Bird by Bird
A Writing Classic in Action
This newsletter is here to support you in doing your Most Creative Work. That’s the work that no one is necessarily asking for all the time but you know the world needs. Even a famous artist has work like this just waiting to pass through them.
Taking Things Bird by Bird
This week I started to compile editions from this newsletter into an ebook using the software Scrivener which is not the most user-friendly but I own a license for it so that’s what I have to use.
However getting started on this project felt like I was slogging up a big hill. Do you know the feeling?
So I set the goal to just do three chapters in one night. And this session was where all the heavy lifting took place. I had to get re-oriented with the software and then figure out how to copy the three Substack archive pieces over.
It was messy, but it got done. I did a few extra chapters while I was there.
Then the next night I said I would do three more. Now things are moving a bit faster and I can iron out some layout issues that were beyond me in the first session.
I start exporting the 10 chapters that I have compiled so far and review it in the Books app. Go back and fix a few layout issues related to making an epub.
What’s going on here? I am taking this project in what Anne Lamott calls Bird by Bird.
This phrase refers to a conundrum her brother had when they were school kids getting a project on birds ready that he left to the last minute. Their father advised him that he was going to have to take it bird by bird to get the thing done1.
When a project is messy and has many layers, like compiling a book, making an album or developing an app, you’re going to have to start breaking things down into manageable chunks.
A manageable chunk is something that can be described in a to-do list item. In my case, it was “add three chapters” to the book layout. Thankfully those chapters are just posts that were already written so it was clear what has to get done.
How to Get To-Do Lists Working For You
This brings me to another topic which is to-do lists. There are many programs that offer this service, but one has stuck out at me for a long time which is Todoist. I have been using it for a few years but Albert Einstein over here didn’t realize how to turn the damn thing on until this month.
The reason Todoist needs to be turned on is because in its free version, it doesn’t have proper reminders. This is only available in the Pro version. Without reminders the thing was practically useless to me. So I’ll show you how to activate Pro for two months in this footnote here2.
A to-do list app is useful for one important purpose: if you have written down that you’re going to do something, and then you find ways to get out of doing that thing, then you can admit you’re procrastinating. And if you’re procrastinating then you are not getting your Most Creative Work done.
If you fail to realize this about the items in your to-do list, then they are weak and powerless. You will just ignore them like I used to do routinely. However if you see them as opportunities to take action and show yourself what’s possible if you just get started, then it’s a whole other ball game.
On Scrubbing Toilets
Last night my Most Creative Work was cleaning a toilet. I shit you not. The bathroom needs to be cleaned in order to have peace of mind, and I kept putting it off. I added the item to my Todoist and as I looked at it throughout the evening I knew that leaving it until tomorrow was not going to help the situation.
So at 9pm I got out the scrubbers and the Lysol wipes and I can confirm that taking a shower the next morning was pleasant and there was one less thing on my mind because I didn’t procrastinate on the issue.
I guess the sad joke for creative people on this one is that oftentimes we’d rather clean a toilet and a bathtub than write music or work on our screenplay but I think it’s a great exercise either way.
Other todo list apps include Microsoft To-Do which is free, Google Tasks (accessible in Workspace), Amazing Marvin which is really nice but a bit overkill for my needs. Your phone might have a good reminders app on it like the Apple one, however it might be limiting if you have other types of devices and need something cross-platform.
Which To-Do list app do you use and why does it work for you?
Listen to this great interview with Anne and Tim Ferris where she talks about this Bird by Bird story and more. It’s also the title of one of her books on writing.
After you log in, head to https://todoist.com/redeem and use code 6K94QXHTQ6. I found this through Reddit.