If you're doing AW and you're at week four, you'll know about the 'reading deprivation' task. I'm still reading from the 1990s version of this book and I wonder if it's been updated for newer audiences, since a more relevant take on this today is probably 'social media deprivation' which is how I'll be doing that this coming week.
Since I'm completing each chapter over two weeks instead of one, I decided to use the second week to try this out. I know at least one of you is at the end of your 'deprivation' week and I'm looking forward to hearing about how it's going.
It's interesting that at about this time of pulling back attention from the noise, I've settled on a new book called Deep Work, by Cal Newport. All about focus I'm told. I'll how it goes. I'm curious at how the further I get into this exploration of my creative landscape, the louder the question gets: who am I? Creatively, in the world, who am I? Maybe this week, away from the social media shoutscape of who everyone else is, I might figure it out.
Neil Gaiman, he of sexy voice and literary enchantment said this in a podcast interview with Tim Ferris and I thought of it a lot this week:
“I would go down to my lovely little gazebo, sit down, and I’m absolutely allowed not to do anything. I’m allowed to sit at my desk, I’m allowed to stare out at the world, I’m allowed to do anything I like. As long as it isn’t anything.
I’m not allowed to do a crossword, read a book, phone a friend…all I’m allowed to do is absolutely nothing, or write.
But writing is actually more interesting than doing nothing after a while. You’ve been staring out the window now for about 5 minutes, and it kind of loses its charm. And you’re going ‘Well actually, might as well write something.’
If you're doing AW and you're at week four, you'll know about the 'reading deprivation' task. I'm still reading from the 1990s version of this book and I wonder if it's been updated for newer audiences, since a more relevant take on this today is probably 'social media deprivation' which is how I'll be doing that this coming week.
Since I'm completing each chapter over two weeks instead of one, I decided to use the second week to try this out. I know at least one of you is at the end of your 'deprivation' week and I'm looking forward to hearing about how it's going.
It's interesting that at about this time of pulling back attention from the noise, I've settled on a new book called Deep Work, by Cal Newport. All about focus I'm told. I'll how it goes. I'm curious at how the further I get into this exploration of my creative landscape, the louder the question gets: who am I? Creatively, in the world, who am I? Maybe this week, away from the social media shoutscape of who everyone else is, I might figure it out.
And another thing!
Neil Gaiman, he of sexy voice and literary enchantment said this in a podcast interview with Tim Ferris and I thought of it a lot this week:
“I would go down to my lovely little gazebo, sit down, and I’m absolutely allowed not to do anything. I’m allowed to sit at my desk, I’m allowed to stare out at the world, I’m allowed to do anything I like. As long as it isn’t anything.
I’m not allowed to do a crossword, read a book, phone a friend…all I’m allowed to do is absolutely nothing, or write.
But writing is actually more interesting than doing nothing after a while. You’ve been staring out the window now for about 5 minutes, and it kind of loses its charm. And you’re going ‘Well actually, might as well write something.’
That was always — and still is…my biggest rule.”