Valian, Virginia. "Learning to Work." Working It Out: 23 Women Writers, Artists, Scientists, and Scholars Talk about Their Lives and Work. Ed. Sara Ruddick and Pamela Daniels. New York: Pantheon, 1977. Other essays in this book are also helpful.
Calano, Jimmy, and Jeff Salzman. Success Shortcuts: 25 Career Skills You Were Never Taught, But Must Know. Cassettes. Nightingale-Conant, 1989. Available on Amazon.
From Success Shortcuts:
Avoiding Procrastination
Just get started.
Break the second wind barrier.
- Plot it out on paper. You'll see points you hadn't thought of.
- Break it up.
- Do the first step immediately (but don't get smug--go on to the second step). Start when you have the idea. Just start anywhere.
- Make sure you can do it (tools, expertise, time).
- Remind yourself how good you are.
- Begin each day with the most unpleasant task.
- Visualize completion.
- Do it for 10 minutes. You can do anything for 10 minutes. Then stop or go on.
- Reward yourself--when you finish the task.
- When all else fails, become an automaton.
- Find and finish what you have already started.
- Start this minute.
Concentration
- Create the right environment. Invest time and effort.
- Shut the door, and don't worry about what you are missing.
- Take a bit you can swallow.
- Isolate yourself, perhaps in a new place.
- Do a warm up.
- Practice focused thinking (meditation, etc.) and actively center your mind on work.
- Go with it when you're hot; don't quit while you're ahead.
- Concentrate at home, without becoming a workaholic.
- Take advantage of being anonymous; keep a pad and pen with you.
- Get into the habit of concentrating in the same time and same place.
- Occasionally try working before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m., if you are inspired.
- Love what you are concentrating on.