The Oldest Productivity Trick Around https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/04/magazine/the-oldest-productivity-trick-around.html The Oldest Productivity Trick Around Too often I spent my days wanting to write and not writing. The simple power of the check mark helped me get back on track. Credit...Illustration by The New York Times By Amitava Kumar May 4, 2021Updated 6:47 a.m. ET About 10 years ago, I began teaching a yearlong class in creative writing to college seniors. By the end of the course, each student was expected to produce a book of stories or poems. I formulated a mantra for them: “Write every day, and walk every day.” The specific instruction was to write 150 words and engage in mindful walking for 10 minutes.