consistency – Henriette Nolte

Daily Consistency and Writing

Posted on April 17, 2025April 21, 2025 by Henriette

Daily consistency in writing is the best way to finish novels. That’s my experience. Writing two hours every weekday is much better than doing ten hours on Saturday.

Stephen King makes a similar point in On Writing. For aspiring writers, he prescribes four to six hours of reading and writing per day. Six hours is a lot for new writers. It’s a great aim, but I think it might scare some people off before they even try. One can achieve quite a lot in half that time. Two hours of writing and one hour of reading can be very productive, provided you approach the work with focus.

Emotional Work Is Analogous To Physical Exercise

Posted on September 19, 2024September 26, 2024 by Henriette

No one believes that they will only have to finish one run to become fit. I’ve never encountered this sort of thinking when it comes to physical fitness. But I encounter this idea often when it comes to emotional work.

How To Know If Your Consistent Efforts Are Serving You

Posted on June 28, 2024September 24, 2024 by Henriette

I’ve often found myself pushing too far with a certain approach only to realise that my rigid consistency was actually damaging. Mindless consistency isn’t a good thing. The first John Glock short story touched on this idea. Mechanically repeating certain actions, just because you’re supposed to, isn’t a way to live.

Besides, it’s possible to be consistent in the wrong pursuits. It is possible to push too far with something that might have been good initially.

So, the question becomes, How do we know if we have moved too far with something? How do we know when to shift gears? Ho do we know when to slow down or when to try a different approach?

Fear is a Motivator—But the Wrong Foundation

Posted on June 7, 2023February 15, 2024 by Henriette

In the past, I’ve often been motivated by fear or worry. Worry about health. Suddenly eat better for a few days. Worry about a deadline. Work to exhaustion. Worry about passing a test. Cram for hours the day before. Fear tends to get us going on some level, but it makes a terrible foundation.

The Best Way to do Math (Or Anything Else That Seems Hard)

Posted on May 19, 2023January 29, 2024 by Henriette 1 Comment

I was fortunate to have quite a few good teachers back in high school. One awesome teacher was my math teacher. (How often do you hear that?) She once told us that one should aim to do an hour of math everyday rather than study long hours before a test. She said that one should aim to be so familiar with the work by the time that the test comes around, that one should take it easy the day before.

Tag: consistency