I know people who have plenty of time to paint (or create) and still don't get a lot of painting done. Frankly, I don't think I am that productive. But many people claim they have little or no time; they have full-time jobs, family, commutes, etc. All that is undoubtedly true, and to muster the energy to paint, to write, to draw, to do anything beyond sit in front of the TV with a beer is pretty hard.

That leads me to two points. First, what we do for "recreation" is often not invigorating but mind-numbing — and when we numb our minds by watching meaningless TV or "entertainment" that actually demoralizes us (and many sitcoms do just that), we lose the energy. Most "entertainment" is *meant* to distract. There's research on the effect of certain TV shows on children, but it's foolish to think adults aren't equally susceptible to this loss of concentration — which is often followed by a search for prescription drugs to "help" with "ADD."

Even if you're not a full-time artist, whatever you do with your free time affects the rest of your life. You can walk away from two hours in front of the television craving some food or toy you don't need, feeling more distracted and tense than before — or you can spend that time doing something that leaves you refreshed with a sense of accomplishment. This is the difference between true re-creation and mind-numbing dropping out via TV, mindless internet browsing, or numbing yourself with alcohol or prescription drugs. This isn't to say there aren't worthwhile films, shows, and sites, or that a prescription or drink can't ever be beneficial — but when people turn to these things to numb themselves, consciously or not, they're burning time that could be spent truly refreshing themselves.

Say someone still wants to watch *Friends* reruns — even then, there's time in the day to create, learn, or re-create. I had an uncle who always carried a pocket paperback of a classic — Ovid, Virgil, Socrates — and whenever he was waiting for an elevator or had a spare minute, he'd pull it out and read. That's how he got through so many books.

Likewise, that time can be used to create. Here's one of my favorite stories about productivity: Louis Auchincloss wrote 57 novels while raising a family and working full-time as a lawyer at a real, white-shoe law firm where he had to bill hours. He wrote his last book at age 90. Whit Stillman once asked him how he managed it:

**Q: How did you manage to combine a full-time law career with such extraordinary productivity as a writer?**

What I learned to do was use bits and slices of time. If you learn that, you can cover an enormous amount of ground. I'd go to Surrogate's Court and listen to the calendar being called for a particular case — it might come up in 10 minutes or in an hour — and I'd think, look, I could write now. Lots of writers think you need rest and calm, your slippers and a cigar, and all that. That's all very well if you can have it, but you don't need it. So I picked up a great deal of time that way. If you have a notebook, you can fill it in constantly.

And there you have it. But what about artists, you say? You can't carry a five-by-four-foot painting around and whip it out whenever you have a moment. No, but you can carry a small sketchbook and sketch while waiting for the subway or the elevator. It's never wasted — as long as you're doing it consciously, you're improving your drafting skills, which means your time at the easel will be more productive.

If you forget your sketchbook, you can still make "mental sketches" and practice memory-drawing. Draw just as you would with a sketchbook, except use your finger to "draw" in the air or on your hand, practicing until you can render the subject without looking at it. When you get home, reproduce it on paper.

Try going through a day and noting how much time you spend not creating but not really doing anything — waiting for the subway, standing in line at the supermarket. Add it up; it's probably at least an hour. Not all of it can be used productively, but some certainly can. And the more we practice productivity, the more productive we get.

One last note: don't procrastinate by writing blog posts.