The filmmaker Werner Herzog says that the most important book about making movies is The Peregrine. The book is a natural history of the bird who depends on laser focus to hunt. The analogy we’re supposed to draw is that a filmmaker also needs that kind of focus. It’s a variation on the idea of deep work. If you want to create meaningful work, you must devote large chunks of uninterrupted time to your art.
In a recent episode of the Type A Creative podcast, Caroline Donahue offers another model. She is a writer, podcaster, teacher, and executive assistant. She’s got lots of irons in the fire. And she thinks that kind of range across a number of responsibilities is one way her “Type A” tendencies play out. Even though I wouldn’t call myself Type A, her list of responsibilities sounds very familiar. I’m a mama, I homeschool my children, work as an executive assistant, and I’m a writer. This is a life I’ve chosen and crafted. Still, my days feel full, and it’s the writing usually gets the dregs. If I make it to the page to note an image or write a few lines, I count that as a win.
All of the different streams of my life feed each other. I’m a better homeschooler because of the work I do. I use my writing skills to form real connections in my work. And the writing flows out of the life I live–books and trees and pots of soup. This diffused attention is the opposite of Herzog’s falcon. I simply don’t have regular, extended time to create in this season of my life. And yet there’s a vitality, a liveliness to this patchwork life.
But this year I’ve been feeling the pull toward more concentrated work, not just sketches, but finished drafts. This week I started a writing workshop that meets for 2 hours once a week. I was exhausted by the end of that stretch of writing. I was also completely exhilarated. I realized how much my writing needs not just the daily bursts but also the extended time at the page.
I’ve also discovered how restorative time away can be. I just might be dreaming of an Unworkshop at the Highlights Foundation. But for now, most days will find me at the page at least briefly. And I’m thinking of how I can add in longer stretches of writing time periodically–my own version of deep work.
P.S. The title of this post comes from Grace Llewellyn’s quote that’s a part of this post on deep work.
It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.
…except at school time. The lessons were short, and there were many holidays, for the Bhaers believed in cultivating healthy bodies by much exercise, and our short summers are best used in out-of-door work.
