Tools for Creativity and Productivity
This blog is posted every Tuesday and Thursday about my quest to deliver quality. This is tied to my #findthehour project, where I am working at least one hour a day on a passion project (right now a novel called 'Devil's Candy') - and then counting the days that my streak is kept alive. Don't break the streak.
The stoics are of the belief that there are only two kinds of things in the world:
The trick is knowing which is which. This is a lifetime pursuit.
But here's the good news: even for those things we can't control, there is room for us to flex our muscles (and our heart). For we can control the way we respond. The way we act. The gratitude or lack of gratitude we show to the things that are happening around us. That's a choice more often than not.
Another choice we have is how we spend our time. Who we focus on and what we create. Yes, we can make excuses or let the Resistance wear us down. But we can also pick up the pencil and start writing. Or listen more deeply to the person across from us. Or....
Choices. #FindtheHour
Want to read the output of my #FindtheHour?
Email me and I'll send you the first chapter of my novel. If you dare.
Whenever Will Smith reads a story or a script, he's always looking at it through this lens:
That's it. Four simple questions that have propelled him to some fantastic work, and has helped build his integrity as one of the most popular actors and producer's out there.
The magic behind these questions is that they extend beyond story and into our own lives. What do we want? Why do we want it? And how the hell are we going to vanquish the monsters in our path to get it?
(That first monster knocking at your door is self-doubt. Sharpen the sword.)
What #FindtheHour is about is helping vanquish one of the biggest obstacles: finding time. By being disciplined enough to find just one hour a day to pursue our passions, we can stop being pretenders. We can make stuff and build things that matter. We can play a little more.
Is one hour enough? Absolutely not. But it may be just the start we need.
So ask yourself your 4 questions. Go out and get it. And make @imwillsmith proud.
Want to read the output of my #FindtheHour?
Email me and I'll send you the first chapter of my novel. If you dare.
There are lessons to be learned from story-tellers. Even the ones you might not appreciate.
Because, at the very least, they raised their hand and demanded to be heard. They may have been afraid, but they got over it.
Boldness is needed. Audacity is mandatory. If not now, when?
Still blissing out to the new Bladerunner soundtrack. You should too.
Want to read the first chapter of my novel? Email me.
I'm trying a new strategy to clear the decks - so I can focus on what matters most in work and in life. So far, so good. #FindtheHour
To learn more about Inbox Zero and see Merlin Mann's video - click here.
Novel Update: Done with next draft by 10/31. Then it will be sent to a cadre of trusted readers. Want on the list? Email me.
Music I'm writing by: Soundtrack to Bladerunner 2049.
Try this to make your days better:
There are whole books written on how to achieve happiness. But these three things over time are the lynchpin. My Dad passed these along to me, and they are certainly foundational to us being better, more joyful humans.
Spend your #FindTheHour experimenting.
If it keeps on rainin' levee's goin' to break
When the levee breaks I'll have no place to stay.
- Led Zeppelin
I did 63 days in a row of #FindtheHour. It was a good run, and I'm closing in on having some great creative stuff in my back pocket.
But then the wheels came off. It started as all things start, innocently. I stayed up late one night. Then the next morning I got a late start, then work started to stack up, then I felt tired, then I started making excuses, then...
It's amazing how quickly the reptile known as Resistance takes hold. How quickly it finds an opening to whisper sweet nothings into your ear. "Relax," it says. "Why go to all the trouble?"
I folded. But not just for one day.
Not just for two days.
For three days I did nothing, proving Newton right again when he said a body laying down watching Game of Thrones remains laying down.
Finally, I bitch slapped myself, got out of bed, and hit refresh.
That's the answer. Sharpen the axe and begin chopping again.
#momentum
Watch the above. The man and the process are intense. The inspiration is color.
This film changed my very flat perception of Jim Carrey. It proved again we have to live on the edges.
Columbus.
Einstein.
Warhol.
The woman in her shop welding alone.
The guy staring at a blank page.
Living on the edge means living on the edge of failure. It means, when asked to sing, you let 'er rip even though you probably aren't the best singer in the audition. Voice cracking, you do it anyway. At it's worst, it will be real. At it's worst, it's everything we got.
And that's enough. Even though we may be scared shitless.
That's the price of being interesting. Of creating interesting work. We might still have to care about what people think (I do,), but maybe the true level of success is if we answer the day. If we meet failure as a stepping stone rather than as a judgement of who we are. If we take the sword to doubt and the helping hand to our own passion.
I'm still working on that.
Nobody said it was going to be easy.
There is a concept among the stoics called the 'Inner Citadel' - that fortress that protects your inner soul. These are the walls of integrity, protecting our purpose.
No matter how strong the walls are, however, there can always be a breach from the inside. This is when we concede too much and care too little. When compromise (or maybe something worse, like greed) chips away at who we are.
Our job is to protect against that at all costs. To be battle ready when the attack comes - and it will come. To take the time to follow who we are, and be who we are.
That's what #FindTheHour is all about: Shoring up the weak spots. Tapping into strength. Protecting the inner part of us that's life critical.
It's not easy. I struggle all the time with this. Especially the last couple of days, when all I want to do is watch TV or give in to the status quo. I push back, halfheartedly. I hesitate. I do make compromises. I strike deals with the Devil.
But I also put in the hour.
Today is day 59 of my #FindTheHour streak. Join me in reclaiming existence.
An old friend of mine Shawn Delaney always used to say 'Put the Couch in the Kitchen'.
Apple says 'Think Different'.
There's a thousand different people out there talking about 'Reimagine' or 'Rethink' or 'Transformation'.
That's the function of #FindTheHour: to get us to take the time to reflect on how we spend our time, then make changes to reclaim our existence. Putting the couch in the kitchen is about a fresh blueprint.
A few people asked me last week about the structure of #FindTheHour. Does it have to be one project? Can you mix it up and play a trumpet one night then throw pottery the next? Does it have to be disciplined around one primary goal?
The short answer is 'yes'.
But that goal can be whatever we want it to be. That goal could simply be 'Doing that which brings me joy.' Or it could be finishing a book (my case) or starting a side-hustle. It's about shedding other people's expectations and focusing on what you want to do. Just for an hour.
Sounds selfish, doesn't it? But it's the same kind of selfishness that's sparked the best art. The best life, perhaps.
So choose who you want to be.
Next Post on Thursday: Finding the Time
Today is day 54 of my #FindTheHour streak. Join me in reclaiming our existence.
This is what the beast whispers in your ear:
You're too tired.
You're not good enough.
You should focus on your spouse/your kids/your friends/your work/your abs today.
You're schedule got turned upside down again.
There's never enough time in the day.
Can you do it? No.
Are you worthy? No.
You'll never have what you need to get started.
It's just too friggin' hard.
These are the words of the RESISTANCE, the greatest single adversary to creativity. These are the words I usually listen far too long to, often even before I get out of bed every morning. These are the excuses that try to prevent me from #FindTheHour.
But we are worthy. We are the slayers of dragons.
If you want to do work that matters, but don't know how, the first step is fighting the beast. Not listening to your own excuses. Just putting your head down and putting in the time. And if you want a great book to read about this, grab Steven Pressfield's DO THE WORK, which I can't recommend enough. It's a gem. It speaks the truth about how we can tap into our muse and do things beyond imagination.
That's what it boils down to. Just sitting down or standing up and doing what you know you should be doing. For an hour.
That's a great start.
LOG-IN ENTRY:
Streak Count of writing ONE HOUR A DAY: 54 days.
#FindTheHour
Music to write by: New LCD Soundsystem, yo!
Most Frequented Writing Haunt: My house
Stay frosty.
#POV.
Today is day 52 of my #FindTheHour streak. Join me in reclaiming your existence.
I decided 52 days ago to commit one hour a day, every day, to writing. I was going to see how long I could keep the streak alive, inspired by Jerry Seinfeld, and as I started to gain momentum I thought I'd share some of what I've learned.
My advice is very simple: find the one thing you love to do, and do it an hour a day. Sounds so simple, doesn't it? You'd be surprised at the enemies, real and imagine, standing in your way.
But here's 5 ways you can get started:
A lot of people have talked about the power of INTENTION. That's all this is, I'm no mastermind. But since I've been dialing in on #FindTheHour a lot of great things have happened. Awards, films coming together, a novel that is wrapping up, a lot of pieces that would not otherwise exist. And that is what this is all about, existence.
Go.
If you need anything, let me know. I don't have many of the answers and you probably have some great ideas too. Share them. I want to #FindTheHour along with you. Who knows what kind of cool shit could happen?
Next Post: Killing the Beast that is Resistance.
LOG-IN ENTRY:
Streak Count of writing ONE HOUR A DAY: 52 days.
#FindTheHour
Music to write by: New LCD Soundsystem, yo!
Most Frequented Writing Haunt: My house (spooky)
Stay frosty.
#POV.
I've just completed by 48th straight day of #findthehour, where I work for at least an hour on my novel Devil's Candy. You can be working on anything you want, as long as it brings you joy.
I won't kid you and say every one of those hours was quality, but I was there. I was doing the work. Some of it sucked, some of it didn't.
And I've learned a shit ton. Here's a quick list:
The biggest thing I've learned is to stop complaining. Nobody cares. If you aren't doing what you want to be doing, now's the time.
Next Post on Tuesday: How to GET STARTED.
LOG-IN ENTRY:
Streak Count of writing ONE HOUR A DAY: 48 days.
#FindtheHour
Music to write by: Radiohead Live in Milan.
Most Frequented Writing Haunt: The Black Drop.
Stay frosty.
#POV.
I was pretty lame when it came to the eclipse. I'm not sure what I wasn't quite understanding: if I drove a few short hours South I'd be able to see a potentially once in a lifetime event.
Totality.
My mind wasn't big enough to understand that, and on Sunday I finally started to get my act together, went on Craigslist and bought a pair of eclipse glasses for $25 (which was money well spent). But in the end I settled for the 90%.
And the 90% was pretty damn amazing. Inspiring. Brilliant. I did feel the awe and the glory.
But it's a shame that the other 10% was right there to be had, with just a little imagination and foresight. With just a bit of work, I could have pointed myself south and been there. 100% could have been achieved.
Life rarely tees success up for us like that. In a way I let inquisition and imagination down. Let that be a lesson.
LOG-IN ENTRY:
Streak Count of writing ONE HOUR A DAY: 39 days.
#FindtheHour
Music to write by: Radiohead Live in Milan.
Most Frequented Writing Haunt: Back to Camber.
Stay frosty.
#POV.
It's easy to talk a Big Game. We all do it.
In LA, this is called 'Cocktail Producing'.
And though there is something to be said for faking it until you make it, at some point your verbal aspirations have to actually intersect with doing the work. Sitting down and making it happen.
This isn't cursory. We can sometimes kid ourselves into believing that the first pass is enough. Or that we'll be able to accomplish it in an hour.
Chances are, we are going to have to dig deeper. Do more homework. Stay up the extra hours, forego hanging with the bros.
Have you ever done a time audit to REALLY see how you spend your day? Are you protecting your most productive hours? Are you saying 'No' and 'Yes' to the right things?
When you wake up tomorrow, measure how much sand slips right through your fingers. You might be surprised.
LOG-IN ENTRY:
Streak Count of writing ONE HOUR A DAY: 37 days.
#FindtheHour
Soundtrack to write by: Social Network.
Most Frequented Writing Haunt: My bed.
Stay frosty.
#POV.
