Psychology
Isabel Allende sent panicked emails after finishing novel early, freedom became lethal at 84
Modern Wisdom
Why You Feel Overwhelmed All The Time (and how to fix it) - David Epstein
What was said
"I started a novel on January 8th and gave myself a deadline to finish a first manuscript by the end of March, which is crazy. My agent, my brother, read it and liked it a lot. It still needs polishing, but it's May and I find myself without work until next January 8th. I'm going crazy. I'm getting rid of my clothes, replacing the furniture, walking in circles, reading compulsively, etc. Your book's been an inspiration. I need to give myself a task with boundaries. I can't start writing until January 8th, but I can start researching and planning. I have total freedom to do whatever I want. And at my age, 84, I have no obligation to keep writing. This freedom is lethal."
Bestselling author Isabel Allende, who has produced a bestseller every 18 months for 44 years by starting each book on January 8th, sent Epstein panicked emails after finishing a novel early. At 84, with complete freedom and no obligations, she described feeling like she was 'going crazy' and called the freedom 'lethal.' The author who has sold 80 million books discovered that the ritual and constraint that structured her life for decades was essential to her wellbeing, not just her productivity.
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- Programme
- Modern Wisdom
- Episode
- Why You Feel Overwhelmed All The Time (and how to fix it) - David Epstein
- Clip time
- 1:06:04
- Original source
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Modern Wisdom