One of the most frequent questions I get about my daily writing practice is
How long does it take you to write a blog post?
The answer is that it depends.
Consider this: How long does it take you to drive to your gym or your office?
It most likely depends on what time of day you’re going.
At 5 am, it takes me 10 minutes to get the the gym. If I drove there at 9 or 10 am it can take 15 to 20 minutes.
The difference? Traffic.
Early in the morning there are no other cars on the road. It’s one of my favorite things about waking up and leaving the house that early.
By mid to late morning, everyone is up and out. There’s more traffic.
The same principle applies to work.
When I write immediately after a workout once I’ve gotten into a flow state, I can whip out a blog post in under 30 minutes.
But as my day goes on, “traffic” builds up. In the case of cognitive work, traffic can be thoughts, a pressing to-do list, conversations.
The more I have to navigate other people’s energy, the more traffic I encounter. Later in the day, that same essay could take twice or three time as long.
It’s helpful to know how and where you work best, so you can create space for your best work.
And don’t leave out the most important piece of the equation:
WHEN.
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