At the
New York Times, I had the privilege of working with Phyllis Korkki, an assignment editor for the business section. In addition to her new role as executive editor of
Hooked, an app that tells fictional stories in the form of text messages, Phyllis has written the new book
The Big Thing, which is about how to pursue meaningful, creative projects amidst a hectic schedule and a pull to put them off. I recently interviewed Phyllis about how she found time for her own "Big Thing" while keeping up with a busy, stressful job.
Phyllis, how did you plan your own "Big Thing" while working an editorial job at the New York Times?
When I was at the Times, I did work hard but I rarely worked more than 40 hours a week. And here's the truth: When I wasn't working I wasn't that busy! If only I hadn't been so lazy in my off time I could have written plenty of books. I finally realized that the only way to finish my first book would be to create conditions that were similar to those in a newsroom. I found people to hold me accountable for various stages in the project and to give me deadlines at crucial stages. I even paid someone to call me every morning for a week and hector me to wor
What are some of the biggest challenges people face in their pursuit of a creative dream?
Creative people must break their Big Things into manageable increments. If they don't, their projects will remain big and vague and impossible to start. In fact, some people deliberately (if unconsciously) never start their projects so that their creations can remain grandiosely perfect in their heads. Rather than leading a person toward a more fulfilling and meaningful life, the Big Thing feeds into an unhealthy narcissism. People need to be honest with themselves about why they are pursuing a project. If its main purpose is to boost their ego, then giving up on it may be the best option. A big creative project should be compelling for its own sake. Accept that it will be imperfect and involve psychic struggles. Know that satisfaction and joy will (eventually) emerge from those struggles. Perfectionism is one of the biggest obstacles to completion.
You describe yourself as a procrastinator. How have you overcome this to achieve such remarkable career goals?
Many journalists will tell you that they went into the field because they are procrastinators who must have deadlines. The great thing about working in a newsroom is that people are constantly breathing down your neck to hand in your story. I would never have gotten as far as I have without urgent deadlines emanating from my colleagues.
If a reader has their own idea for Big Thing, what are the first 2-3 things they should do to get started tomorrow?
1. Commit the idea to paper, and be as specific as possible about what it is. And I mean literally write it down on a piece of paper, with a pen. Tear that piece of paper out of your notebook and tape it to your refrigerator. Write at the bottom of the paper in big capital letters: DO IT!
2. Look at that piece of paper and say to yourself, what is one tiny thing I could do today to achieve this goal. It could be writing just one sentence (c'mon -- you can do it, and I'm giving you permission for it to be a really bad sentence). It could involve sending an email to one person, or buying one paintbrush, or clearing off all the papers your desk, or ... whatever it is, you can do that one thing.
3. Announce to your spouse or your bestie that you plan to do this thing. Say something like: I plan to write a paragraph of my novel by tomorrow. Will you check in with me to make sure I did it? (Offer to do the same for them too, of course!).
And that is how a Big Thing begins. It won't ever get done unless you start small.
