3 posts tagged “discipline”

I'm not sure what good it does to figure out the secrets of writing. I can't seem to make use of them.

Ritual, I discovered long ago, is one of the secrets of writing. Routine. Rhythm. Getting up at the same time each day, putting in a few hours before starting the rest of the day, getting to bed on time, and then getting up and doing it again. And again. And again. Habituate a practice, and it happens.

Even within the writing session, rituals help. Cue music. Fill water glass. Brew coffee. Close door. Shut down email and web browser. Open research log to see where I've been, where I'm going. Then . . . begin.  Draft or sketch notes for 20-30 minutes, whatever else I do, and always end a session by recording what I need to do next.

There was a time when my writing ritual even included a raunchy leather hat from Fetla's.

Problem is, I have a hard time maintaining rituals. And when once my routine gets disrupted, it's hard to return to form. It sometimes takes weeks. I traveled to Amarillo and Reno, NV this past month and all routines fell apart. Lately, maintaining any kind of routine seems particularly hard, maybe because of the general chaos that my personal and work lives are in.

In any case, the challenge isn't the book project itself, but maintaining the habits, the form, that will carve out the time in which the book can finally unfold. So today, I'm starting all over again. Again. Sigh. But despite my apostasy, the routine welcomes me back, nonetheless. I am comforted.

 . . . . . . . .

To help think about ritual, I went to Flickr, searched on the word Ritual, and took a fascinating tour of others' rituals.  Here's just one, by 3amfromkyoto's photostream:

Ritual

I've been glancing over this blog, trying to figure it out. I think it has an identity crisis. It's random.

Now that my research and writing is back on, I've been wondering what role this blog can play. I think from here on out I'll use it exclusively to support the completion of my scholarly manuscript. That's my story for the next year, and I'm sticking to it.

So I hereby renew a few vows.

• I'm back to getting up early, writing first thing (after running).

• I'm also cutting out distractions. Eventually, I want a life full of all kinds of interesting goodies: travel, parties, kids, work, the outdoors, the arts, reading, cooking, community service, politics. But for now, I'm stripping it down. I'll still have some of all of these things, but less - UNTIL THE BOOK IS OUT. I want to stay out late and get a little wild. But instead, I go home at 11, so I can get up early and get back to work.  I want to start tutoring math at a local middle school. But instead, I reserve as much possible free time for cranking out the final leg of research and revision. I want to volunteer for the Obama campaign. But I will let the other many willing Austinites take on that role. Once the book is out, all bets are off. For now, I gotta drive this baby home.
  

• And I'm recommitting to what this blog can do: give me a sense of public identity to support the very solitary work of research and writing as an independent scholar.
  

So, buckle up. Here we go.

The word "willpower" is so much more appealing than the word "discipline."  The heroic pioneers had "willpower," we like to think, while the prudish Puritans had "discipline."

This NY Times article about "willpower" (we'll call it that) confirms four truths we all probably know. These are the facts of writing, running, maintaining our bodies. But it's still satisfying to see them confirmed by research.

1. If you exercise discipline in one area of your life, you'll probably backslide in another. Willpower is limited.
   
2. A range of other factors can also "deplete" willpower reserves: "resisting food or drink, suppressing emotional responses, restraining aggressive or sexual impulses, taking exams and trying to impress someone" as well as stress and tiredness. (Mm. So the ascetic life is not productive to the best writing. Whew!)
   
3. Willpower is like a muscle; it can be strengthened with use and practice.
   
4. For example, regular exercise can increase willpower in other areas of your life. (I KNEW running and writing went together!)
   
5. Blood sugar affects will power.  We all know that in the end, the M&Ms lead to a brain crash, but note how sensitive willpower is to depleted blood sugar levels:
   

"Most cognitive functions are unaffected by minor blood sugar fluctuations over the course of a day, but planning and self-control are sensitive to such small changes. Exerting self-control lowers blood sugar, which reduces the capacity for further self-control. People who drink a glass of lemonade between completing one task requiring self-control and beginning a second one perform equally well on both tasks, while people who drink sugarless diet lemonade make more errors on the second task than on the first. Foods that persistently elevate blood sugar, like those containing protein or complex carbohydrates, might enhance willpower for longer periods" (emphasis mine). 

(So, food-wise, what's good for running is good for writing. Excellent.)

But what I want to know is, how does COFFEE affect will power? Really.