A disclaimer: This is not an entry in which I set out to make the argument that targets are inherently terrible. It’s great to have goals…at some point, you have to look forward and say, “I want to reach that point!” But for many, targets (and the ways to hit them) become almost more important […]

When I sit down to write something for The Juggling Writer, I always have a good idea what it is I want to say. I might discover much of an entry along the way, but I always have a few chunky bits in my head to get me started and pull me through. Sometimes I […]

My ideal writing morning looks like this: The night before, I think a little about what I’ll write the next morning. The next morning, I wake up between 4:30 – 5:30 and lie in bed a moment thinking about what needs to be written. I wander to the kitchen and drink a glass of water […]

The new job comes with an actual commute, a thing I’ve not had to contend with for years. I’ve worked from home more than in the office for the last seven years. When I did go into the office…the office was less than five miles away. Now, depending on the time, traffic, and the route […]

I’ve never been one to track my progress when it comes to writing. Generally, I try writing more days than not (4 days a week), but I don’t even track that. If I really don’t feel like writing on a particular day, I don’t. But because I can see the end of a readable draft […]

Recently, I wrote an entry about what it takes for me to be productive. (Quick version: Don’t do so damn much, say no to things, and stop distracting yourself with things that pull you away from writing.) In many ways, that’s what I did when I started writing (head down; write all the time), but […]

A friend and I recently chatted about productivity systems. Or, I should say, he talked about productivity systems… We both appreciate the way the other looks at a thing they want to do and how they go about doing it. I tend to get more done, though, and that’s what this friend finds interesting: that […]

I’ve been thinking quite a bit, lately, about how I work; or, as the case may be, sometimes don’t work. 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 […]

For my wife’s birthday in October, we went camping at Daingerfield State Park. There was a moment during the preparation for the trip when I thought: It would be nice to put together a video of the trip: packing things up, heading out to East Texas, park activities…all that. But here’s the thing: to do […]

I recently did a podcast about business travel because I, and the friend I do the podcast with, have each recently traveled for work. A recent trip brought him to New Orleans, and I spent a week in Los Angeles. I know many people who live for business travel. Hell, I work for a large […]

Friday mornings mean the arrival of Austin Kleon’s weekly newsletter — one of the few I subscribe to. This week, he linked to this piece by Cal Newport. If you don’t feel like following the link, it’s an article about how some people deemed big in their fields are/were also seen as a bit lazy. […]