There is a fantastic moment in Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man film from 2002.
Peter Parker has just woken up and is clearly exhausted. Aunt May looks at him and says,
“You do too much. College, a job, all this time with me… You’re not Superman, you know.”
This is the scene here:
As a writing coach, I often think of that line from Aunt May when working with authors who come to me overwhelmed with life, but hoping to still be able to write a book.
They tell me about the demands of their jobs, the responsibilities their families place on them, the pressure they’re under to build an author platform and participant nearly constantly in social media. They have hobbies they can’t live without, sports teams they are a part of, and diet programs they’re attempting to implement. Groceries need to be bought and meals need to be made. And, hey, that laundry isn’t going to do itself.
With all of these demands filling their schedule and sucking-up their energy, they come to me and ask, “How can I do all this AND write a book?”
Most of the time my answer is, “You probably can’t.”
“You’re not Superman, you know.”
I wish there was a secret button you could press and suddenly accomplish everything you want to in life, but there’s no secret productivity button.
Accomplishing anything usually means saying “no” to a lot of other things.
This applies to the apparent “supermen” out there just as much as it applies to you and me.
Superstar Olympic athlete Michael Phelps spends six hours a day, six days a week, swimming. Think of how many things Phelps has had to turn his back on to be able to dedicate that amount of time to being in the pool.
Sacrifice
In the world of writing instruction (not to mention general success advice), experts often talk about the importance of consistency. I’m no different. I absolutely believe developing a regular writing habit will be a huge part of your writing success.
But in addition to consistency, there’s another trait aspiring authors don’t hear about nearly as often because no one wants to acknowledge it. It’s not fun. It’s not sexy. It’s not easy. It doesn’t sell courses, books, and coaching programs. But the simple fact of the matter is success requires sacrifice.
To do something as time-intensive and physically, emotionally, and intellectually demanding as write a novel or a book, you’re going to have to make sacrifices along the way. You’re going to have to say no to some of the things currently filling up your schedule and requiring your energy and focus, so that you can free up time and energy to write.
The World is Speeding Up
If you have vast windows of time each day where you can get your writing done at your choosing, that’s fantastic! Unfortunately, it’s not the situation most people find themselves in.
These are busy times. The world is speeding up faster and faster. The promises of increased productivity that were supposed to accompany advancing technology haven’t arrived. The internet, social media, and smartphones have made us busier, more stressed, and increasingly distracted – not less so.
We love to think of ourselves as great multitaskers, but the truth is human beings are extremely poor at dividing our attention between multiple tasks. (For more on the science behind this, check out Cal Newport’s exceptional book, Deep Work.)
If you want to write a book, it needs to be a priority in your life. You need to let other things fall away. This process can be painful. It can be difficult, but it’s necessary.
You can’t do everything, so pick the things that matter to you, and give them the focus, energy, and dedication they require and deserve.
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