How to write like Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, Outer Order, Inner Calm, and other bestsellers
Whenever an author I really respect comes out with a new book, I like to grab them for a few minutes to ask them about their writing process. The other day, while I was “procrasti-clearing,” I remembered that I had not yet posted this fantastic interview with Gretchen Rubin, one of my favorites — and that’s because what I had just done is a main topic in her recent, awesome book Outer Order, Inner Calm.
Gretchen has written a number of fantastic books, like The Happiness Project and The Four Tendencies, and sold over 3.5 million copies of them. I’ve long admired the thought and effort she puts into her work. For anyone who has a complicated life, her new book Outer Order, Inner Calm is a godsend. And for anyone who wants to organize their own writing process a little better, the following peek inside her process may be just as useful!
Without further ado, here’s how Gretchen Rubin writes:
What’s your process for putting together a big writing project like Outer Order, Inner Calm?
Two elements came together for writing this book. First, ever since I wrote The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, I’ve been intrigued by the disproportionate (seemingly) energy and cheer that people get from creating outer order. Over and over people have told me things like, “I finally cleared off my desk, and now I can finish my Ph.D. thesis!” And I’ve felt that way myself. I wanted to focus on outer order — why it matters, and how to get it.
Second, I’ve always admired the structure of Michael Pollan’s book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. I love its quick, humorous, incisive presentation of ideas in a very accessible format.
I decided to use Pollan’s structure to tackle the subject of outer order. Of course, as always happens, once I got into the writing, I adapted the structure to suit my own material, but that was how I got started.
Because I’ve been thinking about the idea that “Outer order contributes to inner calm” for such a long time, I had a huge amount of material and ideas to draw from. So the challenge was to distill that material down to what was most helpful or surprising.
My big realization — the one that drives Outer Order Inner Calm — is that despite what many experts claim, there’s no one “right” way to clear clutter. Some people are minimalists; some love abundance. Some people want to take ten minutes each day for a month to clear; some want to do an all-day marathon purge. Some people feel a deep emotional attachment to possessions, others don’t care much. When we create outer order in the way that’s right for us, it’s much easier to maintain it.
How did you use any principles from the book itself during the process of working on it?
GR: Absolutely I used these principles! For instance, I knew to beware of procrasti-clearing — this is a very common problem with writers, including me.
Every evening, I do a quick clearing of my office. This helps me signal to my brain that “work time is over” and also makes it easier to resume work in the morning.
Periodically, I also do a deep clearing of my office — my top shelves, my filing cabinet, my email inbox. Like many people, I find that the process of weeding out and creating space makes me feel like I have more room in my head, as well as on my shelves.
I also have to fight my urge to stockpile, which for me contributes to deep clutter. For instance, in cleaning out my office, I found that I’d collected more than twenty three-ring binders. Someone would give me some document in a binder, and when I was done with it, I’d think, “Well, I’ll toss the documents but the binder is still good.” Also binder clips. I had dozens! It felt great to donate those useful office supplies to someone who could actually make use of them.
I have to make sure that I’m not furnishing a fantasy — that is, holding on to objects that serve an imaginary version of me. Do I really need that giant wok? Nope.
Of course, I followed the one-minute rule: Do any task that can be finished in less than one minute, without delay. Hang up a coat, read a letter and toss it, put a document in a file, throw away a pen that doesn’t work, put the toothpaste back in the medicine cabinet and close the door. Because the tasks are done so quickly, it isn’t too hard to follow this rule, and it’s amazing how much can get done, in one-minute increments.
Because I’ve been thinking so much about outer order and inner calm, over the past year or so I’ve definitely done a lot more general clutter-clearing than I usually do. I’ve been relentless. The book is written to be a kind of “psych-up” book, to get people to jump up from their seats and get started. I felt that way myself, writing it!
What rituals, if any, do you have as a writer?
GR: I have some rituals of completion, which are so satisfying.
I tend to save drafts along the way, and I love the ritual of dumping a huge pile into recycling when I know that those papers will never be necessary.
I usually have many reminders on my bulletin board, and I love the moment when I can take them all down.
I also enjoy crossing items off the calendar as I move through my book tour — and then throwing the packet into the recycling. The material still on my digital calendar, but I do use paper as well for a tour, it’s just easier to scan for information.
I sit down to write first thing every morning, and I write every single day.
What’s your writing toolkit?
GR: My computers, of course, both desktop and laptop. I constantly add to my “To Read” list, because reading is always my best source of ideas and information. I take notes constantly when I read, so I need pens and sticky-notes.
Where do you go for inspiration?
GR: For me, reading and books are the best inspiration. I often go to the New York Society Library, a small library a block from my apartment. I’ll take my laptop and work at a desk that’s hidden amid the stacks, and when I need a break, I’ll wander around and choose books to take home.
Since grade school, working in a library helps me to focus, stay productive, and get ideas.
I also get lots of ideas and insights from talking to people — whether in real life, by email, or on social media. Many times, for instance, Elizabeth and I have talked about an issue on my Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, and a listener emails back with a comment that sets my mind buzzing.
Who is your favorite writer, and why?
GR: Gosh, I can’t pick just one! I passionately love hundreds of writers, of all different kinds.
What’s your favorite thing you’ve ever read in your life?
GR: Again, I have so many favorites that I simply can’t pick one. How many times have I read C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Or Virginia Woolf’s A Writer’s Diary? Or George Orwell’s essay “Reflections on Gandhi?” No idea.
I love to read, and one thing I try to do in my work is to remind people how much they love to read. Many people want the habit of reading more, so I write a lot about that issue, and I also try to highlight my own love of reading.
For instance, each week on Facebook, I post a #GretchenRubinReads photo, with all the books I’ve finished reading that week. (I put down a book if I don’t feel like finishing it, so if you see the book in the photo, you know that I liked it well enough to read to the last page.) I get a great response from people who say this reminds them to grab a book themselves.
What’s your best piece of advice for writers?
GR: Have something to say! This sounds obvious, but it’s a lot easier to write when you’re trying to tell a story, explain an idea, convey an impression, give a review, or whatever you might tackle. I find that when I have trouble writing, the best fix is to forget about the writing and focus on what I want to communicate.
For example, I remember flailing desperately as I tried to write my college and law-school application essays. It was horrible — until in both cases I realized I had something I really wanted to say. Then the writing came easily, and those two essays are among my favorites of things I’ve ever written.
You might think, “Well, why would someone be writing at all, without something to say?” but in my experience, this issue is more common that you’d expect.
