3 Best Practices from The War of Art

There are some books that amaze you and there are some books that stop you in your tracks. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is one of those heart-pounding, show-stopping kind of books.

The War of Art has been on my must-read list for two years and it wasn’t until last weekend that I sat down and read the whole thing, cover-to-cover, in two days.

And now I’m going to read it again. It’s that good.

Fight the Resistance

The driving theme throughout the book is Steven’s war on resistance — the force that stops all of us from doing our work, building our business, practicing our craft, or spending quality time on what we were meant to do with our lives.

Steven Pressfield is an accomplished author who wrote 7 fiction books before penning The War of Art.

His years of experience as a writer, and previous years as a marine, taught him that there is a force working against all of us.

He calls this force the Resistance, and by the end of the book you will hate it as much as he does. Fortunately, Steven also provides a few cunning strategies to overcome Resistance and live your best life imaginable.

Here are some of the best practices from The War of Art.

#1: When You Work — Work

“It’s about ten-thirty now. I sit down and plunge in. When I start making typos, I know I’m getting tired. That’s four hours or so. I’ve hit the point of diminishing returns. I wrap for the day . . . I power down. It’s three, three-thirty. The office is closed. How many pages have I produced? I don’t care. Are they any good? I don’t even think about it. All that matters is that I’ve put in my time and hit the wall with all I’ve got. All that counts is, for this day, for this session, I have overcome Resistance.“

Last year I stole a strategy from Dan Miller that closely resembles Steven’s perspective on work. Dan calls it focused, uninterrupted work. Steven calls it work.

Either way, when you work there is nothing else that should be happening. Nothing.

No distractions. No tangents. No discernment of quality or quantity. Just work with all your might and then be done.

#2: Turn Pro and Don’t Look Back

“Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. ‘I write only when inspiration strikes,’ he replied. ‘Fortunately it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp.’ That’s a pro.”

Last spring I read Steven Pressfield’s book, Turning Pro. What I didn’t realize was that it was the follow-up to The War of Art. Both books are fantastic, regardless of the order in which you read them.

Turning pro is not a metaphor or something that is bestowed upon you by someone else. Turning pro is a deliberate decision.

There is an immense power in making a decision to become a professional in whatever you do. Steven argues that it’s one of the most important steps in overcoming resistance. I agree.

I turned pro last spring the minute I finished reading the book. Since then I changed websites to JeffSanders.com, launched The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, went skydiving for the first time, and on and on.

Turning pro is a complete mental shift and it changes everything.

#3: Change Happens NOW

“The most pernicious aspect of procrastination is that it can become a habit. We don’t put off our lives today; we put them off till our deathbed. Never forget: This very moment, we can change our lives. There never was a moment, and never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny.”

Procrastination is the death of dreams. Goal achievement is not about knowing the right people, having the right system, or securing access to the best resources.

Doing anything is about the doing. We have to move to make things happen. We have to procrastinate on our procrastination.

Thinking about putting off work on an important project? How about we wait until later to procrastinate and for now, we’ll just do the work.

Sound good? Ok. Let’s go!

#4: Become Who You Already Are

“We’re not born with unlimited choices. We can’t be anything we want to be. We come into this world with a specific, personal destiny. We have a job to do, a calling to enact, a self to become. We are who we are from the cradle, and we’re stuck with it. Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”

Bonus! I know I said 3 best practices, but I couldn’t resist adding a fourth.

Living true to yourself is of vital importance. How can we reach our highest potential if we spend our days trying to please others by becoming something we’re not?

As Steven points out, Resistance comes in many forms, one of which is deception of our own identity.

We have to know who we are and become the highest and best version of that person as fast as we can.

There really is no other way to live.

It’s Not About Art

The War of Art is not about art, but it could be. It’s about the fight we all have to face every day to do what matters.

After reading this book I am convinced the only path is the direct path.

We have to accept the fact that Resistance exists and do whatever is in our power to win the war.

Buy it, Read it, Live it

If you are at all intrigued by these insights into Steven’s book, just buy it. It really is that good and I really do believe it can change your life.