How I learned to stop watching and love the blank page

By day I work at Coda and run our Sales and Customer Success team. By night…well, like most people, I end up watching a lot of Netflix. Especially these days. (Note: this was written during a global pandemic 😬).

I found myself the other day bemoaning how little I wrote creatively anymore — something I really enjoyed doing when I was younger. Instead of showing you some of my fiction, I could tell you about all the subplots in Killing Eve, or the wondrous whimsy of Fleabag (both penned by Phoebe Waller-Bridge — did you know that?). We’re in Peak TV, so there’s just oh so much content to watch.

The Parent Angle

Also, I’m a Dad. (Does one capitalize that? IDK TBH ← ugh, acronyms, the bane of good writing, and the product of our social media age.) My daughter is my real “hobby” (though I hesitate to use that word since, y’know.) That means that when I’m not working, I’m often procuring, preparing, or cleaning up from meals with her; reading to, playing with, or bathing her; or discussing various milestones, goals, tribulations associated with raising a human being in 2020. (Especially now, amirite?)

And the thing is, I want to have other hobbies. I don’t want to just be a Dad who works and parents — because passions, hobbies, creative outlets are what make a complete person, and I definitely want to model that behavior for my daughter. Doing so also helps me be a more complete person, so when I’m fulfilled I can be my whole self when I sit down to play legos with her, or put on a costume and invent a new game with her, instead of thinking about something else I could be doing — whether it’s work, or something for myself.

Enter the Coda doc

When I recently took stock in my habits, it occurred to me that there must be a way to goad myself into writing more, and doing less fulfilling activities like watching TV. And that’s where Coda came in. I took a cue from Nathan’s Time Tracker template, and customized it for myself. And now, whenever I am sitting down to binge the latest hit, I clock in to my little “Write vs. Watch” tracker, which keeps me honest as to which activity I’m doing more of.

Doc Organization

It’s a simple doc. Pick two things you do a lot of, one of which you want to do more than the other, and write them in the Category table here. You can add additional things you want to track, if you’re that into the quantified self. For me, this is as OCD as it gets.

The reason I wanted the doc to be this simple was to ensure that it actually got used. I knew myself — if I had opted for a bunch of categories and different things to track, I’d end up abandoning the thing after a few weeks. Instead, just clocking in and out for only two activities ensure I’ll stay fairly focused on utilizing the doc.

Once you’ve decided on your categories, pick your Time Zone. (you can add others if you’re not in the US in the Time Zones table.)

Then use the doc!

• Click the button for the requisite activity when you’re doing it, in this section. On your phone, you can swipe left to click the button — just like a “real” app.
• Add entries manually when you invariably forget that you just binged the entire “Watchmen” series in the Timesheet section (Start Time and End Time columns).

Check out your progress in the Reporting section. A canvas conditional formula will congratulate or chide you, depending on your habits.

The Results

And how has the doc been working? Well, in my own version, I’ve this year logged over 20 hours writing, and only 17 watching. (And if I had added ‘Reading’ as a category, that would be the leader of the bunch.)

I hope this doc is helpful! Make it your own, here.