Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

I grew up in Cambridge in England until the age of 10, then in Oxford (also in England) until I was 18. Both are university towns, with lots of bookshops, so I’m sure they influenced my love of reading and writing.

My mum’s a teacher and writer, and my dad’s a scientist and entrepreneur, so I’d like to think I have a lot in common with both of them.

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

I wish I’d fully realised earlier in my life that everything taking up my time is something I’ve chosen in my life – and something that I can change if I want to. I love to help people, and I’m trying to do a better job of setting stronger boundaries around my time, so that I can work steadily toward my goals.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

There’s lots of great writing advice out there, but there are a few bad pieces of advice that I see people repeating and following.
One of those is about writing style. For almost all types of writing, you want the writing itself to be clear and unobtrusive. You don’t want to call attention to your words – you want the reader to be focused on your instructions, ideas, or story.

But there’s quite a bit of writing advice that tells new writers to use lots of adjectives or adverbs to modify their sentences, or to choose fancy synonyms for the word “said” or to vary how you refer to characters. While these might be useful exercises for school children – my 7 year old is learning about adverbs and adjectives right now, and her teacher wants to see lots of them being used in the children’s writing – they’re not good writing practices for adults who want their writing to be taken seriously.

Compare these two sentences:

“I couldn’t believe my eyes!” Joan exclaimed, quickly sitting on the plush, red, armchair.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes!” Joan said, collapsing into the armchair.

The second is better; the first sounds more amateur.

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it?

I’ve been really lucky in life and haven’t ever gone through anything truly awful. I did find 2020 really tough, however, as I was working full time for the first time since my eldest child was born in 2013 – and for an employer (instead of as a freelancer) for the first time since 2008! It was a struggle to fit everything in due to Covid lockdowns. However, it was a good experience in many ways: I focused on doing a good job and learning as much as I could. I picked up some useful skills (like more hands on experience of SEO writing) and also learnt to place more boundaries on my time.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

I’ve learnt not to try to make things perfect. It’s much better to write something and get it out there than to spend forever trying to get it just right. You can always adjust once you get some feedback.

(Of course, you should still edit – I’m not suggesting publishing something that’s poorly thought through. But I’ve seen perfectionism and procrastination derail several excellent writers over the years.)

What is your morning routine?

My morning routine is in flux a bit at the moment due to switching back to freelancing recently, and due to the kids being at home (we’re currently in our third lockdown in the UK).

This is roughly what it looks like, though:
– I wake up between 5.30 – 6.30am, make a cup of tea, and get dressed (I normally shower in the evenings after exercising). Ideally I’d be waking up at 5.30 each day, but I’ll be honest, it’s not always that early! It depends how early I managed to get to bed and if the kids disturbed me in the night.
– I write a sentence or two in each of the journals I keep for my kids, about the previous day (I’ve been doing this since they were very small).
– I plan out my day using the Full Focus Planner – I’ve been using paper planners for a few years now, but this is my first year using the Full Focus Planner, and I’m finding it really helpful.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

I plan out my tasks each day, and while it doesn’t take long, it makes a huge difference to me getting the important things done. I’m now doing this along with planning a “big 3” of tasks for the week (one of the principles of the Full Focus Planner), which I’ve found really helpful.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

I have lots of them, but some of the ones that I find have the most impact are:

• Switching off my internet connection when I want to really focus on something I’m writing
• Using a timer to help me focus on whatever project I’m currently working on
• Trying to avoid multitasking – it can seem like it’ll be efficient, but it rarely is! The only times when I do want to multitask are when I’m doing a purely physical task (e.g. washing dishes), and I’ll often listen to a podcast at those times.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

I’ve read loads of fantastic business books over the years, but perhaps the books that have influenced me the most are the ones that I read as a child – as they got me interested in becoming a writer. Some of the ones that have stuck with me the most are C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia and a number of E. Nesbit’s novels, particularly The Story of the Treasure Seekers.

More recently, some of the non-fiction books that have been most helpful for me include:
Get Everything Done and Still Have Time to Play, by Mark Forster
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
Getting Things Done, by David Allen
Free to Focus, by Michael Hyatt

All of these have, in small or large ways, helped me to find more effective ways of working and of being self-motivated.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

One quote I particularly love is “You can make anything by writing” by C.S. Lewis.