Anthony McCarten Quotes

I'm a full-time writer, which means I have the entire day to get my work done. But that can also be bad, because that means I have the entire day to get in my way.

I waste most of the day, then finally start to write around 3 P.M., totally disgusted with myself for my wasteful nature.

I never talk about work in progress because once I talk about it I don't do it anymore.

I can't even carpe 15 minutes in a row. So a whole diem is out of the question.

I have nothing like a writing routine. I sometimes have trouble buckling down to write at home.

If I leave my computer, I'm probably not going to get back for hours. If I take a few minutes to answer questions and go web surfing, then guilt kicks in and I get back to work.

It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So for me, I would always have an excuse, you know, to go - quit early, go to a museum, you know. So I do everything I can to make myself remember this is a job. I keep a schedule.

Don't be silly and don't waste your time.

The key to getting work done on time is to stop wearing a watch.

I'm big on setting goals, but I also think that if you have too many lofty ambitions and set goals for everything, you can sabotage your efforts by overextending your brain.

Having deadlines helps because people are constantly breathing down my neck, and tapping their toes waiting for pages. So I just have to work nine to five. If I didn't have deadlines then I might be more of a golden hour kind of guy, writing from eight to noon and calling it a day, but that's just not the way I work right now.

Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.

I think the lack of precision and deep focus is why it took me years to build up my work.

I've actually not read any books on time management.

I have to be motivated, and I'm sure time will avail itself.

I'm very rigid about my schedule. I sit down at 8 A.M., and the Internet blocker goes on. My standard time is 120 minutes. I'm a compulsive writer, so it reminds me to stop writing... If I write more than that, I turn into an ogre for my kids.

I learned that we can do anything, but we can't do everything... at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything.

One of the things I'm really good at is procrastinating.

I'm a terrible procrastinator.

Also, I'm always learning better and better how to prioritize and how to leave certain things for the next day.

I'm so good at procrastinating.

There are people who literally cannot start a project until the deadline is four hours away, even if it's a big one. And those people have a serious problem. My recommendation is set up mini-deadlines. You might say, 'Okay, here's my deadline after three days for this and there's another deadline for that and then a third deadline.'

Deadlines aren't bad. They help you organize your time. They help you set priorities. They make you get going when you might not feel like it.

I'm not always as disciplined as I should be. I don't sit down and write every day, but I should.

Every project is a race between your enthusiasm and your ability to get it done. Go fast. Don't slow down. A year from now, new things will interest you.