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You Can Sit There and Do Nothing…or You Could Do the Work
In a recent interview, Neil Gaiman (#1 New York Times best-selling author) explained that when it comes to his writing, he only gives himself 2 options:
You can sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing. But you can’t sit here and do anything else.
Gaiman said he’s “easily distractible” — aren’t we all. But while most people procrastinate and fidget with their phones or computers, Gaiman doesn’t allow himself to do anything but 2 options — write or do absolutely nothing. Because eventually, you get bored of doing nothing. Eventually, doing the work seems like a better option.
“I would go down to my lovely little gazebo,” he said, “sit down, and I’m absolutely allowed not to do anything. I’m allowed to sit at my desk, I’m allowed to stare out at the world, I’m allowed to do anything I like. As long as it isn’t anything.
I’m not allowed to do a crossword, read a book, phone a friend…all I’m allowed to do is absolutely nothing, or write.
But writing is actually more interesting than doing nothing after a while. You’ve been staring out the window now for about 5 minutes, and it kind of loses its charm. And you’re going ‘Well actually, might as well write something.’
