I was procrastinating and not writing and feeling sorry for myself, and I came across this post, which struck me as funny and helpful. In her writing-advice column for The Faster Times, Nancy Rawlinson shares the way she settles down to work: a start-up list. She prints it out and checks things off (things like 1) make a cup of tea; 2) check e-mail; 3) turn on Internet-blocking software). Sounds obvious and simple, but it’s a routine that works for her — maybe it’s the act of checking a few things off, or maybe it’s just blocking her Internet access.
