Writing more in less time
November 15, 2010Thanks to Windows Phone 7 for sponsoring this post. See the end of the post for details on a Windows Phone 7 giveaway.
Windows asked me to write about doing more with less, so last night I decided that instead of making chocolate chip cookies, I'd simply shovel chocolate chips in my mouth. That's less, after all. That didn't quite satisfy, however, even after I let the chips sit in there for a while and melt. I considered adding some butter, but that seemed like too much work, frankly.
Then I realized I really like peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies so I shoveled some peanut butter in my maw as well. And what do you know? That was better than some stupid cookies. Better = MORE!
A quiet voice in the back of my sugar-addled mind told me that I was possibly not quite getting the concept of doing more with less, so I stopped to consider how the concept applied to my life. Then I fell asleep. But this morning I woke up, as one does, and my first thought was, "I have a half-hour to write this post." My second thought was, "Thank GOD." Because a small window of time is the only way I can get any writing done. And I do believe that's doing more with less, Windows! BLAMMO!
There is nothing that will murder any chance of productivity for me like waking up to an obligation-free, unscheduled day. Henry's going straight to a playdate after school and won't be home until 6, I have a slow work week, and I'm out of errands to run? Well, I tell myself, that means I have hours in which to consort with the muse, obviously! I'll sit down at my computer and oh, the places my mind will go! I have all the time in the world to write the best blog post ever written. No--five of the best blog posts ever written. Or I'll finally finish that novel I began in 1996. Hell, I can do all of these things. I have all the time in the world!
But when I sit down at my computer with all that emptiness stretching ahead of me, panic sets in. That's a lot of time. I need to get a lot done, in that much time. And it better be good, too, because I have no reason to phone it in. I have time. Time means quality. If I write something terrible, that means I'm a terrible writer. Crap. I'm hungry.
So I decide to make breakfast. And since I have all these hours ahead of me, I have time to make myself a real breakfast. No need for a bowl of cereal, like some rushed breakfast-eating chump. But before I do that, I should check Twitter and see what's going on. Oh, look, someone linked to a funny video! Thank goodness I have time to watch it, as I have so very much time. And look, there are all these related, also funny videos! I never noticed how many videos there are of kitty cats flushing toilets. Those are always fun. I normally don't have time to watch those, as I'm rushing about.
Then I look up and it's eight hours later and Henry is home from his playdate and I'm still in my bathrobe.
I am convinced, after all these years, that the two most useful tools in my writing arsenal are: 1) limited time and 2) low expectations. If I have four hours to write, I will expect greatness, or at least quality, and my chattering brain will be consumed with what "quality" means and whether or not I'm approaching it, and as a result I'll avoid work. I'll dawdle and daydream and check my email like it's the only thing keeping me alive. If I have an hour, however, I don't have time for these shenanigans. I have to focus. If I have a half-hour, my fingers better keep moving around that keyboard and words had better be appearing on screen, or I'm screwed.
Even when I have only fifteen minutes, I can get some quality work done. If I can sit down and still the endless chatter in my brain, when those fifteen minutes are up, I find that I've made more progress on a project than I had all week. Because I don't expect much from fifteen minutes. All I expect is a few paragraphs, and maybe to have gained some momentum. And sometimes that's all I need.
So hey, if you want a Windows Phone 7 of your very own, you can win one right here! To enter, leave a comment of 25 words or more about how you do more when you have less time. You've got until November 29 (midnight PT) and you can enter once a day. On the 29th, I'll pick a winner using random.org and post it here. Here are the official, long-winded rules about this contest.
Reader Comments (299)
Lists, lists, and more lists. Keeping track of all the minutiae of life is only vaguely within reach by keeping lists.
I plan out shopping/errand routes so I'm not cris-crossing all over the city, and I save gas.
I AM THE SAME WAY!!! I thought I was just a procrastinator, but I really do function better under limited amounts of time. It's as if lots of time makes me expect too much of myself, and when I have 1 hour left, I just git er done. I'd probably be a lot less stressed (and be even more productive) if I could learn to manage huge chunks of time better. But, for the time being, they will continue to make me anxious as I sit there watching the clock hands twirl around.
i do more with less when i use coupons they help so much and it hard sometime. But it help when u use then with a store sale and u cant save so much money it makes me so help when i do more for less.
2-year-old + water cooler nozzle = some super clean floors. Thanks, little dude! Doing more with less means making lemonade out of the lemons our less cooperative friends bring to the table.
I am loving aluminum foil as an insulation material these days, helps me shape cakes, and keep things warm :)
I got so used to writing to do lists for my work that now I can't live without them for other aspects of my life. Sometimes I write ridiculous things like eat or take a shower. Somehow writing it down makes managing time a whole less stressful.
I try to cook a lot of food and freeze some of it for later. It saves a lot of time in the end and I don't have to come up with ideas of what to cook.
As far as I am concerned the more time I have to get things done = the more time I have to watch TV and surf the net! Without fail I wait until an hour before my husband gets home to clean the house and start dinner. By the time he gets home I am in full swing...I wonder if he thinks I am this busy all day?!?
I read the grocery store weekly ads during my lunch break. That helps me plan out my grocery trip and gives me meal ideas, so I waste less time trying to think "what's for dinner."
I do more by sleeping less. It is amazing what you can get done in the morning without distractions.
I do more with less by using awesome phone apps. There are many useful, fun, and creative apps out there that help make life a little bit easier to manage.
I agree with several of the comments. I get so much more done in less time when I have a full schedule. I also find more time to spend with family by using my time wisely in the kitchen. I only choose recipes that don't require a lot of prep-work or can be done in the crock pot. The crock pot makes it easy because dinner is done when I get home, and I can focus on the important stuff, like family.
I cook french toast in the waffle iron! SO much faster than the traditional way.
Pre-guest cleaning, pre-child, (a weekend to oneself): Sort papers, pitch stuff, polish silver, dust, vacuum, clean kitchen, scrub bathrooms, launder items. Pre-guest cleaning, post-child (2 hours): Stuff clutter in suitcases & carry to attic, vacuum down middle of carpet, wipe sinks, change sheets(launder later). Results: pretty much the same... clean-looking place, happy guests...
Doing more with less means creating a tight budget and sticking to it, avoiding impulse buys, and saving for rainy days.
Exactly my style in school and at work (while I was still working, before children). I would produce the best stuff under pressure. If I had time I would go off on a million tangents before completing couple of lines because there was so much time. Who am I kidding, doing it right now, or not doing the unpacking because there is so much time....
I get more done by using the Microsoft Outlook junk filters to see less spam.
So far, so good! I finished my husband’s Christmas shopping today and I came in right at the $100 mark we set for each other this year! More (well I guess just, the same..) Christmas joy for less money!
I get my screen more organized with less hassle using Windows 7’s Snaps feature.
My husband is in law school, and I work full time. I try my best to take over all the household chores so that he can feel stress-free in that department. I usually make Saturday morning my 'do it all' day. By knocking everything out as fast as I can I am able to enjoy the evenings with my husband.
I bring snacks with me everywhere, especially while travelling. This helps avoid the low-blood-sugar rush to a regrettable fast-food meal.
I do more in less time by turning off the computer! I don't realize how much time gets sucked into a quick e-mail check or hunt for a recipe online until I have a reason to turn the computer off for a day. Time seems to stretch out so endlessly--I find myself catching up on all the things I said I'd never have time for!
There is one really simple thing that helps me do more with less: basic time management! It feels like I'm always running out of time but when I set priorities and deadlines for myself, it makes me more productive!
Doing more with less means keeping your cars as long as possible especially when they are paid off.