Back to routines and habits – have you started trying any new routines or braking with old habits? Have you started writing for an hour pre-breakfast for a week? Have you been jogging on the beach following reading Tyrrell and then write for 45 minutes? Habits and routines do not come easy, research says it takes up to 4-6 weeks to implement a new routine into workflows. Do not do too many at a time, one at a time will do?
I have had a nice co-writing weekend with my friend and colleague James Koranyi from Durham. We made solid progress on our “Modern Europe. A transnational history”. What kept us on track was:
-a nice setting (my writing shed)
-careful planning, setting goals (realistic goals)
-following the Pomodori method: 25mins focused writing, 5 minutes breaks.
-writing draft (not aiming at perfection and footnotes) – cut the “fat” later
Despite being a weekend it felt relaxed and rewarding to see the text growing steadily with a pace of 150-200 words per each Pomodori. There is more on the technique here. Or on “how to write a lot” here.
Any new suggestions or confessions this week – here or in class?