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Sticking To The Plan vs. Going With The Flow

There are two opposing forces at work when I write, in terms of productivity.

One, I want to keep moving forward in a timely manner with my projects, and, two, I want to follow my creative/energetic rhythms.

If I’m too goal oriented, I may miss out on something great that I only would have found going with the flow. But, if I’m not goal oriented enough, projects may drag out unnecessarily, taking way too long to finish them.

By nature I’m more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person. I’d prefer to simply follow my intuition on how and what to work on. But I’ve found that doing a little planning and scheduling helps me move things forward. Gives me a little balance.

So I was thinking this morning–I had planned for the month of June to mostly be time to work on my novel, which means that I would work on it during my peak creative/energetic time which happens to be in the morning. So right now, for instance, according to my plan, I should be working on my novel. But I just didn’t feel like it this morning.

When I get like this I try to discern if this means I should really work on something else outside the plan or do I just sit down, open up whatever it is I’m supposed to be working on, and get to it even though I don’t totally feel like it.

In the case of this morning, I REALLY didn’t feel like working on the novel. The energy was telling me it just wasn’t there. And there were some other things I felt pulled to work on (like this blog post). However, sometimes the opposite happens.

Like, I’m generally feeling a little unenthusiastic and unexcited about my scheduled activity but I feel the best course of action is just to sit down and get started and after a little while I’ll probably get into it. I just need to push myself a little to get started.

So there you have it. My little push/pull drama that plays out on a regular basis. What about you? Stick to the plan? Go with the flow? Or, a little bit of both?

***Check out my latest release, Productivity For INFPs, now. Available at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes&Noble.com, Google Play, Kobo and more.


Amanda Linehan is the author of North, about a young woman on the run from her past, the law and an old adversary out to get her. Her newest release is Bored To Death: A Vampire Thriller, about a 300-year-old vampire trying to restore the balance between life and death. She has published five novels. Get a free short story every month when you sign up for her newsletter.

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2 Comments

  1. i’m much like you. i really love it when i can go with the flow and there IS a flow to go with. by nature i’m a pantser. but the flow is super erratic with me, and having some boundaries and parameters and a plan really does make my world turn a little more easily. i’m happy to have several different projects going now, so if i’m not feeling one i can leap to another.
    then the next problem kicks in- too many deadlines.

    • Amanda Linehan Amanda Linehan

      Suz–That’s one of the reasons I like having several different projects too.

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