Lessons In Deep Living From Legendary Writers

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The Iterative Method in Writing

What makes you as a writer is what you do to any old text by way of this iterative method. This method overturns the tyranny of the first draft. Who cares if the first draft is good? It doesn't need to be good. It just needs to be so you can revise it. -- George Saunders

Cal's Advice

Life, like writing, is improved in the edit. It's difficult to plan everything perfectly in advance. Instead, make preliminary decisions, start living, and then use feedback and experience to refine your path.

Concrete Action

• Lifestyle Vision: Create a written description of your ideal lifestyle, covering different aspects of your life (e.g., job, personal pursuits). Review it weekly and update it annually, perhaps around your birthday.
• Resonance Journal: Keep a specific journal to record what resonates and what doesn't in your life, both from external observations and your own experiences. Use this journal as "grist" to edit and refine your lifestyle vision.

Turning Every Page in Research

I can't remember how many times with that Johnson book and that incredible mass of stuff at the Johnson Library, I felt like giving up. Not giving up the book, just saying, 'I've done enough.' But then I would hear Allan saying to me, 'Turn every page.' I hear him saying, 'Never assume a damn thing.' I have that in my mind all the time. -- Robert Caro

Cal's Advice

Pursuits become truly interesting and open up opportunities only when followed through to an impressive level of accomplishment, much like turning every page in research. This requires both diligence (sticking with something over a long period) and deliberateness (consistently doing the activities that truly matter for progress).

Concrete Action

Seasonal Projects: Practice diligence and deliberateness by undertaking one seasonal project. Dedicate regular, scheduled time each week to this project and have a written training plan that justifies your specific actions and why they are the right things to do.

Ruthlessly Interrogating Ideas

Coming up with the right idea is the hardest part. I spend a preliminary period ruthlessly interrogating ideas as I come across them, even though it's time consuming and a bit frustrating. I don't want to wake up two years into a book project saying this isn't going anywhere. -- David Grann

Cal's Advice

Don't jump at ideas for major life decisions (projects, job changes, moves) just because they initially excite you. Instead, engage in evidence-based planning to thoroughly vet an idea before committing.

Concrete Action

Treat Decisions Like a Journalist: Research major life decisions as if you're a journalist like David Grann. Talk to people involved, read everything you can, and seek out those who succeeded and those who failed. Gather evidence to understand how the decision or path actually works in reality, not just how you imagine it.

Consistent Scheduling

I wake up. I eat breakfast. I walk about three and a half miles. I come back. I go out to my little office where I've got a manuscript. and the last page that I was happy with is on top. I read that and it's like getting on a taxi way. I don't spend the day writing. I'll write I'll maybe write fresh copy for two hours and then I'll go back and revise some of it and print what I like and then turn it off. -- Stephen King

Cal's Advice

For important professional or personal pursuits, establish regular, consistent time for them. Don't wait for inspiration or free time. Put it on your calendar and have a ritual around it, doing the work even when it's inconvenient or unproductive in the moment.

Concrete Action

Autopilot Scheduling: Implement "autopilot scheduling" where you designate the same time, same place, same day for specific activities. These times are protected on your calendar, preventing other appointments from encroaching. This routine minimizes mental energy spent deciding when to work on important tasks, ensuring they get done consistently.

Avoiding Context Shifts

The critical mindset shift is understanding that even minor context shifts are productivity poison. When you looked at an email inbox for 15 seconds, you initiated a cascade of cognitive changes. So, if you have to work on something that's cognitively demanding, the rules has to be zero context shifts during that period. Treat it like a dentist appointment. You can't check your email when you're having a cavity filled. You have to see it that way. -- Cal Newport

Cal's Advice

When engaging in something important or cognitively demanding, avoid context shifts at all costs. This is a crucial understanding of productivity in the digital age, as even brief interruptions can derail focused work.