I feel like some of the great “do-ers” in the world are authors of fiction novels. To give oneself an assignment of writing at least a few hundred pages of (hopefully compelling) content of one’s own creation in a timely manner seems like it wouldn’t just take a creative muscle, but also some self-discipline I’m not sure many have. In my opinion it is already difficult to compel oneself to do anything this day in age, to do it consistently while also self critiquing feels like a trigger for crippling anxiety. But people do this, and not only do it consistently but the final product is sometimes revered as well.
In Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoire of the Craft,” King mentions writing almost every day for 3 to 4 hours with the goal of completing around 2000 words of material. Haruki Murakami ups the ante King sets by proclaiming that they are awake and writing by 4am and don’t stop for 5 to 6 hours a day. Impressive. Meanwhile I can find myself surrounded by a dozen projects I was excited about, either remaining perpetually in progress or in potentia. So what is the solution?
El Estepario Siberiano, one of the most impressive and perhaps one of the most influential drummers of the current era, made a video a while back speaking to the idea of motivation versus effort (or really, discipline). In it he talks about having a discussion with your boss (yourself) about the things you want to achieve and the price you’re willing to pay to achieve it. And if you look in a mirror, truly see yourself and speak to yourself, and are still not willing to agree to pay the price to achieve that thing, give it up and move on. It is a harsh sentiment. But one I believe has a kernel of truth. I think we can often believe we will just find happiness in our lives. If we wander around long enough, happiness just happens. But the older I get the less I find that is true. And the more I acknowledge and take responsibility for the things I do in my life, both negative and positive, the more I realize happiness is not free. It takes effort, and discipline, and the willingness to admit you want something. Not in a selfish way necessarily. But in way that is honest.
Great, so we are admitting we want to achieve something, and we’re willing to put in the effort. Now what? In theory, now it’s the easy part. Just do it. But if you’re anything like me you might have built up some poor habits that are hindering your progress. So let’s start breaking them.
It can seem overwhelming to say, “stop doing all the wrong things, and focus on doing the right thing.” Habits are comforting. That’s why they become habits, and why so many habits include some kind of numbing or satiating of primal needs. So I find there is a much easier approach when trying to change your trajectory. Pick one bad habit, I recommend the habit that you spend the most time doing, and put your effort into not doing that habit. Take the stance of, “you can do anything you want, except that.”
For me, this was/is watching YouTube videos. I’ve learned a lot from YouTube. Everything from good storytelling practices to how to tie a neck tie for the first time. It’s useful, and I love to justify my time spent on the site because of that usefulness. But that’s not the whole truth. For every informative video essay there are plenty of reviews and gameplay videos that I would be just as well off having not spent the time watching. It was never more evident of how much I didn’t need to be watching YouTube videos as when I cancelled my YouTube Premium subscription. “But wait,” the YouTube algorithm said, “you’ve already enjoyed over 1400 hours of YouTube videos while subscribing to Premium. Don’t you want to watch more?”
1400 hours. To bring it back to authors and Stephen King, that is the equivalent of 350 days of work from the published author. More than enough for 1 novel to be completed, most likely 2 or 3.
The price is worth it. Time to pay for happiness.