Going off the Internet seems a radical act, but for most people it’s essential for creativity. The Internet is inherently and continuously interruptive, and that’s not a good mix with creative work, or productivity in general. In classes, I quote Jonathan Franzen (“It’s doubtful that anyone with an Internet connection at his workplace is writing […]
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.” That famous quote from Muhammad Ali really does captures the spirit and essence of productive, joyful work. Let’s break it down: 1) “Float like a butterfly.” You move lightly and freely around and through your work until you see an aspect of it that inspires you. (Inspiration […]
The Inimitable One offers a list of one-star reviews of books that later went on to win science fiction’s celebrated Hugo award. My favorite is this review of Scalzi’s own novel Red Shirts, which actually uses the word “onanistic”: This is an onanistic shallow and very disappointing book. Little or no character development. What should […]
Please check out this wonderful piece by New Yorker cartoonist Drew Dernavich, in which he discusses his creative process for a cartoon. He submitted it in 2007, but it was rejected. At that point, he did NOT do what many perfectionists would do, which is to either: (a) despair, and maybe give up cartooning, or […]
A fantastic review of The 7 Secrets of the Prolific from The Metapsychology Online Reviews: The book constantly reminds the reader that moralistic labels are useless and poisonous. Lightened up by the witty illustrations by Barry Deutsch (just to quote one: the monolith a la 2001: A Space Odyssey vs. a spaghetti snarl) it is […]
And knitting world, scrapbooking world, decoupage world, etc.! Check out my post on How to Get More Crafting Done in 2014. Many thanks to Lois Winston, author of the fun Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, for the opportunity to guest blog at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers.
For BoomerCafe I wrote a piece on how, in my fifties, and in the face of a growing realization of my mortality, I’m finally learning to play defense in terms of my ambitions. All this would be a bummer if I didn’t have so much to be grateful for and defend. Check it out!
One of the events that most moved me over the past year was the tragic and joyful life and death of Rosie the Chihuahua. Rosie was the victim of a backyard breeder/hoarder who made money selling puppies, including from fashionable “designer” breeds. In their quest to create “teacups,” “merles,” and other designer dogs, many such […]
In my last newsletter, I discussed the importance of not undervaluing your work successes. Perfectionists tend to ignore or devalue all accomplishments other than “the big score,” which is a very demoralizing and demotivating mindset.) But it’s also important to recognize your “character successes,” and I list some types of those below. I decided to […]
A nice year-end missive from a student and coaching client: “I actually, with little fanfare, have finished my novel (the one I was working on in your Savvy Authors class). It didn’t take as much writing as I feared; it is about 75K words now. It may need a bit more, during editing, but not […]
My most-read posts from 2013, in case you’ve missed any of them. Why, in Writing, Process Trumps Product, And Why You Shouldn’t Worry About The Quality of Your Work This is Called Situational Perfectionism Why You Shouldn’t Wait for Ideal Conditions to Start Your Project What to Do If You are Stuck in the Middle […]
…for including this blog on a list of The 10 Small Business Bloggers to Follow in 2014!
It actually promotes self-loathing as a productivity strategy! My comment: Sorry, this is the kind of grandiose macho posturing bunk that holds many writers back. Writing, absent perfectionism, is not that hard. And true self-loathing (as opposed to facile expressions of it) is far more likely to lead to a block than anything. There are […]
If you want a super introduction to the benefits of indie publishing, especially over traditional publishing, read Joe Konrath’s Newbie’s Guide to Publishing blog (and the book derived therefrom) and Konrath and Barry Eisler’s Be the Monkey (both available via Amazon). They were early visionaries and vocal proponents of indie publishing who helped liberate countless […]
He’s not so easy to photograph as he’s a wiggler. Also, he’s not the most facially expressive of dogs–it’s all in the eyes and body language. But here’s a pic. Oh, and we’ve had him two months and 0 “accidents” in the house. OLD DOGS RULE.
Welcome! My goal is to help you recognize and overcome any disempowering forces in your work and life so you can reclaim your joyful productivity, and achieve your personal and professional goals more quickly and easily than you ever imagined! Thanks for checking out my site, and I always welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions at hillary@hillaryrettig.com.
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