Craft Talk: Experiments with Time & Materials

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Having been out of the "writing game" (in the sense of working regularly on a new manuscript) for a couple of months – thanks to being swamped by the day-job plus 99 other distractions – now that I'm easing myself back into the zone, I've been experimenting with some different techniques.

The first is time management... Trying to keep a grip on the work/life balance has always been something I’ve struggled with, particularly as I have a home office, so it is very easy to head up to the office just after breakfast – and still be stuck there in front of the computer 12 hours later (and in my case still in my dressing gown).

One approach that sounded appealing is the Pomadoro Technique, which takes its name from those red, tomato-shaped clockwork kitchen timers. 

In a nutshell (as with all techniques of this kind, you can buy lengthy books to explain what are essentially simple concepts) the Pomadoro Technique suggests you break your work down into short tasks of 25 minutes in length. Then you take a five minute break before starting on another 25 minute section. Each 25 minute section is called a “pomadori” and when you have completed 4 of them, you take a longer break for, say, 15 to 30 minutes, before resuming the cycle.

It all makes sense and getting up from the desk to walk around is always good for your physical and psychological health, ditto the idea of a tea or coffee break after a couple of hours.

So how did it work out in practice for me? I first tried using a desktop application but I already have so many notifications bouncing around my computer screen that I just ignored the timer, so it was a pretty pointless exercise.

Next up, I tried a real-life pomadoro kitchen timer. Just a plain vanilla one I bought in a shop for a couple of pounds. (There is also an official Pomadoro timer that only counts up to 25 minutes and costs a fortune by comparison. OK, just under 30 €uro and it comes with a book.) Unfortunately I found the ticking of the Pomadoro intensely annoying – I like to work in a quiet office. And I also felt it was adding an unnecessary level of stress, with me looking at it out of the corner of my eye and thinking “**** I’ve only got 3 minutes left, I’m never going to finish the task within this pomadori timeframe.”

That was before the timer ran its cycle and the bell rang. Time for a tea break? Actually no because the bell sounded exactly like our front doorbell, so when it rang, it set off our dogs barking. Sadly once our dogs start barking, they have no off-switch and left to their own devices will get so over-excited that they flood the kitchen with pee and poo. Far from a relaxing 6 minute break between pomadori, I found myself having to calm the dogs.

But, undaunted, I'm now experimenting with the timer on my watch so it reminds me when my 25 minutes are up. I have to say I'm still not convinced but it does have some value, even if only as a reminder.

The second experiment is with writing methods... Over the years I've tried writing my first drafts in notebooks, on typewriters and, more recently, on laptops. (I've also experimented with using a handwriting app plus stylus and writing longhand notes directly onto an iPad. No, not for me and my handwriting.) But, the issue with the laptop is that if I use it in the house, the link to the house wifi network is a distraction – all those days-job notifications coming in again. And, if I try to use it outside the house, sunlight makes the screen pretty much unusable.

However I spotted a comment by Neil Gaiman in an old 2008 Guardian interview about his use of notepads (that's paper notepads) and longhand* and thought "Well it hasn't done his career any harm, so I may as well give it a try."

And, that's where I am now, with my first few days seeing me get far more words down onto paper than I'd normally manage when using a laptop. 

Maybe this is the way ahead? Maybe it is the fact the notepad is not connected to the Internet so there are no online distractions? Maybe it is the fact that I can work anywhere – including outside – that is helping? Maybe it is the whole feeling of flexibility that I get? 

Certainly I've escaped from the catch-22 of spending all my time on the day-job sitting in front of a computer screen, only to then spend all my creative writing time sat in front of another computer screen.

* Neil Gaiman also says he writes with a fountain pen because "working in fountain pen is good because it slows me down just enough to keep my handwriting legible." Having spent my entire schooldays with ink-stained fingers, I haven't gone down that route though I am using Uni-Ball Eye pens rather than biro.