This is John Steinbeck.
You probably studied his books in English class.
But you probably didn’t know this…
He wrote Grapes Of Wrath in just 5 months.
The book is 619 pages and won a Pulitzer Prize. Steinbeck’s secret?
His weirdly genius writing routine.
Each day, before he sat down to write, Steinbeck would do a specific ritual.
He would sharpen two dozen pencils and then lay them out upon his desk.
Once he started writing, he would use each pencil for only a few lines.
As soon as the nib of a pencil began to dull, he would switch to a new pencil.
Once all of his pencils were dulled, he would resharpen a batch, and resume writing.
Why did he do this?
Steinbeck felt that constant sharpening would interrupt his writing flow.
By having 24 sharpened pencils at the ready, he protected his creative flow from disruption.
This meant he could work at breathtaking pace.
He even swore by dark-colored pencils in order to reduce distraction.
Steinbeck’s son, Thom, said that his Dad hated yellow pencils because they were distracting.
The takeaway?
Everything that comes into contact with your creative process—from your workspace, to the tools you choose, to the processes you rely on—should conspire to minimize any friction that detracts from your creative flow.
Reduce friction = increase speed
Happy New Year! Prefer is live and already connecting the broader Bay Area’s top home service professionals. We’re stronger together — artisans and tradespeople have been forming groups to support one another for thousands of years… because it works.
When you join a local collective with Prefer, you’re joining a pool of top professionals in your area. Members share jobs they can’t (or don’t want to) take, such that they:
1. Get more of the jobs that they actually want
2. Make passive income on work they’d otherwise turn away
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