Comments on: 9 Writing Productivity Tips I Learned from Knitting

By: 🖋 Writing Links Round Up 3/28 – B. Shaun Smith

🖋 Writing Links Round Up 3/28 – B. Shaun Smith — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 19:32:14 +0000

[…] 9 Writing Productivity Tips I Learned from Knitting […]

By: Ellen Buikema

Ellen Buikema — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 15:40:45 +0000

I've set most of my hobbies aside with the exception of reading for fun. Life has been a series of putting out fires for a little too long, but appears to be settling down.

The protagonist in my WIP loves to paint and so do I! One day I'll get back to my pencils and paints.

I think the Eisenhower decision making matrix will help me, so thanks for that!

My mother knitted, Grandma tatted lace, my mother-in-law made fantastic Afghans. I tried. LOL. My swearing improved.

By: KathleenBaldwin

KathleenBaldwin — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 03:43:16 +0000

In reply to Kris Maze. Thank you Kris! I agree with you about smart phones diverting focus. We may have unlimited creativity but out focus is definitely limited. Such an important concept. Thank you again. And I appreciate the link. Interesting article.

By: dholcomb1

dholcomb1 — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 04:04:05 +0000

I'm trying to get back into quilting.

denise

By: Kris Maze

Kris Maze — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 03:09:39 +0000

In reply to Lisa Norman. Hi Lisa, I'm glad this resonated with you! I tend to go-go-go and then wonder why I end up with the physical consequences for skipping the fun stuff, too. Me time is so important!

By: Kris Maze

Kris Maze — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 03:07:37 +0000

In reply to KathleenBaldwin.

Hi Kathleen,

In general I believe we have less and less focus, since it is now the norm to sit on one's phone in the name of multitasking! I'm definitely guilty of phone grazing, but get a little irked when see my students flip out their nothing-boxes the second I set them free. It will be interesting what research comes from this habit, too.

I don't have the specific study other than the article linked above, but I have read about multitasking, which does have research supporting how it really drains the brain of it's focus and power: https://www.verywellmind.com/multitasking-2795003 This article has some great information.

Nice to chat with you!

By: Kris Maze

Kris Maze — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:57:07 +0000

In reply to Barb DeLong. Watercolors are amazing! So much fun to fill in and play with. I want to find some paints now! Trying another medium can bring so much more creativity into our works. Glad you enjoyed the post. :)

By: Kris Maze

Kris Maze — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 02:54:59 +0000

In reply to Suzanne. Suzanne, Weaving sounds fun. I've seen some amazing rugs made from random materials from around the house. It's really is neat that you can also donate these to charity. It's a feel good experience all around. Thanks for that inspiration!

By: Barb DeLong

Barb DeLong — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 22:06:59 +0000

Wonderful post, Kris! I managed to combine a new hobby with my fantasy WIP. I'm learning watercolor painting, so I drew out a map of my fantasy realm and colorized it with my watercolors. It's amateurish, but was fun to do! I also created some watercolors of the critters and symbols from the story. These are framed and hanging beside my desk.

By: Lisa Norman

Lisa Norman — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 20:52:49 +0000

Love this, Kris! I have whittled down my hobbies over the years so that now almost everything I do is writing focused. I had so many aha moments in reading this. The 4 hour focus time is huge. I tried to work at a high level for 8-12 hours a day for a while. Needless to say... that didn't work out well. Since much of my work is scheduled via Zoom, I had to realize that I needed to schedule time for ME. Your post reinforced for me that I must do this.

And it also reminded me that I really want to pick back up some of my needlework during TV time! Thanks for sharing these.