re: “Write Every Day” Is Bad Advice: Hacking the Psychology of Big Projects

#36

Post by egypturnash » Mon, Jul 11, 2016, 5:11 PM UTC

I spent four years writing and drawing a graphic novel. My method was not so much "work every day" as "work most days"; my official schedule was "aim for two pages a week, don't fret if life gets in the way".

Most days, I got in an hour or two on it. Some days I spent more. Some days I spent less. Sometimes I'd stop for a week or two due to things like "needing to recharge after selling at a comic convention". But it was a constant part of my life. When I took a break, I'd start missing it after a few days, and be glad to get back to it.

I'd trained myself to feel rewarded whenever I finished a page. This broke down at the end of the book, when I had to draw a few pages that had an order of magnitude more panels on them. A death in the family around this time also knocked me out of this comfortably productive rut. I'm finally getting around to finishing off that project by doing a kickstarter to print the last part of it, and really looking forwards to getting to work on my next books. Because I miss those habits of just getting pages drawn.

I think that a crucial part of getting big projects done is finding some way to keep feeling like you've Done Something on a regular basis - you may not have finished the whole thing, but you've finished a definable segment of it. It's also really important to forgive yourself for unproductive days. Because shit happens, and sometimes dealing with it takes up all your energy; beating yourself up for not working yesterday instead of shrugging, accepting that you're one day's work behind now, and getting back to it, just wastes more energy.