How Andrew Roberts writes his diary
I expected historian Andrew Roberts to make me feel bad about my diary habits when he spoke about it on the Tim Ferriss Show° (.mp3).
I imagined: lengthy nightly sessions, perfect consistency, deep reflection.
Instead, Roberts:
- Writes in the morning (he drinks at night)
- Only writes when something interesting happens
- Keeps entries around 500 words
This was refreshing to hear. I’ve been stuck on rigid rules: minimum 750 words, every single night, no excuses.
Roberts shows a simpler path of writing only when you have something to say, and only what needs saying.
If a historian who’s written 20+ books takes this approach to his diary, maybe I can relax my rules too.
Read this next: On Writing: Short Enough to Finish, Long Enough to Matter