Hi Friends,
So this is the not newsletter I wrote this morning before everyone got up. Thatās in my drafts and is about how we werenāt going to publish books in the fall because of the election and now weāre moving lots of book into those slots because of, you know, a global pandemic. Fun! I have some things to say about how no one in publishing has a crystal ball and how, later, down the line, if you feel anxious about whatever pub date a publisher may give you, try to relax because thereās no perfect pub date and in the end ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ can happen. Itās my usualy blend of optimisim with a touch of nihilism, and I think it could be helpful for some people to read.
But I canāt get it out on the page in a way that makes sense. I could just send it and let you read it and youād shrug and delete it and move on to the rest of your email. Thatās fine. Not every newsletter can be a banger. But I just know reading it that the transitions are jarring and it might not quite say the thing I want it to say, so itās going to sit in the drafts folder until I can concentrate on it more. Maybe Thursday, or maybe not. Maybe the timeliness of it will fad and Iāll forget about. Maybe tht paragraph up there is enough.
Itās not wonder I canāt concentrate. Iām trying to work 8 hours in 3 or 4 and parent a toddler when Iām not working. Thereās no downtime. Thereās no time Iām āoff.ā Iām giving myself ALL kinds of grace about this, but the thing is, I WANT to work. I WANT to focus and concentrate and write cogent arguments and do my job with a clear (enough) head. When I canāt concentrate, at least in the Before Times, this is what I would do:
Make a list or outline.
If itās just a bunch of stuff I need to do but canāt stay on task, I make a list and just do them one by one. Maybe not in order, but I try to just do the things on the list and avoid the things NOT on the list (like Twitter, Instagram, Words with Friends). If Iām writing, I make an outline, even if very brief and basic, so I can see how the ideas build upon each other and can at least get a draft to edit later.
Turn on white noise or something.
I am a big fan of very, very bad āspaā type music. Woo woo ocean sounds and ambient music and things you would hear while getting a massage or at the nail salon. (My local place in Park Slope plays the most bonkers piano coversāāMy Heart Will Go On!!!!ā and I love it.) (Sigh, I miss them and manicures.) I use this app called Relax Melodies where you can layer sounds to create your precfect white noise. Crickets + waterfall + rain on a tent = bliss
Set a timer.
Listen, I didnāt say these were revolutionary ideas. Maybe you already do the Pomodoro method. Maybe youāve never heard of it. But I bet (espeically if youāre a parent) youāve use your phoneās timer ALLLLLLLL the time. Use it on yourself. 15 minutes of email, and then you can go back to staring off into space.
This is enough. Weāre sick of lists, I know. But I hope this helps a little and is maybe just a reminder of the stuff you already know that you canāt access in your cloudy, worried brain, and that it helps just a tiny, little bit. We need all the help we can get.
If youāre enjoying this newsletter, then you should check outĀ The Daily Good, a daily newsletter with recommendations for being kinder to yourself and the planet.
OXOXOX,
Kate
Pomodoro is an awesome technique. I've been leading daily morning writing sessions over Zoom with other writer friends using a similar concept, although we do 50-minute sprints rather than 20-25 minute work sessions. Pretty sure it's the only thing keeping most of us sane right now. Hope you're able to get some good work done in between all the craziness!
Perfect timing! Staying on task has proved elusive in these New Times we are in. Actually typing New Times reminds me of the novel I'm revising, set in Germany in 1936, a time when a fascist Europe was about to become a New Time--and already was for some people. OK, I see a path to getting back to revising...thanks, Kate! I will create my own white noise too--big thanks for that!