How Writing One Song Can Make You More Productive

A renaissance man of music pens one of the year’s best productivity guides.

Jeff Tweedy has written a lot of songs as well as a few books. He runs a successful business that has branched off into many sidebars. The name of his business is Wilco. Oh, yea they also happen to be a rock and roll band with a large following rooted deeply in the midwest. Tweedy’s life is fraught with addiction, depression but most of all success on many levels. Now, he is essentially running a decent size, high profile family business that his two sons and wife readily participate in. I do not know the financial arrangements of any of their positions. I do know he is extremely productive and the organization has come out with numerous product lines that are very in tune with his audience- Wilco fans. A tribe built on consistent quality production of all things creative.

Tweedy has successfully navigated the world of rock stardom with only a few missteps and an occasional hospital visit. Currently, he seems rooted in his home life and remains extremely prolific. Tweedy continues to write songs, maintains a social media presence, produces records with his kids, is an author of numerous books, and even ran a successful touring event last year with his band, Wilco, in Mexico.

He now sends into the world his ultimate productivity guide, “How to Write One Song.” The short how-to guide offers a template of advice with actionable steps on how to write a song.

However, its real value is in translating his process to your own life regardless of your creative pursuit.

Tweedy begins with the premise of writing one song. And goes about a meticulous process of writing that song from word exercises to short walks. It's all here. Whether you are looking to write a song, a book, or any other creative enterprise, Tweedy offers some sound advice for being more productive. Here are the productivity tips gleaned from his “How-To” book.

Just One Song

Like the solid advice offered in Anne Lamont’s legendary book for writers, Bird By Bird, Tweedy offers similar advice. As Lamont says, start with one bird. Tweedy suggests starting with one song and then like a good shampoo, that he never uses, rinse and repeat.

Start

Tweedy says the hardest part is the first part- starting. He suggests that waiting for “inspiration is overrated.” His productivity cue is a process by which he checks his ego and begins his work ego-free.

“Your ego wants to conceal your insecurity and your fear. And that’s why it’s an unwelcome intrusion.”

Inspiration comes from the effort and it finds its way into the process. Trust it and welcome it. “Inspiration has to be invited” it just doesn’t show up unannounced.

On Procrastination

Tweedy handles each of the classic procrastination obstacles one at a time. To the “Don’t have enough time” argument he suggests one less game of Candy Crush since five minutes is all it can take to get going. To the “I’m not any good” excuse he suggests shying away from judgment on such issues. And as Seth Godin says “Talent is a skill”. Tweedy wholeheartedly agrees. Practice does make one better.

Create Habits

Few productivity gurus will argue with this point. Creating is hard work, though it shouldn’t be a struggle. Working hard is a noble pursuit. Working hard on the right things is what is important. Developing the habits that instinctively have you working on your craft leads to the most constructive work.

Regular Practice

It seems like Tweedy and Seth Godin were sharing the same Google doc as they wrote their most recent books. Godin’s The Practice shows up in chapter five of Tweedy’s book as vital to the process. Tweedy shares his ideal workday in great detail to express the regular habits he has to succeed and continually produce art in a wide variety of formats.

The best day to do your creative work is every day.

Goals Don’t Supersede the Process

Here’s where Tweedy shines the most as a productivity expert. He suggests end goals, like finishing an album or a major project, as a worthy pursuit; however, it's the process that should the goal. Each day achieving three steps or routines towards your creation is the real goal. The rest, the end product, will take care of itself. Most self-help realists will tell you, you’re likely to fail in many endeavors. Tweedy doesn't even look at it as failure. In fact, you haven’t failed if you followed the process. If the outcome is not what was desired then the focus should have been on the making of the cake not the eating of it.

I still need to write my first song. However, today I got into the habit of it.