Productivity lessons from a man who wrote 400 porn novels

Productivity lessons from a man who wrote 400 porn novelsProductivity lessons from a man who wrote 400 porn novelsDramatic career pivots arent usually prompted by mail-order porn novels. But Andrew Offutt isnt an ordinary person.After noticing the poor quality of writing in a book he ordered in the 1960s, Offutt hurled it across the room and announced to his wife that he could do better.She asked, why dont you? Thus began his switch from insurance salesperson to pornographer.His son, Chris Offutt, recently published a book about the experience of growing up with a father who wrote porn and the aftermath of his death. My Father, the Pornographer, shows Chris own prowess as a writer while painting a vivid portrait of his father, the man who raised the quality of American pornography.While he is known as a science-fiction writer, pornography welches Offutts passion both in his work and personal life. Offutts work may not be high literature, yet it is undeniable that his sheer output, de dication, and creativity are alfruchtwein unrivaled. In his lifetime, he wrote 420 novels, including Bondage Babe.Even today, there are at least 30that remain unpublished.What interests me most is not his subject but rather his phenomenal productivity as a writer and what the lessons we can draw from this. My Father, the Pornographer, is a rare example of an intimate portrait of a writer and reveals interesting insights into his creative process.The ProcessOffutts writing process involved what Cal Newport calls deep work - extended periods of intense focus. The ability to focus on one task is a universal factor among the most creative, productive people I know and Offutt took it to an extreme level.Offutts writing process was old school? - ?no facegram or twitchat distractions here. Rather, he would begin by brainstorming a few ideas before launching into the first chapter. Next, Offutt created an outline of the rest of the book which he followed meticulously. In each sitting, he produced 20to 40 pages of longhand writing. After the initial draft, he transcribed it on to his typewriter, editing along the way.Writing 20to 40 pages in a single sitting is a phenomenal feat? - ?thats up to 10,000 words in normal handwriting and probably more for Offutts tiny scrawl. In comparison, it usually takes me a day to write a smaller, say 2,000 words, article on Farnam Street Blog.By writing an outline before commencing, he was able to diminish the lengthy editing rigmarole that consumers many authors time. His personal record was 94 pages in a single day? - ?nearly 24,000 words. This depth of focus and organized process are doubtless responsible for his prolific output.(As a side note, since improving my ability to focus, my output has 5Xed).AnonymityOffutt wrote his pornographic novels under 17 different names, mostly as John Cleve. He claimed that Cleve was his alter ego, and the other 16 were merely his pseudonyms, not Offutts.Living in a conservative community, th is anonymity gave Offutt total freedom. He could express himself as he wished, without the work being linked to his quiet rural family life. The alter ego, Cleve, had his own wardrobe, signature, and stationary. At conventions, Offutt would change into Cleves attire and speak to his loyal fanbase as him.I can hear you wondering how anonymity helps people produce more. Let me tell you. When Farnam Street was anonymous, getting things done was easy. No one wanted my time or attention. Now I get hundreds of requests a day for everything from speeches to advisory hauptplatine opportunities.EnvironmentMore than many of us believe our behavior is influenced by our environment, which is perhaps why many writers go to great lengths to find the perfect place to work. For Offutt, secrecy was a necessary element. He worked in a second-floor office which the whole family was forbidden to enter.This seclusion made him happy. A year before his death, hedescribed himself as the happiest man alive. He enjoyed being alone in his study with only his writing to focus on. Chris recalls that his fathers best friend how Eric Stanton, a fetish artist whom he collaborated with for 25 years. Yet they had met just once? - ?illustrative of the extent to which Offutt valued his solitude.Inspiration and ImmersionIn a short autobiographical note in one book he wroteOffutt researches with gusto, both in and out of books, having?- ?briefly and painfully, he says?- ?worn chainmail and helm and wielded sword.Upon clearing out his fathers study, Chris found decades worth of pornographic material of every description ? - ?magazines, cards, antique erotic art, postcards and hundreds of books.Offutt had immersed himself in his work with obsessive dedication. Inspiration came naturally as a result of this intense involvement and environment. Offutt lived and breathed pornography. Remaining surrounded by it in his studio for 10to 12 hours a day, he could have rapid ideas.This is an inescapable elem ent of his productivity. An enormous output requires enormous dedication. There are no shortcuts in this respect. If you want to be great at something you have to be a fanatic.PortfoliosWhilst many writers sit around awaiting inspiration, Offutt worked in a methodical, disciplined manner. To maintain his output, he developed a unique portfolio production technique.Offutt would create portfolios of material to be used in books.These ranged from sentences to entire scenes. By keeping them in organized folders divided by topic and theme, he could quickly assemble a book in a month, minimum. His catalogs would include pages of synonyms (such as 150 words for pain) and descriptions of body parts or sexual acts.Chris recalls his father sitting in front of the television at night with a clipboard, inventing descriptions of landscapes, weather and visual details based on what he saw. Chris describes this ordnungsprinzip as reminiscent of a factory assembly line, where parts are put together to form a car.VelocityParkinsons law states that tasks expand to fit the time allocated to them. The implications are clear. People usually become far more productive when their time is constrained.In Offutts case, working under extreme pressure played a large role in his speed. The family relied on his work for economic support as his book contracts did not involve advances. The faster he wrote, the more money they had. With four children, a mortgage and orthodontist bills, switching from insurance to pornography made speed essential. It was a brave choice to pivot from a respectable, secure job to a controversial, fickle creative career.What separated Offutt from many other people who make that change is the methodical way he worked. He was, as he described himself, an artist but he worked like a machine. Indeed, many of his 17 pseudonyms were simply a means of working for multiple publishers, without them knowing he wrote for their competition.SupportOffutts wife, Jodie, was an enthusiastic supporter of his work. She assisted him in many ways, notably by typing out his final drafts.Chris recalls that she would sometimes begin typing up a book, even before it was even finished. And when the pair attended conventions and Offutt dressed as his alter ego, Cleve, Jodie would change her attire to match his. Chris describes this in the bookMy parents cultivated a special con wardrobe Mom wore short skirts and low-cut blouses that zipped up the front with no bra, high boots, and tight belts. John Cleve wore a long djellaba with nothing underneath, while mom wore a floor-length polyester gown. To complement Dads leather-and-denim leisure suit, Mom had a leather miniskirt. My parents were a compelling pair, and I was awestruck by the figures they cut.A supportive partner is a common component of the lives of many productive people. By outsourcing simpler tasks to Jodie, Offutt had more time to focus on the creative elements of his work.A lot of people are unable to look at a man like Offutt and learn from him. They instantly turn off any openness to learning from his method of production when they hear he wrote porn novels. Yet, we dont have to read his books to learn from his process and methodical approach. Whether avoiding distractions, being conscious of our environments and how they impact us, or developing an portfolio system we can all learn from the King of Porn.This article originally appeared on Medium.

Youre losing out on a lot of money by not doing these 11 things

Youre losing out on a lot of money by bedrngnis doing these 11 thingsYoure losing out on a lot of money by notlage doing these 11 thingsWhen it comes to money, most of us want to spend less and save mora. There are easy, everyday ways to do both, but there are also a lot of things we may not even be thinking of that could help us get more cash back in our accounts. From not starting a side hustle to not taking time off from work to not signing up for a new leistungspunkt card, youre losing out ona lotof money by not doing these 11 things.1. Negotiating your salaryIf youre not negotiating your salary, you could beleaving up to $1.5 million on the tableover the course of your lifetime. All it takes is asking for $5,000 more before accepting that job offer in order to boost the amount youll make year over year throughout the rest of your career.2. Investing moneyIf youre not investing, youre automatically losing out on thousands of dollars. For instance, if you invested just $10 per mon th over the course of 25 years with a 10 percent satz of return, youd end up with $12,333 before taxes and inflation. If you just simply saved that $10 per month over the same period of time, youd only have $3,000. By not investing that $10 per month, youre losing out onat least$9,000.3. Saving for retirement a 401(k)If you have access to anemployer-sponsored retirement account like a 401(k)and youre not contributing, youre losing out on a lot of money. For starters, the money you contribute to a 401(k) is taken from your paycheck prior to taxes, which means you save more and pay less in taxes. Then, theres the fact that money in a 401(k) is being invested, so it has the opportunity to grow over time. Lastly, your employer may match your contributions, meaning you could be saving double the amount for retirement. If youre not saving in a 401(k), youre losing out on hundreds or thousands of dollars.4. Buying a homeBuying a homeis a big purchase, so if youre thinking youre saving mone y by not buying a home and paying a mortgage or taxes, then, technically, youre right. However, youre also losing every penny that you pay in rent. When you own a home, you get some money back during income tax season. For example, if you pay $500 in property taxes per month for your home, thats $3,000 per year that you can claim on your income taxes. If you pay $500 in rent per month, thats $3,000 per year that youll never see again.5. Using your vacation/sick daysAs they say, Time is money, and if youre not taking time off from work, youre literally losing money. According to a report fromProject Time Off,52 percent of American employees didnt use all of their vacation days in 2017. The report found that those unused days equal about $62.2 billion in lost benefits, or about $561 per person.6. Starting a side hustleSide hustlesare all the rage right now, and its no wonder. According to aBankrate.com study, the average side hustler makes $686 per month or $8,232 per year. Thats a pr etty penny that you might be losing out on.7. Cutting the cable cordCable is expensive AF. Between the bundles and agreements that cause the price to almost double after two years, it really adds up over time. If youre not cutting the cord, it could be costing you hundreds of dollars per year. For example, in 2017 I paid about $183 per month for TV, phone and internet. In January 2018, I decided to cut the cord and switch to streaming services only. Now, I pay about $103 per month for Hulu, Netflix and internet (I got rid of the house phone, which I never even plugged in). By cutting the cord, Im saving about $960 per year on TV and internet.8. Signing up for a leistungspunkt card with points or milesUsing a credit cardis a great way to build and boost your credit. Its also a great way to earn points, miles or cash back on all of your purchases. According toExperian, millennials carry an average of $4,315 on their credit cards. If that money was charged to a card with points, miles or cash back perks, then the average millennial could have potentially earned one mile, point or cent on each of those dollars.9. Paying more than the monthly minimum on your debtIf youre a millennial with an average credit card debt of $4,315, and youre only paying the minimum required payment per month, you could be losing out on a lot of money. When you only pay the minimum each month, you end up spending a ton in interest. For instance, if you have $4,315 on a credit card, your minimum monthly payment is $60 and your interest rate is 16 percent, it will take you almost 21 years to pay it off and youll end up paying $10,142 in interest. Instead, if you were to pay $392 per month, it would only take you 12 months to pay it off and youd only pay $382 in interest.10. Refinancing your student loansLets say you have $32,731 in student loan debt (the average in 2017, according to the Federal Reserve). If youre paying an interest rate of 10 percent on that money with 15 years left to pa y it off, youd end up paying $30,580 in interest over the life of the loan. By refinancing, you could lower your interest rate and the repayment time for the loan. Lets say you refinanced and got a new interest rate of 8 percent with 10 years to pay it off, youd only pay $14,923 in interest over the life of the loan, ultimately saving $15,657. Refinance yourstudent loansif you can.11. Boosting your credit scoreYour credit scoredetermines the interest rate you can get on loans and lines of credit, like a credit card. The higher the score, the lower the interest rate, which can save you a lot of money in interest. For instance, if your credit score is 500, you may have a higher credit card interest rate of 16 percent. If you have a $1,000 balance on a credit card and pay the minimum of $20 per month, youd pay $439 in interest. If your credit score is higher at 800, you may be eligible for an interest rate of just 14 percent on a credit card. If you have that same $1,000 balanceand pay the minimum of $20 per month, youd pay $355 in interest.Overall, there are a ton of ways to save money every year if you know where to look. By not doing these 11 things, you could be leaving thousands, if not millions, of dollars on the table in your lifetime. So take a look at your financial situation and search for ways that you can save. It might be easier than you think.Thispostwas originally published onSwirled.comin the Thrive section, which covers valuable career and personal finance content for Millennials.

This is how much your identity is worth on the dark web

This is how much your identity is worth on the dark webThis is how much your identity is worth on the dark webYour Amazon account is worth the most of all your logins, according to new research.Website Top10VPN, via MoneyTips, calculated how much it could cost an identity thief to buy your entire identity. For around $1,215, hackers could hold everything from your proof-of-identity documents to credit and banking information, even logins from e-commerce sites like Amazon to social media accounts like Twitter.Thats up by nearly 4% from 2018, when your sensitive information could be grabbed for $1,170.Thieves dish out the most money for banking details ($260) and debit card details ($250). belastung year, PayPal logins were in high demand leading the list with an average value of $247 but dropped drastically to just $42. The reasoning behind PayPal fall is because eBay announced earlier this year that it would be moving away from PayPal.The company signed an agreement with Adyen as its primary payments partner.For individual account information, identity thieves would pay $30 for your Amazon login. Details for your Fortnite account, a popular video, were valued at $11 while Netflix filed in behind at $10.73.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people