A choice you get to make every day
Pick and mix, learn or leave
I made massive progress on my non-fiction book project this week. Like, 200% more than the last months. I was absolutely locked in. And then I looked up and realised I have no podcast episodes prepped, I did no guest outreach, I’m writing this newsletter at the last moment, and I haven’t done those other 20 things on my list. Whoops!
And it stings even though I know it’s true: you can’t max out everything at once.
This week I chose the book. Partly because daylight savings is here and I now wake up every day at 6am whether I like it or not (and feel like a zombie by 9pm). And partly because I probably need a few intense bursts to actually get the thing done anyway. My default morning-person mode is in overdrive so I figure I may as well use the early writing sessions to my advantage.
In the past, that kind of accidental hyperfocus would trigger a guilt spiral and I’d hate that I let so many things fall by the wayside. I’d start comparing (“that person juggles five things amazingly and you can’t handle three!”) or doubting everything (“why are you bothering anyway, who will even want it? And you’ll never be as good as <insert unfair comparison> anyway”). And these both get worse when I’m focused on a project I really, really care about.
I’m trying to remember a few things that help me when this spiral starts:
You get to choose again tomorrow. This week was the book, next week is whatever I want. The only way to lose is to stop choosing altogether. To get so caught up in what you’re not doing that you stop doing anything. I get to define what progress looks like, because my own creative projects don’t have a boss (other than me) or a deadline. So keep choosing to turn up and play.
Doubt is just a sign you care.
’s perfectly timed post (and absolutely remarkable new hardcover) reminded me that doubt is a great sign you care. It’s a normal side-effect of caring a lot about your work, and it would be weird (and not a great sign) to not doubt yourself at all.Learn or leave. Comparison usually sneaks in when I’m reading something on my phone under the pretence of “learning” or “research”, so I try to ask myself: am I actually learning something from this? If yes, great, capture that and move on! If not, the solution is almost always to put the phone down and go take an actual break.
Abundance mindset is the most joyful way to live. I love the expression: only look at someone else’s bowl to check they have enough, not if you have as much as them. You can be totally impressed by someone else’s work and happy for them without turning it into a self-critique.
On the pod
Last week I published an episode with
where we chat about his wonderful writing and photography. We talked about everything from borders & cultural identity to shooting Leica and building a meaningful archive of the present: “The present will have its own 2025-ness and people will be nostalgic for it one day.” (Spotify, Apple, episode details)Other good stuff this week
📚 Currently burning through the On the Calculation of Volume book series. Think groundhog-day-time-loop-but-it’s-literary-fiction. Sadly only the first two books are available in English so far.
🎵 Re-discovered Brian Eno’s Music for Airports and Secret Life as writing music after this podcast episode. It’s been absolute brain fuel for the early morning book sessions.
✍️ Found Help This Book whilst looking for ways to get feedback on my book. It comes with a copy of Write Useful Books which so far seems like an incredibly helpful resource.