The Art of Strategic Surrender
Letting Go of Perfect Plans for Real Progress
I’ve been stuck deciding what to write about this week. I wanted to write about GenAi things and creativity, but I’m saving that for the ‘coming soon’ publication Your Creative Edge.
Thinking of that, as usual, I’m finding it difficult to devote time to research for each post. Honestly, with the amount of work involved, I think I’m being over-optimistic in planning for a bi-weekly newsletter. I suppose that will become clear as I get into it more. With nothing published yet, I have time to rethink the schedule.
I want to shout out to a relatively new Substack AI Writers’ Room by Fred Graver, with sixteen posts to date, many on January 3, 2025. I’m hopeful that our publications can complement each other. Time will tell, I guess.
Procrastination Kills
I’m a champion procrastinator; anything that can be put off will invariably be planned for another day or an even later week. But no longer, or at least I’ll try my best.
I wrote about this before, but there’s no harm in repeating myself once in a while. In short, I’ve been trying to time-block fixed writing time in my calendar for most of 2024. Now, while I occasionally managed to fulfill all tasks planned for the week, certain (many?) tasks were rescheduled. Only to fail again the following week.
This year started in the same vein until this week, when I decided to figure out what was going wrong and why. I think I’ve finally figured it out.
I had thought that breaking down each little task into its individual time slot was the most efficient way to work. But all I achieved was a calendar chock full of dozens of mini-tasks; it looked, and was, overwhelming. Every time I sat at my desk, I was reminded of everything I had planned but not touched. These were promptly moved to the following week. For me, It’s better to have larger, simpler time blocks and then use these blocks to work through my Notion task lists. Same work, but it somehow feels easier.
I think I’ve figured out another reason why I failed more than I succeeded last year: I never considered real-life responsibilities such as family gatherings or going to the gym. I was blind to them, preferring to bury my head in the sand, safe in my comfort zone; it’s time for a change.
The ‘Book’
It’s nearly midnight, and, at my age, I should be sound asleep. But sleep isn’t coming; my lack of progress on my book niggles at me. It’s like I’m not taking it seriously, or maybe I don’t care enough. The problem is that it’s always in the back of my mind, not at the forefront, where it should be.
If I want to be a writer, I have to write. It’s that simple. Sure, I read a lot, which is a prerequisite to writing well, but that doesn’t excuse me from not writing the book, does it?
All is not lost, though. How can I better flesh out all the tasks an independent author must master? Where can I ethically use the various AI tools to the best effect? So, what goes into writing and publishing a book, be that fiction, nonfiction, or memoir? It isn’t as simple as just sitting down and writing, although that’s a large part of it.
As far as I can tell, there are two main areas: writing and editing, which are hard but fun. When the work is as good as possible, independents handle formatting, publishing, and marketing. (For many, this is the hardest part.) I know that AI can help in all stages, from ideation through marketing. My job is to figure it out (and write the book, of course).
Self-discipline Rules
A good plan, or even a great one, is useless wishful thinking without the self-discipline to support it. If we want to achieve anything in this life, taking the easy road is almost always not the route to success.
It has been and will continue to be a difficult path I’ve chosen. Working a day job, supporting the family, and a myriad of other tasks and responsibilities sap my energy. I’ve no doubt that my age has much to do with it, which is frustrating. In my mind, I’m still thirty-five; my body insists on reminding me that it was almost thirty years ago. Time flies when you’re having fun, or so they say.
I can fill my calendar with time blocks; it looks pretty, but it is totally unrealistic. To stand any chance of meeting my goals, I have to cut things down or eliminate them entirely. If I don’t, no amount of self-discipline will help. Energy, and especially creative energy, is a limited supply. It must be applied strategically and with discipline.
Final Thoughts
The beginning of 2025 is a transformative time for me, as it is for many. Though December 31 of one year looks much the same as January 1 of the following year, in our minds, we always approach the new year with a relatively clean slate, or at least we try to.
But letting go of bad habits and replacing them with good or better ones can be difficult. It’s not impossible, but it’s harder than we expected when we woke up on the first day of the year. As we rapidly approach the fourth week of 2025, I’ve finally found the motivation and energy to tackle the new year head-on.
Over the last week or two, I have realized that I must be flexible and critical in my approach. We must be brutal sometimes and change our approach to the point of dropping entire goals, but we must also keep within the bounds of practicalities. To quote Stephen King, “Kill Your Darlings,” this applies to more than just the writing process.
Until next week, stay real, but always push your boundaries. Just not too much.