Thanks for the shout-out! I can so relate to these thoughts/laments about routine. I too crave an ironclad daily timetable but then wonder if all the energy I'm exerting to create and enforce said schedule is really worth it. (Over and over, things seem to get done according on their schedule, rather than mine.) On the other hand: energy creates energy?
The q ends up being which energy is the most productive and what is least stressful in the end? Right now my working theory is that at least having a schedule alleviates that guilt-stress. Was so pumped to find you have a newsletter, thanks for replying!!
Yes! For me, having a routine really is a kind of life raft — something that keeps me paddling along with some degree of mental equilibrium, most days. But I can't take it all *too* seriously / be too strict about it, or it starts to get punitive rather than supportive.
This was so interesting and I lost it when you told Haruki to fuck off! (wow, that's brave)
So happy to hear that you're a kindred spirit with your hatred of New Year's Eve and your love of Oliver Burkeman/dislike of Atomic Habits. I'm with you.
Out of curiosity, what is it about Atomic Habits you don't like. For me, I adore Burkeman's self-deprecating approach and I could barely get past the Introduction to Atomic Habits with his braggadocio and 'oh look at me and how I've sold a million copies, yay!'. Plus, why do we need an entire book of habits? Isn't it self-explanatory? I joked about this in my own book, where I summarised what I thought the book was about in a condescending way and then said 'i've just saved you a few hours of your life, now read my book instead!'
As for my routine, it's a mess. Inspiration strikes at such inconvenient times, like when I'm at the playground with my daughter and I'm like 'yes! i've got it, i need to sit down and write now!' and no matter how many voice recordings or notes I jot down, it just isn't the same when i do get to my laptop. And because of my sleeping issues, i have plenty of days where i have a few hours in the morning to write but just can't because i'm too groggy and can't think straight. Other days I feel fresher but parenting duties beckon me or other stuff has to be done and alas...
I'm working at it. I love reading about other writers' routines. Sometimes there are little nuggets where you think 'oh, good, I can latch onto that.'
My skepticism is exactly because of the "million copies" and airport book of it all! Burkeman's 4000 weeks may be approaching airport book status but he doesn't claim to be scientific, and Atomic Habits seemed to be?
Thanks for the shout-out! I can so relate to these thoughts/laments about routine. I too crave an ironclad daily timetable but then wonder if all the energy I'm exerting to create and enforce said schedule is really worth it. (Over and over, things seem to get done according on their schedule, rather than mine.) On the other hand: energy creates energy?
The q ends up being which energy is the most productive and what is least stressful in the end? Right now my working theory is that at least having a schedule alleviates that guilt-stress. Was so pumped to find you have a newsletter, thanks for replying!!
Yes! For me, having a routine really is a kind of life raft — something that keeps me paddling along with some degree of mental equilibrium, most days. But I can't take it all *too* seriously / be too strict about it, or it starts to get punitive rather than supportive.
This was so interesting and I lost it when you told Haruki to fuck off! (wow, that's brave)
So happy to hear that you're a kindred spirit with your hatred of New Year's Eve and your love of Oliver Burkeman/dislike of Atomic Habits. I'm with you.
Out of curiosity, what is it about Atomic Habits you don't like. For me, I adore Burkeman's self-deprecating approach and I could barely get past the Introduction to Atomic Habits with his braggadocio and 'oh look at me and how I've sold a million copies, yay!'. Plus, why do we need an entire book of habits? Isn't it self-explanatory? I joked about this in my own book, where I summarised what I thought the book was about in a condescending way and then said 'i've just saved you a few hours of your life, now read my book instead!'
As for my routine, it's a mess. Inspiration strikes at such inconvenient times, like when I'm at the playground with my daughter and I'm like 'yes! i've got it, i need to sit down and write now!' and no matter how many voice recordings or notes I jot down, it just isn't the same when i do get to my laptop. And because of my sleeping issues, i have plenty of days where i have a few hours in the morning to write but just can't because i'm too groggy and can't think straight. Other days I feel fresher but parenting duties beckon me or other stuff has to be done and alas...
I'm working at it. I love reading about other writers' routines. Sometimes there are little nuggets where you think 'oh, good, I can latch onto that.'
My skepticism is exactly because of the "million copies" and airport book of it all! Burkeman's 4000 weeks may be approaching airport book status but he doesn't claim to be scientific, and Atomic Habits seemed to be?
and so glad my post made you giggle :)
Loved this, I too dream of being Ratatouille-d