For what it’s worth — I think your writing has a very James Clear-esque quality to it; reading this blog has made me a better writer myself, so do keep crushing it
Yeah that struck me too. It was hard to look past that very big inequity in time that someone can spend on a skill and the reality of the audience (me, a mom of a toddler, tech PM in Canada). It was a bit alienating to be frank.
The author is amazing and has achieved remarkable things, but if you’re truly writing for an audience, maybe just maybe, workshop some of these ideas with a few audience members as well?
Maybe you didn’t intend for this to come off as advice and it’s not, but it’s also suggesting that to get better at a skill, you’re to give 3 hours of it daily, a luxury many of us don’t have so feel defeated at the outset.
Ugh, that is super tiring and frustrating — it sounds like you’re in a hard time right now. And of course 3hrs a day isn’t a prescription, it’s just what I do! I’m in no position to give advice about balancing tiny kids and personal growth, and there’s no consistent set of advice on it. But in case it’s comforting, there are stories about busy moms with jobs getting their daily practice on orthogonal skills in — JK Rowling was a single mom in Scotland who would write Harry Potter every day in snatched moments when the kids were asleep. She put in the work in a way that suited her — 15 minute increments whenever she got a breather. (I disagree with her views on politics and women, this is outside that.)
In contrast, in the Julia Child autobiography, she talks about how she falls in love with cooking because she is depressed and needs a way to fill her life. She was bored and empty.
I think it’s about finding something that works for you given your time, emotional bandwidth, talent level, and desired task. We are all different — you may be able to practise your chosen skill in a way that’s deeply integrated into your life. But in my very specific case, with writing, the more time I spend, the better I get.
For what it's worth, I really like your writing and this piece in particular spoke to me. <3
‘I worked like I didn’t have talent’ - Kobe
For what it’s worth — I think your writing has a very James Clear-esque quality to it; reading this blog has made me a better writer myself, so do keep crushing it
I honestly think you write really well. Keep it up!
"Natural talent is a real thing, and some people just have it. I just can’t let my lack of it be a barrier."
Love this. Keep going, we'll be reading 💪
❤️❤️ that made my day, thank you Laura!
“sit down every single morning and write for three hours regardless of its quality” 🤯
Yeah that struck me too. It was hard to look past that very big inequity in time that someone can spend on a skill and the reality of the audience (me, a mom of a toddler, tech PM in Canada). It was a bit alienating to be frank.
The author is amazing and has achieved remarkable things, but if you’re truly writing for an audience, maybe just maybe, workshop some of these ideas with a few audience members as well?
Maybe you didn’t intend for this to come off as advice and it’s not, but it’s also suggesting that to get better at a skill, you’re to give 3 hours of it daily, a luxury many of us don’t have so feel defeated at the outset.
Signed,
Sour graped tired tech PM.
Ugh, that is super tiring and frustrating — it sounds like you’re in a hard time right now. And of course 3hrs a day isn’t a prescription, it’s just what I do! I’m in no position to give advice about balancing tiny kids and personal growth, and there’s no consistent set of advice on it. But in case it’s comforting, there are stories about busy moms with jobs getting their daily practice on orthogonal skills in — JK Rowling was a single mom in Scotland who would write Harry Potter every day in snatched moments when the kids were asleep. She put in the work in a way that suited her — 15 minute increments whenever she got a breather. (I disagree with her views on politics and women, this is outside that.)
In contrast, in the Julia Child autobiography, she talks about how she falls in love with cooking because she is depressed and needs a way to fill her life. She was bored and empty.
I think it’s about finding something that works for you given your time, emotional bandwidth, talent level, and desired task. We are all different — you may be able to practise your chosen skill in a way that’s deeply integrated into your life. But in my very specific case, with writing, the more time I spend, the better I get.