procrastination

Jun. 26, 2011

Leonardo, procrastinator

Leonardo da Vinci’s epic procrastination and the practical use of procrastination as a sign that your work (rather than yourself) may be dull.

Tags:   · · ·

Jun. 10, 2011

Think Quantity

Looking over the numbers of prolific artists and innovators reinforces the basic rule: Creativity is a function of the quantity of work produced.

Tags:   · · ·

Apr. 20, 2011

Why do writers like working in coffee shops?

Why would a bustling Starbucks be conducive to writing? It may be an antidote to procrastination.

Tags:   · · ·

Oct. 8, 2010

The Cure for Procrastination

Merlin Mann’s advice: first, care.

Tags:   · ·

Oct. 4, 2010

Procrastination and the Divided Self

A theory of procrastination: “… the person who makes plans and the person who fails to carry them out are not really the same person: they’re different parts of what the game theorist Thomas Schelling called ‘the divided self.’ Schelling proposes that we think of ourselves not as unified selves but as different beings, jostling, contending, [...]

Tags:   · ·

Aug. 2, 2010

The Sawyer Effect

Tom Sawyer and the power of intrinsic motivation.

Tags:   · · · ·

Apr. 28, 2010

The Price of Procrastination

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” — William James

Tags:   · · ·

Sep. 21, 2009

A cabin made of hours

“Like so many of the key skills of the writer’s life, the solution [to being distracted by the Internet] comes down to (groan) self-discipline. I came back resolved to break my habit of checking email and the Web (even to handle essential, chore-like tasks) whenever the urge strikes. I’ve converted to the ‘no email before [...]

Tags:   ·

Jul. 1, 2009

Capote and Ellison: Blocked or just procrastinating?

What happened to two famous writers who fell silent?

Tags:   · · ·