{"id":6920,"date":"2017-02-08T10:46:04","date_gmt":"2017-02-08T16:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/?p=6920"},"modified":"2017-02-08T10:46:04","modified_gmt":"2017-02-08T16:46:04","slug":"fragments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.christophergronlund.com\/blog\/tjw\/2017\/02\/08\/fragments\/","title":{"rendered":"Fragments"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ShatteredI’ve been thinking quite a bit, lately, about how I work; or, as the case may be, sometimes don’t<\/em> work.<\/p>\n

Sure, I get plenty of things done. I always finish tasks at my day job, and I’ve done a weekly podcast for 4 years without missing an episode. I do a monthly fiction show, with a behind-the-scenes look at each story in between main releases. That all comes to roughly 75 fully-produced podcasts a year. That’s a lot of work and time. (I’ve put 60 – 80 hours into a couple episodes of Not about Lumberjacks<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

But as focused as I am in completing things, Facebook recently reminded me that it’s been two years since I printed the first draft of my current novel.<\/p>\n

TWO YEARS!<\/u><\/p>\n

And while I’m back to making that draft readable, it’s not lost on me that much of the problem is a fragmented mind.<\/p>\n

A Mind in Pieces<\/h2>\n

Productivity often comes up on the weekly podcast I do with a friend<\/a>. We believe that multitasking is a myth — that the majority of people who multitask don’t do it well. My friend and I stack work (focusing on only one thing at a time until it’s done), but still…I’m not doing the best work I can be doing, simply because I still have a lot<\/em> of stacks in the way.<\/p>\n

While I may focus on one thing at a time, I still move from task to task all day long…even through the weekends. I can only speak for myself, but to do the best writing I can do, I need to have my mind mostly<\/em> focused on writing.<\/p>\n

Here’s what happens, instead…<\/p>\n

Interrupting Myself<\/h2>\n

My day job work, by default, is a fragmented thing. If I turn off email and instant messaging, people stop by my desk. If I turn those things off on the days I work from home, people wonder if I’m doing any work at all. There are meetings that don’t apply at all to me, and lots of email to chase.<\/p>\n

Busy work, but not deep work.<\/p>\n

So this happens: I begin focusing on a task in the office and…an instant message pops up. After that interruption, why not do a sweep through a social network? Then: back to work…almost focused, and…someone stops by my desk. More interruptions; why not reward myself with checking blogs or something else when that’s done?<\/p>\n

It’s easy to say, “Well, just get back to work,” but even a slight interruption has a way of killing momentum. And with so many interruptions, before focus fully returns, there’s always another disruption on its way.<\/p>\n

It would be easy to say, “That’s just how work is done these days,” and there’s even truth to it. But during those moments of interruption, I used to be far more likely to stop and think about story ideas and commit them to a notebook…rather than see what people are talking about online.<\/p>\n

Continued Interruption<\/h2>\n

At home, I look at the weekends and feel fortunate that I’m not as busy as many people I know running around.<\/p>\n

But I’m still busy.<\/p>\n

There are podcasts to make, edit, and release. The weekly show has become a last-minute thing, ensuring the end of my weekend is spent rushing to record…when I should be relaxing and looking at the week ahead. Beginning-of-the-week mornings are spent editing and releasing shows…so sometimes, it’s the middle of the week before I really<\/em> focus on writing without thinking of other things to do. (And by then, it’s time to begin thinking about the next show.)<\/p>\n

To be clear, I enjoy Men in Gorilla Suits and Not about Lumberjacks. At the same time, I’ve not finished a substantial piece of writing since I started podcasting.<\/p>\n

The Solution<\/h2>\n

The solution, of course, is simple:<\/p>\n