In Others' Words

I love Merlin Mann. It's true. You should learn all you can about him. It would do you good. He talks about creativity, productivity, and ineffective ways to try to achieve both.

Anytime you take two things that you never knew were connected before and you find a connection... you're creative. Give yourself a chance to be really excited about it then work your ass off and you'll be really happy about it. --Merlin Mann

You could watch the whole video here. He is at Macworld, talking about how to be creative, productive, and efficient using Macintosh/Apple products, but it can be applied to the wider world of creation, which is what we talk about.

I've been learning about my own passions and enthusiasms and learning that the more I let my frustrations pile up, the more inefficient I become. My cleanliness tends to be a reflection of my psyche. I'm cleaning up my room in between paragraphs as we speak. FINALLY. Oh, it feels good. I will soon be able to write in my very own room. I'll be able to sleep in pajamas, maybe, instead whatever clothes I'm wearing when I finally crash into my bed at the end of the day. I will come into my room and breathe to relax, not just get out as quickly as I can.

It helps do that with writing, too. Sometimes, I let my words just pile up without saying anything. I just feel like laying a word there or flinging a sentence over there. But going back to edit, although time consuming and a bit frustrating at first, is cleansing and great. After cleaning up, I can look at what I've written and breathe a little bit easier because each word serves its own purpose.