My desk faces this blank wall because #YOLO
Work when you are working. Don’t work when you’re not working.
My apartment has a pretty sweet view. I try not to look at it while I’m working.
I used to work with a sweet view, like when I had this view.
But I don’t do that anymore. Instead, I face a blank wall.
I once realized that productivity is about mind management, not time management. When I was writing my book, it was 12 hours of banging my head against the wall, just to get 15 minutes of flow — writing that came easily.
Since then, I’ve paid close attention to what conditions best get me into that state of flow.
First thing in the morning, while I’m still groggy, with earplugs in my ears, facing a blank wall, is when I do my best writing. I bang out a 500-word Medium article within the first hour of my morning.
Facing a blank wall for 8 hours a day sounds pretty dull, right? Well, I don’t do that, either. I usually face that wall about 3–4 hours a day. In the afternoon, I go to a cafe, often to read, research podcast guests, or brainstorm the trajectory of an interview in my notebook. I usually don’t bring my computer.
In the afternoon, when my brain is sharp, in a bustling cafe, the Tycho Pandora station in my ears, is when I do my best high-level brainstorming.
The goal is to do the right kind of work at the right time in the right setting with the right tool.
- Energy cycles dictate the best time of day to do certain types of work. People with damaged prefrontal cortices have been shown to solve insight problems more readily. Thus, my groggy mornings are best for creative work.
- The setting of my work can be used as a tool to get my brain in the right state. My discipline is non-existent in the morning, so I have a strict routine, and not being tempted to gaze out a window helps me work.
- The tool with which I work helps my brain focus at the right level. In a notebook, there are no temptations, only my thoughts. Researching on an iPad, it’s harder for my brain to rationalize that it will check Facebook for “just a second.” I even do my more nebulous writing on a keyboard with a shitty LCD screen, so there are no distractions.
You Only Live Once, so why dilute it trying to be two places at the same time? When I’m working, I create the conditions for that kind of work. When I’m not working, I’m not working. I feel sorry for the people — when I go to the rooftop pool of my building — faces glued to their phones, while I enjoy the view.
Check out this short clip of Jason Fried talking about the book The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living on my podcast, Love Your Work. (Subscribe on iTunes)
