I was listening to a podcast about a writer who only works 4 hours a day now

It was on a show called 'The Creative Independent' and the host asked her how she got so much done. She said she used to work 10 hour days but felt fried, so she cut it down. The key was she only counts the time she's actually typing or deep in research, not answering emails or scrolling. I tried it this past Tuesday. I set a timer for four hours of real work and then stopped, even though my to-do list wasn't done. It felt wrong at first, like I was slacking. But by Friday, I felt less tired and I actually finished a big article for a Boston magazine. I think my brain just works better in short, focused bursts. Has anyone else tried tracking only their deep work hours instead of total hours at the desk?

4 comments

4 Comments

ward.tara1mo ago

My friend who's a painter does something similar. She only counts the hours her brush is actually touching the canvas, not the time spent mixing colors or staring at the piece. She says it changed how she sees a "full" workday.

diana_wright1mo ago

That's a cool idea from your friend @ward.tara, but it seems like it could mess with your head. Staring at the piece and mixing colors is still real work, even if your hands aren't moving. You'd just feel bad for not hitting some made-up hour count.

price.linda13d ago

Yeah diana_wright, I read something like that too. Counting only "active" time just sets you up to feel bad about the real thinking work.

garcia.riley1mo ago

Honestly, tracking only my actual delivery time made my postal route feel way less draining.