For most writers, finding productive writing time is a challenge.
But you may be surprised to learn that if you’re an organized person, it might be even harder for you.
Why?
Two reasons: busywork and organization.
What is Busywork and What Does it Have to do with Productive Writing Time?
Busywork usually refers to those tasks that keep you busy but have little actual value.
Good examples include physical filing, cleaning off your desk, organizing your computer files, alphabetizing the books on your shelf, going through your mail (or email), browsing your Facebook feed, or redecorating your office nook.
These are things that don’t need to be done “right now,” but in most cases, it does help if they’re done. After all, it’s nicer to work on a clean desk or to be able to find a file when you need it.
The problem is that organized people, in particular, tend to be drawn to busywork. It makes you happy. You clean off that desk and feel a sense of accomplishment.
“Look what I just did! Doesn’t it look nice?”
Meanwhile, your story is languishing on your laptop.
What Studies Show About How Busywork Affects Productive Writing Time
In 2014, “Forbes” magazine published an article entitled, “Why Busywork Makes You Happy.” Author Jan Bruce wrote, “I’ve warned about the downside of staying busy for busy’s sake, of losing connection to your mission and feeling overwhelmed over ‘stuff’ that doesn’t deserve it.”
Bruce was reporting on a new study out of the University of California at Irvine in which researchers found that employees reported their highest levels of satisfaction while doing routine busywork, or “rote work.”
“I thought we were going to find that focused work makes people happiest,” said lead researcher Gloria Mark. “But people are happiest when they’re doing rote work, just mechanical kind of work. The question is, why aren’t they happy when they’re focused? I think it’s because when you’re focused, you’re also stressed.”
You know how it goes. When you’re writing, even though you may enjoy it, it requires focus and concentration, which we humans tend to perceive as somewhat stressful. Rote work or busywork, on the other hand, is typically effortless.
An earlier study found similar results. Researchers found that contrary to popular belief, we humans dread idleness (much as we may wish we had more time for it!). In two experiments, they found that busy people were happier than those who were idle and that this was true even when people were forced to be busy.
“Our research suggests that many purported goals that people pursue may be merely justifications to keep themselves busy,” the researchers wrote.
So What Does Busywork Have to Do with Productive Writing Time?
The other problem is that busywork typically provides a quick hit of dopamine when we finish it. You can clean the desk in 30 minutes, and then you get to enjoy all the good feelings that come from having accomplished that task.
Based on these results, we can see why—when given the choice—we often resort to busywork rather than using our time to write.
Writing is often hard. At the very least, it requires focus, which we now know can be stressful in a way. And the rewards are long in coming.
So we fool ourselves into thinking that we need to do the dishes or update our files when the truth is that 10 years from now, we’ll be much less concerned about these tasks than whether we got our books written.
Yet at the moment, it’s easy to put off the important stuff. “I’ll do it tomorrow,” you may say, fully believing that you will.
But we all know how that goes.
Why Organization Can Interfere with Your Productive Writing Time
If you’re an organized person, you probably hate to have things out of order. This makes it more likely that you will value busywork and its results.
After all, if you regularly choose to perform organization tasks rather than writing, you’re more likely to end up 10 years from now with an organized desk but your writing projects unfinished.
Researchers have found this to be true. In a 2013 study, they found that if participants were placed in an orderly room, they chose healthier snacks and donated more money than those placed in a disorderly room. Score one for organization.
But in a separate experiment, they also found participants placed in a disorderly room were more creative than participants in an orderly room.
This shows us that there is a time and a place for organization. You may love to have a perfectly organized desk and filing system, but be more passionate about finishing your novel. If that’s the case, you must learn to set aside your organizational tendencies to get your writing done.
Even if that means writing with papers scattered across the desk, dirty dishes in the sink, or dusty furniture.
How to Secure More Productive Writing Time
If you’re one of those writers who says, “I don’t have enough time to write!” consider that busywork and organization may be getting in your way.
This may be particularly true if you count yourself as a very “busy” person. Real productivity—in terms of getting the important stuff done—is about doing less, not more.
The key is to make sure the tasks you are spending your time on are valuable to achieving your primary goals in life.
I’m assuming that writing a book is one of your primary goals.
That means if you’re regularly filling your days with all sorts of tasks that have little to do with actually writing your book, you’re spending time on things that 10 years from now, probably won’t matter to you.
I suggest you end each day by writing down your three biggest priorities for the next day. Choose these priorities based on where you want to be in five years. If you want your next book out on the market by then, writing should be one of these top three on most days.
Then the trick is to follow through. When you’re tempted to organize or do busywork instead, ask yourself one question:
“What will matter more to me in five years—this task or my book?”
Then act accordingly. Remember that focused, concentrated work—such as you have to do on your story—will feel slightly stressful. Embrace the stress! You’ll be a lot happier five years from now if you do.
Do you find that being organized interferes with your productive writing time?
For more help in finding time to write, see Overwhelmed Writer Rescue.