Write? Write. Sleep? Sleep. Read? Read. Don't fight it.
2009-09-16
Knowing I read a lot, someone recently asked how I balance learning and working.
When do you stop reading and get back to work?
When do you stop working and go learn something new?
Being self-employed and in control of my own schedule, I used to wrestle with this a lot.
I'd be so thirsty to keep reading and learning, that I'd feel bad I hadn't done any real work in weeks.
Other times I'd just work, work, work for weeks without stopping to read some of the brilliant books I'd already bought.
Then I realized something so obvious it's funny that I'm writing it here:
Stop wrestling. Don't fight it. Go with it, either direction.
If you're excited to work, work. Sneak out of bed at 4am if your toes are tapping, and go do what's on your mind.
But if you're tired, don't fight it. Sleep.
If you've got writer's block, enjoy the silence while it lasts. In another day, week, or month, you'll be so filled with things to say you'll be sneaking out of bed again.
Who knows why the brain is into different things at different times.
But we're so much more effective when we follow what our body wants to do, rather than trying to fight it.
(Of course I'm writing this as a reminder to myself, because today was one of those days where I wanted to get a bunch of programming done, but I was at this computer for hours and didn't get a damn thing done. All I wanted to do was read on the couch. So I shut the laptop and read for a few hours. Which was just what I needed, and ended up inspiring the hell out of me, so that afterwards I jumped up and came back to programming with gusto. Now effectively.)
ha! excellent choice..
Wars in people heads are often fought. But acceptance of Peace in our heads is often fought more!
Ha, I was just getting frustrated with something so trivial: posting a craigslist "for sale" add. I def just needed a break!
Thanks!
Awesome!
I just started dental school and I'm so in the zone to study anatomy, crush biochemistry, and just overall excel here that I feel like I haven't been balancing my social life.
I don't care much, I love what I'm doing here. Eventually my friends come and rip me away on the weekends, and I let them. Otherwise, I just let my instincts guide me - study, study, study
I do the same thing. When I get tired, I take a short nap. When I'm inspired, I write. Sometimes I write even when I'm not inspired. I guess I'm not the only one who gets up at crazy hours of them morning and gets moving. 4:00 a.m. is a very creative time of the day for me sometimes!
Had the same conversation with myself this morning on the way to my job. Wish I was still self-employed.
That's great, Derek. Except when you have a deadline. 8^)
That's often when I least want to work, and working is the most important.
Good point! -- Derek
right own
Great stuff. Great advice. Peace
a dog generally has a reason for barking!
Derek,
But seriously, this is such a gem of wisdom!!
I wholeheartedly agree which is why I am in bed right now resting and it's only 6:11pm!
On another note, will you blog at some point on the best way to hire an assistant or employee. Your process so to speak? Inquiring minds want to know!
Sincerely,
Anne Heaton
hey Anne! Yeah I'll definitely be writing a lot about subjects like that once Muckwork is ready, since I'll be very focused on that then. -- Derek
Do I ever know what you mean!!
Lazy? No, because naps create more energy. It's the difference between spending all day slogging through a paper, and writing it in two hours during a window of inspiration. Quantum leaps
I used to feel I was neglecting music if I was busy with photography and vice versa, and then add in all the other things I like to do... constant state of guilt over what I was NOT doing rather than really soaking up the joy of what I WAS doing. Anyway, I go with my creative moods now - whatever my current obsession is, I just go with it wholeheartedly. That way, I always enjoy the process, and because my energy is directed, I actually get more done. And I don't try to 'keep up' old passions. I USED to play tennis - I don't have to do it forever - it was fun then, but now it's something else that compels me.
Who cares anyway? The world doesn't revolve around how I spend my time;) So I might as well do what I really want to do. Sometimes, it's a nap
Sarah
The article is great but adding that picture at the end is disgusting and detracts from the message.
This is such a relevant post to all creative people. I used to wonder why, when I should be doing something (writing, designing a new web site, marketing, etc) I'd suddenly think that a pile of ironing looked more interesting and go and do that. Yet other days I work like a demon and ignore everything else.
Then I read an amazing book called 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield. It's only a small book (I read it through in one afternoon) but it is all about how resistence rules our minds and how we have to fight it on a daily basis. I've now read this book dozens of times and it just keeps on inspiring me.
But you're so right in what you've said because I too find that if I don't feel like doing my work then I may as well go and do whatever else is on my mind because if I try and force myself to sit down and work, I don't do a good job anyway and just have to re-do it all again.
Early to bed" Early To Rise" Work Like Hell and Advertise"
Sleep when your Dead"
None of us are as smart as we think we are.
Derek you are the best brother!
especially when in writing mode.
I struggle with my brain shutting off at night. Sleep is something I am always craving but not always getting
Thanks for the post!
Tell my boss.
good topic...the balance of every
thing in life is the key ...try every experience..while you can..
reading ,moving your imagination to
the six dimension /go other places not yet discorvered...read to ask
where you're from /why you here /and where you going...
Bless You, Derek. Just what I needed today. I am also self-employed and I was feeling guilty about not working much today.
Peace.
One time I was so busy with work that I was either too tired or too busy to be inspired to write a song. So I dragged myself away for a weeks holiday with no newspapers or similar distractions and I wrote 3 songs in a week.
Exactly! I couldn't imagine doing things in any other way - and there are so many people around me who just can't imagine this way or operation....
The only thing I would put in a bit different words is "we're so much more effective when we follow what our body wants to do, rather than trying to fight it."
It's obvious that it's the body that wants to sleep - but definitely not the body wants to write or compose a new piece of music or a painting... It is the person himself.
The highest purpose is to have no purpose at all. This puts one in accord with nature, in her manner of operation.
John Cage
For me that sums up how one should approach art. Dont be too purposeful in trying to set deadlines with ones art. You are working even when you are not working so dont worry about reading or listening or cooking. That piece of music is still working in your brain even when you arent at the keyboard or laptop or guitar. Everything is valuable. Making a cup of tea could give you the idea that sitting at the keyboard for a hour wouldnt.
(and i think just writing this has given me an idea for that track!!)
Once again, Derek brings up an issue that is forefront in my life, and a constant curse. It is a solid case with me of "damned if ya do and damned if ya don't." I don't know, could be a case of ADD, or just the demon that to this day I swear crawled under my crib and into my soul when I was three years old, but this is how I see it. For every choice we make, there are millions we aren't making. I relax to read a book, but my cursed and never satisfied mind screams "get off your ass and get some work done." So I start doing some work around the house or online and my mind screams "look at you, you are self employed, why are you laboring, grab a six pack and go to the beach." So I do that and as soon as I sit in the sand and pop a beer my mind screams, "why the hell didn't you bring a book!?"
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGG!!!!
There's someone in my head and it's not me.
See ya on the dark side of the moon.
It makes perfect sense! Unfortunately, I am self-employed in a field that revolves around other people's demands. Therefore, I am unable to just drop everything and do what I choose. I guess I could but then I have to deal with angry customers and a business with no referrals. I really need to find a new career!!
Solitoode
Couldn't have gotten this at a better time.
Thanks Derek!
Find the right path and follow it!
So I'm not crazy! It's nice to see someone vocalize this. It has been something I've suspected for awhile, but my brain really has issues with it and it really grates on me at times.
This is good advice - I've been doing the part where you savor the down time to regroup and just take time to recharge the batteries
Great blog! Thanks Derek
yes!
Hi Derek, You have hit the nail right on the head there sir! These are exactly the issues I struggle with quite often since I started my PR business and am still trying to balance things out in this regard. Your words here in this blog on this subject make all the sense in thw world. I gotta be more zen, if you will, when it comes to balancing and budgeting time and tasks. Thanks for your words.
i.e, go with the flow, huh?
-- Derek
As a self-employed musician, I'm always slicing my time into portions - time to practice, time to do the gig or recording, time to write, time for my wife & family, time for my hobbies, time to walk my dog.... but, I find that writing tends to lag behind "schedule".
How do you do it? I find it hard to keep all the social networking sites up to date and still have time for my main loves (wife / music / martial arts / meditation)!
Do you have a staff that prepares the groundwork for most of your creatve output?
Sorry - I'm the wrong guy to ask, because I have the luxury of doing anything anytime. No family or job so almost nothing I “have” to do. Feel free to hate me for this.
This is interesting to me because, after 25 years of creating, I figured this out -- but only for those times when all I'm *supposed* to do is write. (From time to time I take off anywhere from ten days to 6 weeks to write full-time) In these periods, I know I will work at the guitar for two minutes, then set it down like an ADD child -- but then I'll pick it up again five minutes later. And then it's back and forth like that all day.
What I've only half-figured out is how to do that when I'm working a job too. I've got so few hours left, and I can see intellectually that if I'd rather be reading a book in the bathtub then that's probably what I need to do -- but I get afraid that by the time I'm ready to cycle back to the guitar, it's bed-time (and believe me, I've gone to work the next day a wreck because I got excited at midnight and worked through a song til 2AM - then lost two more days recovering).
I'm wondering now if I could try approaching it as a slowed-down version of my writing-only periods -- what would happen if I read for a week of evenings? Maybe I'd end up writing on the guitar for the days that followed? Or something else? I'll experiment with it.
I sure think that is how we work Derek. Good Advice!
You are so right Derek. I was pushing myself so hard today, I almost passed up the chance to do something I feel was empowering.
I was so backed up at work and had not intended on doing lunch, but after not getting anywhere, I felt like I needed a break from the computer.
I keep this book in my purse and had been wanting to read it. I read some of it and went back to work.
Little did I know something I read was going to come in handy!!!
I am an office manager in a fairly big daycare. A little girl was crying and would not stop. The director and a teacher were not handling the situation very good. For instance I never heard either one of them ask why she was crying in the first place.
I got up from my desk, walked into the room and took the little girl by the hand, and told the director and teacher that I was going to try something different with her. (We have a relationship at work where we step in and help, when others get frustrated).
First of all I took the little girl out of the situation,wiped her eyes, held her and asked her what was wrong. It was something so minor that I was shocked!!! We done it together and I took her back to class. She was fine the rest of the day.
We learn from reading what others have written, because usually it is out of experience.
When you get bogged down, it does you good to break away and you might offer something good to someone else.
I enjoy writing poetry and you are right Derek, if it hits you in the wee hours do it, it may not come back to you!!
Do things when you are inspired!!!
Write, Sleep.... or read another great article by Derek Sivers? I obviously chose reading your article. Thanks for another great read. I hope you're getting enough rest to keep the mind healthy. Lol
I'm working on this right here
http://www.diamondchainmusic.com
Enjoy learning about me and my music.
Keep up the good work.
C.R.I.$.I.$. aka Mr. Swagger
Yes ! Man... recently I've been battling with myself a lot oveer this very issue, I haven't felt like writing at all ? just reading and trying to adapt the statagies in " Getting things done " A great book !! I have a lot of clutter and it's been bugging me.
Once done, back to writing.
Right on, brother! I have been compelled to organize. And that's what I'm doing. I have a million other business related things I should be doing, but the organizing feels SO good. And it is so needed. I am a huge pack rat. Thanks for the affirmation, tough guy
Read for knowledge, write to inspire; words must fall upon our thoughts with ease, but not if we're uptight and tired.
When I was just a child I wrote poetry with my mom and later I started hearing melodies
and humming them.
I didn't realize
I was writing music until I started
taking music lessons from my friend
Jim Walbert in Birmingham. I hummed
a melody that was going around in
my head for days .. and asked him
what the melody was. He told me he had never heard it and I was just writing music. I wanted to learn to make lead sheets so he
taught me. It wasn't easy but then I don't give up easily.
After that I wrote songs and lyrics. Lyrics were more difficult
than melodies but I mastered it too.
I have been hearing melodies for at
least 50 years and still do. When I
hear one in the middle of the night
I just get up and make a lead sheet
it won't stop playing until I do.
I'm accustomed to it and it doesn't
bother me. In fact it's wonderful.
Brilliant! I never thought to just let it happen and enjoy the silence while it lasts. I will say though: when I hit a song-writers block all I usually have to do is go and be social with a group of friends. Something about being in a big group of people energizes my musical creativity and I frequently have a new hook playing in my head before I even get home. I think it's because we're wired to live in community and at some deep level being immersed in a social scene gets the right synapses firing...especially in creative minds. But if I analyze it further, that's exactly what you're saying to do. When I hit those points it's usually because I haven't been around people for a while and I'm sitting at the piano thinking "I need to write, but I want to go be social." Don't fight it...brilliant.
That's my philosophy, too. Don't want to work? Sleep, read, sing, write. It's even better when you're not self-employed.
Add to that laundry, cooking, dishwashing, mowing, raking....I do stuff from dawn til I can't move no more (which is sometimes first thing in the morning). I hope it all adds up to some kind of accomplishment.
Oh, you really got this one, Derek! It's been an absolute curse for me. A voice in my head telling me whatever I'm happening to be doing is the wrong thing. I don't know if it's my parents' voice or an old teacher or what, but eventually it has contributed to me being on anti-depressants and generally feeling like I'm a total under-achiever. At 55 and recovering from cancer I feel like time has almost run out on me. I've written some good songs but not been able to promote them. I hope life will be kind to me and allow me to show my kids that I haven't been wasting my time all these years and that their Dad was worth something after all.
Great advice seems so logical and relieving. Don't stress just give in and you'll be back solving what you where worrying about later thanks
Hi Derek,
that sounds a lot like me alright
I've always been kinda spontaneous in certain areas of my life, do to the fact that I never liked routine which attributes to why I was pretty much self employed for a good portion of my working days. Although in the end I try hard to finish what I start.
Reff:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%204:13&version=NIV;
I've been dealing with these same issues forever...I'm happy to see I'm not the only one thinking about this and Derek's thoughts on this makes total sense.
I'll start to apply this more now!
Thanks!
Erick P.
Yes, I always just go with the flow but I am always reading no matter what just before bed and in between b/c I love words and need to either write them or read them. No battles b/c I have two children so they steer my priorities and it ain't reading or writing, it's them. I write when inspired and this seems best with my busy life. I re-write when I get time.
That probably wastes less time. I like it. Blessings at you.
In other word, Do what you wanna do!
Things change, often temporarily, but working is one thing, playing another, and expanding what you are an odd third. I do things that enhance all of it. I've been playing piano since 1971 and I just hit-up a 'better' piano player, not so I can better my piano playing, just so I can re-think about what I already do from another perspective.
Reading is a joy and a source of 're-thinking." I wish that I didn't need to sleep... JH
We are so conditioned to not follow any of our natural rhythms...but it gets amazing when we do...right?
Thanks Derek.
Good reading Derek. As I only need 3 to 4 hours sleep at a time, I find I have plenty of time to play a few tunes, work in the studio,read a book, watch the news on TV, visit a couple of friends, do the shopping, prepare meals, build model planes, have a nap and then wonder what the heck I have achieved in the last 24 hours. Hahaha,I must learn to be more focused and get in some practice for my gig next week.
Cheers, Bill (W.T.)
Intersections. The capacity to move in different directions, to go to and fro. Many things to bring together there are (Yoda may have said.) Confluence of energy from difference. Yes. I sometimes can go there (though I am more of a block-time guy). Good for you, man. Nice work.
a friend of mine once said if you want to dig a hole but have to build a wall, building the wall is work but if you would like to build a wall but really must dig a hole etc.
if we can succeed at wanting to do what we have to do, we don't have to work at all - I said that
So, if I were to make a glib summary of this post, it would be:
"Balance is for scales and acrobats."
Hey - that works for me!
I just go with what ever feels stronger at the time
www.youtube.com/guitarBeeny
That's what I do. Except when my inner slave-driver's in control. He's a motherskunker.
Do what you have energy for. Life's a buffet. Of course, even when you're self-employed, you've already scheduled work sometimes, and the client gets disappointed if you make them wait.
There's a price to pay for having your way. Nothing's free but water and air, and even that's not true anymore.
I don't know what it cost nature to make water and air, but I'm glad it doesn't charge as much as humans.
Nothing's free.
Except this philosophy.
It's only free for you, not me.
Well, you did have to read it...
Okay, nothing's free.
I'll shut up now.
Ha...I just finished having this conversation with myself last week. I run and teach at my guitar school/shop, play 2 nights a week( not practicing enough),trying to finish a website for a client and also finish off some tutorials on php. I'm going to perform at the Y2K9 International Live Looping Festival in California, so I've also been trying to practice for that. Of coarse I said, "wouldn't it be nice to have a website and CD setup for the trip,something like 'A Bajan's Loopy Adventures in Cali', and I actually thought that I would be able to pull this off."
After a few days I found I was just running around like crazy and not getting anything done, so I took a day off and did nothing.
Sometimes the obvious seems to simple to see.
The go-with-the-flow method is pretty much how I operate, and I feel very fortunate that I don't have a "regular" job which would keep me from taking a nap in the middle of the day when I really, really need it. If I can't keep my eyes open, I go take a nap. If I'm not inspired by my writing, I'll go wash the dishes. There's nothing like a mindless task to stimulate ideas worth writing about.
But, that said, I'm always so impressed by the discipline my husband maintains. As a professional flutist and flutemaker, he can't afford to let his facial musculature weaken, so every single day he practices his scales for at least one to two hours before he sits down at his workbench. When he's got a lot that needs doing, it's been so tempting to slack off on the playing, but he realized a long time ago that he could actually practice as many hours a day as he'd like (four to six hours!) and essentially abandon his flutemaking business, or he could try working harder and harder and harder and let the work totally destroy the reason he went into flutemaking in the first place, which was to make his music better.
For him, maintaining his chops is the same as needing to eat and sleep every day. Just as you can't do all of your week's sleeping right in a row nor all your week's eating in one day, so he absolutely can't neglect his daily playing and expect to "catch up" on the weekend.
So sometimes you can "listen to your body," and sometimes you have to find some kind of comfortable routine which allows you time for all the important things in your life: eating, sleeping, music, work, and--oh yeah--reading. There's nothing better than working your ass off on a Friday afternoon to be able to "Aah," sit down to a nice Sabbath meal with your love, retire early together, sleep late, knosh on leftovers when you wake up, and kick back with a good book during the afternoon. No work allowed (except for maybe making a to-do list) until sundown when that bit of work that you were burning to do earlier can be done. That's the theory, anyway. We're doing good if we can get a "proper" Sabbath on a Saturday once a month, but if we don't have at least one day of "rest" each week, our quality of life definitely goes downhill and our work suffers. Too tired to accomplish hardly anything.
Balance; it's all about the balance.
Thanks for sharing this one! I always struggle with this issue, and you make me feel better knowing I am not alone!
All the best,
Frank
thanks for that bit on writers block.
click the link on it. it's from the great book Ignore Everybody -- Derek
I have heard it said that first we "learn" and then we "do". What if we really "do" first by following that second sense, whatever you want to call it, and "learn" in retrospect.
Your words bring to mind an old song-- K Sara sa rah what ever will be will be, the futures not ours to see K sarah sa rah...... what will be will be......
Maybe thats why hindsight is so crystal clear.
Great Post! I totally agree with you! 210%. It took me a while to figure that out also. I'm so glad I did! And you've put it so eloquently into words for me. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up! Great "Fight Club" visual. Good finishing touch. Kudos.
Being organized and getting the right balance is the key.
Derek,
I've got to disagree with you....slightly.
I think your thoughts absolutely apply accurately to people who have a proven track record of personal discipline. You're a prime example of this, and I can think of hundreds of people I've met in and out of this industry that would fit this description.
Unfortunately, I think particularly in this industry there are a lot of people who are counting on a shortcut and have no interest in developing the personal discipline to actually pursue their talents.
So I suggest your "don't fight it" concept be qualified by only applying to those with the highest standards of self discipline and personal honesty that you've demonstrated to us all year after year (seriously your creative output is superhuman).
I should probably now get back to work ;0P
Jeremy
so very zen
and yeah it works
peace
Astara
Great advice Derek. When it comes to creativity...the best times are when we listen to our mind and bodies. Thank you for sending...
Terri G
Yeah PLEASE write about finding and hiring the right part time assistant. Your subject draws attention to topic that works as long as you can stay isolated. A songwriter might call it 'woodshedding'. I work for myself and largely dictate my own schedule. I block off large pieces of time even from my girlfriend. The reason i do this is precisely because i have learned that fighting 'it' is counterproductive. I have often argued that the 9-5 concept of work is the biggest time waster ever invented because if forces people to show up even when they cant offer much. HOWEVER, i do hire others and if they dont stick to a schedule my biz stand to lose ALOT and as a result, its grounds for termination. Its not double standard, my clients expect me to stick to a schedule, my girlfriend, my docter, mechanic..etc. SO the free schedule concept doesnt seem to work in groups, as far as i can tell anyhow.
Following your bliss is great, but it can easily turn into avoidance. There are times when you have to recognize that your incredible motivation to sleep is so you won't have to face your work. Sometimes your incredible motivation to work at 4 AM is so you wear yourself out and sleep through something you need to be dealing with.
Following one's bliss becomes a convenient way to ignore our avoidance.
Adam
Derek,
I really enjoy your blogs there are very informative!
Thanks,
Matt
definitely needed to read this. I have the luxury of being self-employed as well and using time as I want to. However it is hard to step away and take a break without beating yourself up sometimes so I think this will help!!
We all have to remember that balance is not necessarily a 50/50 thing. Balance is what works for you. And what works for some people may not be the same for you. It's taken me a while to not listen to others and what they are accomplishing (ie, the millionth song they wrote that day) I usually feel fine with myself and what I am doing if I take the rest of the world out of the equation.
AWESOME!!!
Your essays are amazing. I was wondering, with all your information gathering, wisdom and communicative skills, are you a Gemini?
-- Derek
Thanks, but nope.
It's my oldest son's birthday today. He turned nine.
There was a moment when I felt guilty for working at the theatre all day (where he also performs in the play I am directing), even though I did manage to help him bake a giant cookie for his class and I did have a gift wrapped up in pretty paper.
Then I remembered the time when he (and his brothers) were little and I felt guilty for not working enough.
So I thought: the play opens on Friday... there is a lot to be done before the curtain call.
After all isn't showing your kid to be disciplined and passionate about the work you love a pretty cool birthday gift?
I think you are right, Derek - why fight it?
Are you married? I mean. really married?
Nope. -- Derek
yes derek!!! Enjoying what we do is key ingrediet for success!!! You have done pritty good! Lets treat ourselves kindly!!!
Thank you for sharing your insights!
I believe in doing what I feel to a point, and then there comes a time to kind of push through some things that have to be done, even if I don't feel like it...
If you want to be a drone, just allow the world to squeeze you into its 9-5 mold. Bed by 11PM or whatever, up at 6AM or whatever, home by 6PM or whatever, repeat, repeat, repeat...
I would never be able to write songs and create recordings if I didn't allow myself to get up at 4AM to write an idea down, or stay up until 4AM mixing something. And if I need to take a nap at 3PM, so be it.
Well...somtimes I don't "feel" like writing, but I do it anyway at the appointed time I've set up, and end up writing some of my best music. I guess you could say writing music comes under the category of "what I hate not doing" (that was from one of your previous blogs).
La cosa più bella è sempre fare quello che si desidera fare.Tutto riesce meglio,non bisogna mai fare niente se non se ne ha voglia.Il desiderio di fare qualcosa è la certezza che il risultato sarà senz'altro positivo.
I remember reading somewhere that John Lennon wrote 4 lines a day, even if he didn't want to, as part of the "discipline of craft". I do the same. However in what you are saying, there is a good balance to be struck. Thanks!
Seems like good advice. My problem is, songwriting isn't something I can let go for too long without negative consequences. If I set aside a part of my brain to stay alert for usable material, I'll have ideas and I'll write. If I don't, I won't.
Good advice, but I've also found that sleep deprivation will sometimes prod me out of writer's block. Not always, but often enough so that if I'm feeling unproductive, I'll skip a few nights' sleep to stir the pot.
I do not give this a thought I do not believe in the word work I live. This leaves me virtually decision free. I did programing in the early 70's All I can say is why?
OH, Derek"
The guy hitting himself is poignant appraisal of how the human race is progressing!
I so agree with you.
I used to work as an employee, before becoming a freelance soundtrack composer. And there is something else I noticed, which strenghtens your point.
When you're in a company, you have to follow some hours (arriving at this hour, having lunch at that time...etc), and you have many reasons to break your work (phone calls, urgent stuff...etc). I learnt there that the best way to increase my productivity was to refuse to break big periods of work. So, for instance, I was working on a specific project for half a day, postponing to the afternoon all the other stuff that were asked from me. Like this, I was going faster.
When I became freelance, I did as you describe : working when I felt, sleeping when I felt...etc. But while doing it, I was actually increasing the lenghts of these periods. When I work on a project, I now often work for periods of 12 hours without any break (no eating, nothing). I won so much productivity like this. So I finish my tasks faster. So I have more time to relax (sleep, read) when my job is done. Such a win win situation!
Unbelievably timely... I'm going to bed.
It's really strange how you seem so much like me in that regard. I have invested several thousands of dollars into various audio programs over the last couple of years. Now I am addicted to computers. A typical day for me is about 40 hours with about 30 to 35 of those hours sitting at my computer tinkering with all that new software. Sometimes I think I am going to self-destruct but just will not quit. These last 2 years have been some of my best years
Sounds like good advice. I had come to the same conclusion myself not long ago. At times there are things one must attend to regardless, but the rest of the time I let my mind dictate the direction it wants to go. All things seems to come full circle anyway.
An astute observation Derek, it sure does help our nerves to make that decision to do what our instincts are really telling us,
cheers
George
There is no controlling the Muse.
i shouldn't be reading this and get on with my work!
There is such things as quality and quantity The quality of the things in life you like to do are good like not over doing anything. Make everything quality of what you like doing rather than cramming everything together. Don't over do anything that would destroy your health! Take time on what you are doing. Think & pray over it, then begin to work it out. It becomes easy and you get used to it.
Leading a creative and/or artistic life is just something else, innit? Play, write, create, sleep, absorb...following the muse and keeping the flow fear free, will almost always land you in a good spot. Just say "YES"!
Great article! Swimming against the current is the total opposite of going with the flow.
Sure. Email me. -- Derek
A couple of years ago I 'gave myself permission' (wow! so generous of me!) to go with the flow and tap into my creative flow that comes from who knows where. I've been doing this guilt free ever since and it's working wonders. Good stuff! Hey Derek! I lead the new Sydney Australia regional chapter of Nashville Songwriters Association International and we have a dynamic songwriting community - we LOVE being inspired by the likes of Derek Sivers? wanna say yes to a virtual interview for NSAI Australia Songwriters Loop Newsletter? Regards zelda Sheldon www.myspace.com/nsai_australia
There is a time for everything .. and everything in it's time ...
Derek, I am so grateful that you are here. Thank you as always.
Hi, Derek, You are such a blessing to the rest
of us musicians and to other artists as well.
Just see how people are responding.
What I hear in the responses reminds me of
several things I think we all share:
First of all, let us remember we are individuals -- every one of us. No two alike. We each need to function in a way that works best for us, in spite of others' attempts to conform to their methods.
I also think that voice that constantly nags
us when we aren't "working" is a life-long
conditioning based on the general belief
that music and the arts are not serious
enough, that they are only for fun and fluff.
I think the general public still thinks in
those terms, even though it is gradually
changing. Science and the medical community are beginning to use music and
the other arts for healing. And we knew it
all along.
I was born a musician, with musician parents, grandparents and generations more
At 93 I am still writing songs, just as I go
through the day. I frequently have an idea
pop into my head and grab a pen and write
it down;. Sometimes I continue with it but
many ;times don't finish it at one sitting.
And many times I don't get a task finished
because I speny the time on the song. And
it's worth it.
I issued my first CD to celebrate my 85th
birthday (see YouTube/SuzieGrey) and I'm
still working on the second.
So I guess what I am saying is:
Be yourself, don't give up....and go for it.
Thank you, Derek, you are providing us with
a tool to help understand ourselves and
actually be the musicians/artists we need to
be, a great gift to us all.
Suzie
How liberating? It's so difficult to just allow yourself to do whatever you please.... what it actually means is to trust yourself... i think it's symptomatic of most of our upbringings.... certainly the discipline of school and working for the man has been hard to shake off... you know that feeling that you ought to be doing things at certain times... it's get easier the more you listen to yourself and go with what you want...
great point derek. since becoming self-employed this has obviously been a big issue, especially as i have a number of projects going on and bits of admin to do for each of them. whatever i am doing i always feel i'm neglecting to do something else and then i actually get nothing done. i have tried dividing my day up into sections for each thing, but that doesn't work because i would get stuck into whatever i do first and keep thinking about that when i move on. in this case it would make sense to just carry on with what my mind is on. having too specific a plan inhibits creativity and as you say not being open to spontaneity is not good for productivity. i have found removing myself from thinking in terms of a working day (9-5 or whatever) is also good due to the fact that i am doing what i love so i essentially have no boundaries (time nor space) as to when i can get things done.
a great point to take me into thursday. lets see where the flow takes me.
To get a grip, it's sometimes better to let go.
It's a great point. I think it's in the culture of the Western world to work first, play later. It's something we were probably all brought up with (having experienced both the US and the Scandinavian school system, I'd say it goes for those two parts of the world at least). I find it's often a matter of getting involved. Like, take programming. I am NOT a natural, I want to sit in a quiet corner with my Martin guitars and contemplate the passing of time, etc. (hippie...). But then, when I think about programming, or other "tedious" computer-work in the context of how many other people this new thing called the internet, social networks etc. can let me "meet" - the whole thing becomes alive. It's more a vessel of exploration of unknown territory than just bits and bytes...
I fight with this all the time. I live in a blok of flats so I stop late at night, even so after having listened for hours on you tube I am full of ideas. When I listen to other people songs I get ideas to write lots of lyrics, whole books are full. Gosh I have to memories them one day.
Very well spoken Derek. Thank you!
Ta' Derek! So simple and true!
Works for all, but some are more free to practice!
Releasing my current work in a couple of moons from now, I really feel now what you discribe; Got out of bed at five 'cause the mind was so ready!
By the way.. Can you feel the New Moon?
Exactly, if there is something you can do tomorrow, do it next week. And enjoy breathing on this magic planet. We may all have the talent, but ideas come when they want. Hails to the great times of our own life - Steve
Can someone please relay this insight to my manager? Thanks.
It's the fear of losing momentum with a project that often makes one force oneself to work when maybe a rest or a change is better - doing something fun often refreshes the mind.
Good idea !
I can relate soooooooo Much !!!!!!!!!!
Indeed; it's great to be self-employed!
simple but so true.
thank you Derek...
I think that it is very difficult to work at home and someday I just can't go on...a good nap and I am on my feet again.
A real pleasur to read you...
I sooooo relate!!!!
The body and mind need a certain amount of sleep in order to function. I believe in getting at least 20-25 minutes of sleep if I am feeling groggy. I can not concentrate when I am tired. More mistakes are made when I am not alert.
I am 46 years old. I took me about 40 years to realize exactly what you said there. There are many nights my whole life I just cannot sleep. I would toss and turn, get angry and then around 5 a.m. get sleep and then have to get up at 6. I hated the whole day, tired at work, headaches only to have a non productive night.
For the last 6 years if I wake up and know I cannot get back to sleep, I get up, write lyrics, maybe lay down a few tracks that will not wake the rest of the people that can sleep. Maybe read, anything to be creative or productive while my bosy is awake. During these last 6 years of doing this, I have finsihed songs, wrote new songs, finsihed lyrics that have been sitting for years, read more books and caught up on some movies I have wanted to watch. Keep in mind, I would rather have had a good nights sleep but if i cant have it, then I do not fight it anymore.
Peter.
Hi Derek,
You must be a genius. You are so right. In addition to being a performing musician I am also an edducator. I rack my brain daily trying to figure out where I should focus my attention. Ultimately, I have to spend more time trying to get resumes updated, bills paid, check e-mails, and still try to focus some of my attention on my music. Whoever said that a musician's life is easy obviously didn't have a brain, (scarecrow). Thank you for that inspiring e-mail. You really know how to put things into perspective. I recently spent 5 days in Boston pushing my music career, averaging about 3 to 4 hours of sleep a day over a 5 day period. Of course it finally caught up with me and I had to just shut down and get some sleep. So, keep those articles coming, especially for crazy people like myself that need to know that I'm not the only one out here wrestling with these issues.
Yea! My phylosophy... be a happy-go-lucky kind of person, don't twist your mind out of shape by trying to keep your nose to the grindstone and forcing your self to be dedicated to any one goal that may or may not lead to success
which in turn will probably alienate you from true friends. That being money or popularity of course.
I agree 100%. I have surrendered to the fact that if inspiration is not there, not to push it. A lot of people call it writer's block, but I have learned to consider it as time for new life experience and inspiration to seep in.
Since I have surrendered, I find I have spurts of inspiration that freak me out. I become a channel to whatever the universe has to throw at me.
Thanks Derek. This confirms what my my body has been telling me over the last couple of years.
Derek,
I really believe in a combination of making it happen and letting it happen.
No matter what our career aims might be, we all love music and we're going to do it anyway.
Good job Derek. You've got people thinking and communicating.
Straight ahead,
Sir Robert Charles Griggs
Yes, it's a good point, HOWEVER: be careful here. It can be something of a slippery and seductive slope. Much success is due to shere doggedness, unrelenting discipline and grinding it out. As I grow older, I come to understand that while I need to listen to my inner voice/needs and follow, I need also to continue to push myself... often one finds a new energy or creative approaches, after breaking through initial barriers...
I smiled when I read this, I too, sometimes beat up on myself when I feel I am neglecting work or some other aspect of my life. And you're so right, when I don't listen to my body I ususlly end up paying for it dearly.
The challenge is to remember to honour you innermost voice.
I am a creature of long habit when it comes to reading, sleeping and learning. I pay them all due respect and never beat up on myself for the time spent. Good post.
I love being self employed, but often I find that I end up spending a lot of time alone. Which is o.k but I do find that it is hard to find oportunities to express myself in a way that isn't purely creative ( I know how terrible). But I do feel their is a difference between talking to people and playing music to them. So it's great to read all these blogs. No one is lonely when theirs a blog. Ha ha.
Most of my friends are musicians and I'm discovering we can be pretty insular things. Were at home when everyone is at work we are working while our friends socialise. Leaves you wondering if I can do anything any time (which I can) where is everybody?
Don't mean to be a downer I meant it's great to read all these comments from people on the same topics.
Fabulous - It's wonderful to read that a person of your integrity and commitment also wrestles with this one. Bottom line is honoring and loving and being kind to ourselves – what a concept.
Yes , this is a very frustrating problem for me and everyone else it appears. It's really helped me to understand the mind just a bit. The right side lives in the present not knowing dimensions and time. If allowed it understands where we are in space and can relate to everything because it can sense all energy. The left side is detail and schedule oriented and has fairly accurate body dimensional relationship but doesn't pay much attention to other things. When it's time for one or the other brain half to be used, it works after just a bit of practice to very firmly tell the side that you don't need at the moment to let go and go away for a while. This is the simplified way to start meditation incidently.
Island Frank
my week has been like that & i got so discouraged "wrestling" with it!
)
the best moments were when i grabbed my camera for a photo shoot at the park, read inspiring books, & took the time to write!
funny that i have not been reading the daily posts regularly and just decided ... yes i'm going to click the link & read this article
Interesting stuff, Derek.
I think of my working and writing days as 'out' periods. Making stuff, putting stuff out.
And reading and learning days as 'in' days. Taking stuff in.
The ratio is the tricky part. Five days of 'out', one day of 'in' is about right.
It's too easy to sit and read and not actually make anything.
Sort of like spending way too much time eating, and not enough time chopping wood.
Going with the flow often takes you to unexpected places that expand your world considerably.
Like a typo in a url that brings you to a site you needed even more than the one you were looking for.
My biggest enemy seems to be time. I have to get this done, I have to be at this event, I have to do all these things, but what I want to do seems to always take a back seat to what others expect of me. Sure, I can say "I'm not going to do it," but that doesn't work when you're working a full time job and have a family. I have to live & work with these people.
I steal my creative time wherever I can. I actually wrote a whole song on the way back and forth to work for a few days. I had the whole thing developed before I even got to play it on a guitar! That doesn't happen often, but that's the sort of environment I've had to work within.
It is simply perfect! So damn true !!!
I so needed to read this. I tend to beat myself up when I don't work on music, yet when I do take a break and come back refreshed I tend to work on 3 tracks effortlessly.
Love reading your articles!
Thanks Derek!!!
BTW, Is this years Road Rally a "hell yeh"?
Yes...indeeed Derek, great article
I call it recharging my mental batteries.
I find that I get creatively stale if I don't shut down and go into mental hibernation mode and do something mindless for a while.
music being derek
eat when your hungry, sleep when your tired...
you are a multi millionaire, you got major "fuck you money" (howard stern.
you have a free world only money can buy.
the rest of the world is in the dog and/or rat race.
i have been so hungry that very stale bread tasted like delicious cake.
there are so many fat people because they eat "when they are hungry", there are so many sleepy sleepy people because they sleep when they are "tired".
i'm still trying to figure out why x & y equals z
i KNOW 1 & 1 & 1 equals 3
bright big musical ways
ian the being being ian
its tough when you book studio time, and all you want to do is sleep through the session because all you wanted to do last night was read instead of sleeping.
love the norton loop. i often feel just like that.
Ah, the fine art of balance. I happen to love working with deadlines. Gets my juices rolling. But even then, one must stay mindful of remembering to BREATHE.
Meanwhile, my eyes tell me when I've read enough. If I don't have time to pursue a certain idea fully, I write notes to self. Record bits of melodies to explore later. Get up and write down a few words at 3AM to remember at a later time.
Then I can get out in the community. Hang out at Farmer's Markets. Teach something to kids. Tend my tomatoes.
VERY GOOD ADVICE, not for writing, but for life.
My motto for all things written and also what is going on inside my head is...
"as simple as possible...but not simpler"
P.S.
I recently made a very short film for a Literary Magazine GEIST on the post-modern Writer David Albahari
The film has some very inspiring thoughts for writers, if anyone is interested here is the link
Kind thanks..frank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BttVuwP9jKI
GREAT STUFF !! RIGHT ON. THIS IS WHAT THE UNIVERSE WANTS YOU TO DO GO WITH THE FLOW. BUT DON'T BE LAZY.
Someone told me years ago about listening to your inner self. It took years to listen one time. Now, I listen more than I did in the past. I love reading when there is no sound at all. I love playing piano when I am imspired after the story of the making of the Steinway Piano. There's so much I love to do, so I am not balance. Many times I should be in bed, I am watching PBS. Sometimes I do get it right. Right I am off this computer for a nice happy hour at the Native Sun Health Food Store. (smile)
I agree with the post and recommend the book "The Power of Now" by my homeboy Eckhart Tolle. It really helps to shut your mind off when you don't need it, thus making it more focused when you do.
Good points Derek...probably best to follow your instincts as you mentioned...when I feel inspired to write...it's like the songs almost write themselves...they really flow...other times nothing...when the time is right it'll happen!
For me it's called "following my heart," and it always steers me in the right direction.
you probably just summarized the moral/point of over half of the songs I've written - let's see, there's "The Voice Inside", then "Standing Alone" "Stygian Barque" "Prey to Destiny" "Silence of Surrender (SOS)" "Folk Rock Wonder" "Relaxing, Achieving" and I won't list the other 60 or 70...
A "Common sense" time-management approach isn't always enough, especially if it conflicts with the priorities of your heart or the whim of muse...
Right on point Sir Robin Hood!
Hi Derek...I have so much on-line I could spend 24 hrs a day on it, so I ignore the computer whilst recording apart from emails, the studio is only upstairs so it makes the recording a blessed relief from the neccesary evil of long hrs at the computer.
I discipline myself to recording a track a week, which means all my sites get a pep up regularly, except when I have Gigs, in which case the lot gets dropped & builds to iretreivable chaos !!
Well, I really needed to be reminded to rest today. Thanks.
THATZ WHAT I KEEP TRYIN TO TELL MY OTHER HALF!!! REALLY LIKED THIZ ONE LOTZ OF GOOD INFO. IN THIZ ONE!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK DEREK!!! "THANK YOU" FOR TAKIN THE TIME TO CARE ABOUT THE LITTLE GUYZ!!!
My creativity comes in sprurts. Right now, I have 2 partially written songs floating in my head. I could be a lot more productive if I had the money to sit around and write music all day. But there is this pesky day job that is always interfering..........
This is really timely advice for me. Even though I have a family, too, I've been amazed at how much control I do have over my time and life having given it some attention, and shedding the unnecessary.
Thanks Derek! That helps out quite a bit actually. Often I give myself massive lists of what NEEDS to be done in any given day and then feel guilty when I don't get to half of it due to following an impulse.
i have always proclaimed to live my life in a tribal manner... family first and then... i put it in a song called, "young marley"... i do it in honor of lost American Tribes who never needed a damn thing from a king...
Indians hunted & fished all day and made love all nite and said only a white man could ruin something so perfect...
of course this lifestyle is only for those who truly know that money does grow on trees and that real freedom is worth dying for... rc pirate
we were just talkin about this.. how sometimes you feel like your lagging on something, writing, recording, promoting, cash, relationships, etc. but life is about juggling. you gotta look at the bigger picture and know, health comes first. mental and physical. without that nothing else matters. I think mental health is letting go of where you think you should be and enjoying where you're at. just gotta keep moving in the same direction and not worry about where others might be. focus and enjoy the ride. know when to say when.
"There is a season, turn, turn, turn. . ."
Hi Derek, you said it all. Too simple: Stop wrestling. Don't fight it.
I am reminded of what the Bible tells us, it says that God rested from His works on the seventh day (Genesis 2v2), and that there's a time for everything under the heavens (Ecclesiates chapter 3).
Yes, I fully agree that there should be a balance to life in whatever we do. But to achieve this balance, we have to know ourselves and the way we dispense our energy daily or at meeting goals.
We can learn from others on how to use time well to meet our different goals but it mustn't be a fixed pattern for all to follow. However, knowing one's self is important.
Even in the things that others call pleasure or rest, some are busy working. Being in bed does not make you sleep. And even to sleep does not guarantee that you shall wake up alert with a spirit readied for work.
When we know ourselves and how we operate, we can know how to rest from what we call work.
God bless you Derek
I am so guilty of that! I need all the vocabulary I could get my hands on. But, I need a hit. So, I force work, until I am exhausted. When I read, I wake up six hours later! It helps to actually be interested in what you are reading. I am trying to come up with a schedule for my everyday activities, and follow it until I have trained myself into a pattern. Whether it works or not, who knows, but I am going to try!!!!! lol!
Bedrock rock solid logic! You can only do one thing right at time do it g with ,learn from it!!
Aleee
I have found a marvelous way to go to sleep at night and that is to read the many comments from different souls who frequent your site, Derek.
Yawn, stretch good night all...zzz...
i guess ill keep trying,
if i dont ill never get anywhere.
We tend to forget the obvious. Thanks for reminding us of the sensible, Oh Wise One!
Thanks Derek,
Thanks Derek, this is very good information that needs to be heard or read by every one!!
Prof. Jey Montreal
Thanks Derek; you know how it goes - Can't stop the Sun from rising. Cheers.
Thanks...That's Truth!
I agree with your thoughts here Derek. My friends and family don't understand how I can sit at the computer or read a book for hours on end. Sometimes, 'that thing' whatever it is at that moment is what I need and want to focus on. Why not do what I love right now?
Great article...
Dave
LifeExcursion
I read a great quote the other day in a book called 'Creative Visualization' by Shakti Gawain about going with the flow... but then also steering your flow...
"Let us imagine that life is a river. Most people are clinging to the bank, afraid to let go and risk being carried along by the current of the fiver. At a certain point, each person must be willing to simply let go, and trust the river to carry him or her along safely. At this point he learns to "go with the flow" and it feels wonderful.
Once he has gotten used to being in the flow of the river, he can begin to look ahead and guide his own course onward, deciding where the course looks best, steering his way around boulders and snags, and choosing which of the many channels and branches of the river he prefers to follow, all the while still "going with the flow."
YOur thoughts are such a consolation, as i do sleep when i feel like, it, having the luxury of time flexibility and living alone.
I often neglect alot of mundane maintenance(until I can't stand it any longer), feeling the clock ticking that i am losing precious practice time, especially with the pressure of a lesson scheduled.
But then i have to be outside, rowing, sailing, tennis,etc.,and soon working on the boat, so it's always a balancing act.
Tennis settles me down the best. Tho I don't feel like practicing at night, and often waste time on a show (tho if it's NOVA I learn alot), that really bothers me, since that is uninterupted time.
I am working to get in a groove in the evening, especially since i'm behind on lesson preparation. Lessons will be on webcam from now on, and i'm still trying to get that set up.
Last month, which required much time with family business and moving stuff out of my mother's apt. , left me feeling i was musically/creatively falling apart.
Gay
"The article is great but adding that picture at the end is disgusting and detracts from the message."
WRONG!The post was about not fighting yourself,which is what the scene from fight club illustrates perfectly.
Excellent choice of words I appreciate the way you elaborate the key point. Its so hard to understand at wat hour we shud go for learning and when to go for work. Even I find this thing so complicated I call it “ME AGAINST MY SELF”.