Lessons from Cleaning

I was cleaning my house the other day and was thinking how it is such a good metaphor for writing–and for life in general. Cleaning is one of those things that is never truly complete. We keep having to do it over and over. Does that mean it’s not valuable or necessary?

I don’t know about you, but I love a clean house. I’m not a neat freak, but I don’t like it when things aren’t put away. When I get busy and have too many other commitments, cleaning my house is probably the thing that slides first, and that’s okay. But at some point, I get antsy. I don’t function well in other areas of my life when I’m in an environment that is cluttered and unkempt. At that point, I can choose to stop everything else and do the work myself, or I hire someone. I’m not above paying someone to come into my home if it means my mental wellness gets put back in balance. That $60 or $80 has been some of the best money I’ve spent!

When I taught public school, one of the first things I did each fall before the kids showed up was to organize my classroom. I went through shelves and cupboards. I refreshed my bulletin boards. (Heck, I even painted them on occasion, but don’t tell because that’s not actually allowed.) THEN I started planning my actual classes. I knew lots of teachers who did it the other way around. They’d get their schoolwork in order first–and sometimes never did get to organizing the space. I can’t work that way. In order for me to think clearly, I need an organized environment. If I can’t do it myself, I find someone who can help me.

I’ve heard people ask, “Why make your bed?” You’re just getting into it again that night. ACK!!! I can think of twice when I didn’t make my bed since being an adult. (And I don’t count my university days as adulthood… just saying!) I heard a statistic once that said people who make their bed in the morning are actually more productive. I believe it. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on other work if my bed wasn’t made!

The point of this is not to make anyone feel bad. Everyone functions differently. For instance,  “creative clutter” actually works for some people. However, I consider myself a creative person and it definitely doesn’t work for me! I interned under an art teacher once whose classroom and studio space were a giant jumble. I don’t know how he–or the students–managed to make anything since we were always searching for supplies or working on a piece while teetering on top of other materials. He made some really nice art, though.

Now, let’s finally get to the metaphor. As a writer, there can be a lot of mental clutter that goes beyond the writing process itself. I heeded some very valuable advice from someone named Tim Grahl early in my writing career that has helped me declutter my mind. It involves systematizing as many things as possible in order to be able to focus. What am I talking about exactly?

As an example, Tim specializes in book launches. Rather than trying to keep all the many tasks in your head, he advises creating a checklist that includes all the tasks you need to do so you don’t reinvent the wheel each time. This strategy works for everything, though, not just events.

Take the editing process. I created a checklist that I use once the first draft is written. It includes using spell check, using text to speech technology, reading a physical copy, sending the manuscript to beta readers, and more. I know I’ve done all I can do before I send it to a copyeditor.

This works for all the production and publishing tasks, too. Formatting, getting ISBNs, cover design, uploading to various platforms… All of these tasks are things you repeat each time you write or publish a new book. There is no need to remember the steps because they are right there. You can apply this to marketing, emails, social media and so much more. It also pairs really well with my favorite organizational app called Asana.

Does it take time to set up a system? Of course, but in the end, the mental clutter that comes with trying to remember so many moving parts is alleviated and you can focus on the creative work.

This brings me to another aspect of our metaphor. Sometimes there are just too many things to do. Hire someone! What if you don’t have the skills for every job? Hire someone! I’m not just talking about editing or formatting, either. More and more writers are hiring virtual assistants these days. I haven’t done that yet, but I’m thinking about it. My time (and yours) is valuable.

I guess the bottom line is this: There is something to be said for planning, outsourcing, and even just decluttering one’s mind. Cleaning and organizing take time, but for me, it means the rest of my time is much more productive.