“We often overestimate what we can accomplish in a day and underestimate what we can accomplish in ten minutes.” – Bill Gates (paraphrased)

I had to write a blog, but I didn’t want to. So I set a timer for 10 minutes and I started typing. This is what I got (I spent an extra two minutes proofreading).

We often treat writing like some big, sacred ritual. People say, “Oh, if I can’t sit down at a desk for 2 uninterrupted hours (or whatever), it’s just not worth doing.” This is just an advanced form of procrastination.

“A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.” EB White.

No matter what excuse I use, you use, there are dozens of prolific authors who were poorer, busier, and who had more kids than we did. If they can do it, so can we.

So if you’re stuck, if you’re afraid, set a timer for ten minutes. Just ten. Save what you write in a database like Evernote, or even just a word document, you’ll be surprised what you use later (I made liberal use of my quotes file to finish this post). It’s better to be the writer who writes a little every day than the writer who writes tons and tons on very rare occasions.