I have some bad news: no matter what you’re working on, you’re going to procrastinate at some point. Even if it’s a passion project, nobody can work without breaks forever. So… why not build procrastination into the process right from the start? 

Singer, songwriter and actor Eddie Perfect has been writing for more than two decades now, and over the years he’s discovered the wisdom behind an odd little tip from one musical theatre’s true titans. 

Stephen Sondheim advised writers to always work on lyrics with a soft lead pencil so they’d be forced to get up every once in a while to sharpen it. This natural cadence of focused work and short breaks has helped Eddie avoid writer’s block for pretty much his entire career. 

Eddie also shares how taking the right breaks at the right time have helped him collaborate with himself: between composing music and writing lyrics, Eddie often thinks of himself as two different writers who each need their own space, and without regular breaks, neither writer is very effective. 

Connect with Eddie on Instagram or find his performer page on the 9 to 5 The Musical website

You can find the full interview here: Eddie Perfect breaks down his songwriting process

 

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My new book Time Wise is out now. You can grab a copy here.

 

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Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes.

Get in touch at [email protected]

 

CREDITS

Produced by Inventium

Host: Amantha Imber

Sound Engineer: Martin Imber

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