Protect Your ‘Thinking Time’ if You Want to Stay Productive

You won’t die if you do nothing for a brief time

In a recent podcast interview with BBC, award-winning novelist Ann Patchett (The Dutch House, Bel Canto) talked about needing to set aside specific time for thinking:

“It used to be that a novel lived very nicely in my head as a constant companion… As time goes on and I now have this other thing which is my career, and all the things that people want me to do, that is very distracting to day dreaming and working in your head.”

I can relate to this.

When I started my blog in 2015, I was doing all sorts of work: blogging, writing a book, creating online courses, recording podcasts, even putting out a few YouTube videos.

But over time, I began to return to what I really want to do most: Writing.

I’ve found that “creative block” or “writer’s block” is not real. If you’re stuck with a blank page and don’t know what to write, it’s likely because you haven’t done the work; research, reading, and the like.