Putting in the Time Doesn't Always Cut It

I adore Steve Martin. There's something intellectual about him, even as he's being the biggest dork. It's as if he being dumb in an intellectual way, knowing with every joke and antic that he's owning you, in a nice way.

He's an author, you know. Before you push him aside into the pile of celebrities who publish a book by snapping a finger at a ghostwriter, think again. He's the real deal.

In the blog Study Hacks, blogger and computer scientist Cal Newport dissects what makes Steve Martin successful. That's the theme of Newport's blog - understanding how people become successful. He takes Steve Martin's history, and his book Born Standing Up, and reveals two simple, yet profound, thoughts of advice.

1. Strive to improve.
2. Focus.

The blog post goes in to greater detail, but as one who loves to pare down and condense a message, this is the gist of Martin's secret ingredients for success. It's not how long you've written, or how many times you've submitted, or how many words are in your trilogy, or even who you know.

While butt-in-chair mentality is needed to progress, if you keep writing the same old stuff, without studying for improvement, you write in circles. And if you can't focus on your main project, goal or purpose as a writer, you're wasting time.

Simply being busy isn't productive.Pick a mission. Live for it. And live to improve it each time you touch it. It's not about sweating. It's about sweating smart.