Is Being a Perfectionist Really a Good Thing?

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life.

—Anne Lamott

“I’m such a perfectionist!”

People sometimes utter that phrase with pride, wearing the title as a badge of honor, but I’ve never understood why anyone would think perfectionism is something to be pleased about. I’ve cried myself to sleep over a mistake, and I remember my embarrassing gaffes for years after everyone else involved has forgotten them. I’ve left two novels languishing, each over halfway complete, because my own writing is never good enough to satisfy me and I’m sure no one else will find it readable, either.

I’ve always found Holly Hunter’s character, Jane, in the 1980s classic Broadcast News infinitely relatable. She’s hard-driving, smart, and an absolute perfectionist, which makes her life as a Washington bureau network news producer challenging. On one hand, she’s insanely talented. On the other, she’s stressed to her breaking point and a pain to work with. In my favorite scene, Jane battles her boss over which colleague should anchor a breaking news story. She insists her choice is the only viable option. When her boss snarks that it must be nice to be the one who always thinks she knows best, Jane whispers, “No. It’s awful.”

I can say this with authority: there’s a difference between striving for excellence and perfectionism. One is an asset, the other’s a handicap.

What is perfectionism?

We all know people with higher-than-normal standards, people who like to be right, people who are ultra-competitive and need to win. But are they all perfectionists? We tend to lump many different personality types and behaviors under the perfectionism label, but clinical perfectionism is a different beast. According to Merriam-Webster, the medical definition is:

A disposition to regard anything short of perfection as unacceptable; especially : the setting of unrealistically demanding goals accompanied by a disposition to regard failure to achieve them as unacceptable and a sign of personal worthlessness.

Perhaps the key words in that definition are “unrealistically demanding.” Having high standards is fine. Striving for quality is admirable. But expecting nothing short of a flawless performance or outcome every time is a recipe for unhappiness. When failure to meet one’s own impossibly high standards results in a feeling of “personal worthlessness,” it’s clear why being a true perfectionist is as awful as Jane said.

Are you a perfectionist?

You might be, but whether or not it’s a problem seems to be both a matter of opinion and degrees. Mental health professionals can’t quite seem to agree on terms. Some believe that perfectionistic traits can be motivational, helping a person reach for excellence. Others argue that any level of perfectionism is problematic. At best, a tendency toward high standards can mean that a person will regularly produce quality work. At worst, expecting nothing short of perfection from yourself can have painful psychological side effects. Perfectionism might be a problem if:

• You can’t take criticism. Perfectionists tend to react negatively to criticism because they equate criticism with failure and failure with worthlessness. They often internalize their feelings by beating themselves up, or they might externalize them by becoming defensive and lashing out at their critics, regardless of whether the criticism is real or perceived.
• You’re critical of others. Although perfectionists can’t take criticism, they can dish it out. They not only hold themselves to impossible standards, they often have unreasonably high expectations for others, which can make them demanding and critical. They may also avoid delegating tasks because they fear no one else is capable of getting it right.
• You procrastinate. Some people put off important tasks until the last minute because they’re distracted by more fun activities. But when you so desperately want a project to be perfect that you can’t make yourself get started (or keep going), you’re procrastinating perfectionist style.
• You expect yourself to be instantly good at things. Perfectionists tend to expect a high level of competency from themselves right off the bat. When they struggle to learn a new skill, they prefer giving up to working harder.
• You’re motivated by fear of failure rather than a desire for success. High achievers tend to reach toward their goals because they’re driven by a desire to succeed. Perfectionists push themselves because they fear how others will perceive them if they’re anything less than the best.
• It’s your way or the highway. Perfectionists tend to like things a certain way—their way. They’re the ones reorganizing the dishwasher after someone else has loaded it, or scolding a colleague for using the wrong font in a document.
• You equate success with happiness. Perfectionists believe they can only be happy when they achieve perfection. But, because they’re rarely perfect, they’re rarely happy. Their constant worries about failing to meet their own impossible standards can lead to health problems such as depression, eating disorders, and anxiety. There’s even some evidence to show that perfectionists can have shorter lifespans.

Try to impress yourself, not anyone else

Experts have identified two types of perfectionism, a good kind and a bad kind. Those who try their best and expect themselves and others to do well, but who treat failures as learning opportunities rather than indicators of inferiority, are the good kind of perfectionists—achievers with high standards of excellence.

There’s nothing wrong with aiming high, but shooting for perfection should cause you to feel inspired, not anxious. In fact, research suggests that people who are motivated by a desire to please or impress others perform worse than those who simply set ambitious goals for themselves. If you drive yourself hard mainly because you’re worried others will see you as less-than-perfect, consider discarding impossibly high expectations and working toward getting good enough. Your quirks, and even your little mistakes, infuse your work with personality, so leave perfect precision to machines and remember that to err is human.

These Roaring Dinosaur Puns Will Help You Cope With Life

Besides being cool, dinosaurs are funny. Chuckling about these amusing extinct animals will help you cope with life. Check out these roaring dinosaur puns!

What do you call a dinosaur with an extensive vocabulary?

Answer: A thesaurus.

No list of dinosaur puns would be complete without this one. It is one of the oldest jokes in the book!

Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl going to the bathroom?

Answer: (Because the P is silent!)

While you have a giggle about that, take a moment to reflect on the other silent P words in the English language. How many do you know? Hint: These words begin with ps, pn, and pt. We found a vocabulary list with thirteen silent P words. Note: Technically, pterodactyls aren’t dinosaurs. Here’s why.

What do you call it when a dinosaur has a car accident?

Answer: A tyrannosaurus wreck!

Seriously, tyrannosaurs are often the butt of jokes because of their short arms. Thankfully, modern technology can provide extensions for a steering wheel.

Incidentally, if you look up dinosaur in the thesaurus, you will find a list of words that mean “obsolete” and “outmoded”! So, whenever you think that you had a hard day at work, remember, the dinosaurs had it worse! This isn’t actually a pun, but it’s sadly amusing!

Who makes the best prehistoric reptile clothes?

Answer: A dino-sewer!

Pronunciation is key to this pun. If you pronounce sewer like the system that carries away waste products, the joke does not make sense. In this case, sewer is someone who sews. After the release of a popular dinosaur movie, there are memes about velociraptor training all over the Internet. They are certainly scary, but so are most dinosaurs! See if you can figure out this tricky pun about another ancient reptile:

What is the scariest type of dinosaur?

Answer: A Terror-dactyl. Hopefully, these dinosaur puns made you smile. Remember them the next time you have a hard day! Which puns would you add to the list?

Which Grammar Rules Are Dying?

We all make mistakes. Sometimes, we even embrace them.

Such is the case with language. The words you’re reading right now are the product of centuries of slang, corruption, amalgamation, and lazy habits. The writers of today gently nudge future evolutions of English by choosing which mistakes will be acceptable tomorrow. (For instance, where you use verbs like “stung” and “stunk,” experts believe future writers may instead opt for “stinged” and “stinked.”)

At Grammarly, we’ve helped our users catch and fix millions of mistakes, ensuring their prose reads as deliberate and professional. But sometimes, writers bend the rules. And we’re not here to sneer – we’re all about putting grammar snobbery to bed!

Still, it’s fascinating to think that the rules people tend to ignore might someday not be rules at all. Here are the corrections we’ve noticed our users reject most often – which may give us some hints about changing usage and what kinds of mistakes are becoming more acceptable.

1 Ellipses

The old-school utility of the ellipsis (plural: ellipses) comes when leaving something out. Say you wanted to quote the U.S. Constitution’s protection for free speech; it’s part of the First Amendment, which fully reads:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

That’s one hefty sentence. For the sake of brevity, you might use a couple of ellipses to winnow down the germane pieces thusly:

Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . .

That’s when the ellipsis is working as a buttoned-down professional, anyway. In less formal contexts, it can also show points where speakers pause or trail off, like so:

“So… What do you want to do?” “It might be fun to go to the movies…”

In text messaging, where some conversations are never-ending, it’s that last use where the ellipsis might be coming to reflect how such exchanges also tend to trail off rather than reach a clear-cut stopping point like “goodbye.”

Another potential factor driving an uptick in off-label ellipsis use might be a shifting interpretation of the staid and serious period – which in certain contexts may now be read as a flash of passive aggression.

2 Compound subjects

More than 10 percent of users faced with compound-subject problems ultimately rejected their suggested corrections – but wait, what does “compound subject” even mean?

A compound subject uses a conjunction to connect more than one noun phrase, as in “The hero and her golden retriever rescued three kittens.”

While the nouns in compound subjects aren’t typically separated by commas, they can be offset as such in cases where the second item is parenthetical: “The hero, and her sidekick, saved the kitties from a fire.”

Compound subjects can sometimes trigger subject-verb confusion. (If you find yourself tripped up by irregular verbs, know that compound subjects are always plural, as in “Onlookers and the cats’ owner were elated and grateful.”)

What this means for the evolution of language remains to be seen. But that Grammarly users often reject such corrections may suggest some inclination to sound conversationally natural, as in “The mayor says the girl’s courage and quick thinking is an inspiration.”

3 Hyphens

Hyphens tie words together. They most often come in handy when you have a compound modifier for a noun, like “rainy-day music” or “leopard-skin pill-box hat.”

But proper hyphenation can also feel deceptively complex. Hyphens are used to write out certain numbers (e.g., “twenty-three”) but they don’t apply to adverbs (“truly exciting”).

That Grammarly users don’t always opt to tweak their hyphenation (or lack thereof) may suggest a future where, sometimes, compound modifiers just feel clear enough on their own, without help from ancillary punctuation.

4 Lowercase i

Grammarly users frequently opt not to capitalize the first-person pronoun, I, instead going with the lowercase, as in “i think this is peachy.” And indeed, in casual venues like social media, it’s often fine – a stylishly unkempt affectation akin to shredded jeans or untamed hair, perhaps.

One of the main factors that steers which direction language drifts is whether a given convention is easily understood; confusing or unwieldy ones are quickly abandoned. But lowercase i isn’t complicated or difficult to parse, so while it’s most likely not a stellar choice when you’re drafting a cover letter, it’s probably not about to go away, either.

5 Oxford comma

A list of several items in a sentence puts the ever-industrious comma to work like so: “The author argues guns, germs, and steel all played parts in the conquest of the continent.” But that last comma, known as the Oxford comma or the serial comma, isn’t always crucial, as in this example: “The singer pleaded for his father to send help in the form of lawyers, guns and money.”

The case for the Oxford comma is that sometimes it’s essential for clarity, as in this sentence: “I’m fond of my dogs, Bertrand Russell and Ada Lovelace.” Unless you’ve selected truly erudite names to call your pets (in which case, bravo) you might want an Oxford comma to help clear that sentence up.

Still, we’ve found that Grammarly users frequently ignore suggestions to use the Oxford comma. One reason may simply be that it’s not always vital. Another may owe to its detractors; the Associated Press Stylebook, for instance, generally advises reporters and editors to skip the Oxford comma. All the same, it comes in quite handy from time to time, suggesting it’s most likely not about to disappear altogether.

6 Prepositions

In certain contexts, some prepositions just work better than others. Consider this: “Try your best out there – I believe at you.” Feels funky, doesn’t it?

Grammarly spotted some 26 million issues along these lines in users’ writing. And more than 6 percent of those who looked at potential remedies then decided “nah, I prefer it my way, thanks.”

As we ponder the ways English might change in subsequent generations, this might be worth keeping . . . in mind? Indeed, let’s stick with in, at least for now.

7 Question mark

Why do some people write perfectly reasonable questions that end with periods instead of question marks. And what does this portend about the evolution of English?

Well, as with the ellipsis, this convention may owe something to the ubiquity of text messaging. In texts, some questions aren’t really asking for any particular piece of information or response. For instance, consider “I have an urgent deadline, can we reschedule lunch.” In this example, I’m not posing a question at all; I’m informing you that I can’t make it to the cafe today, so we’ll have to meet another time.

And while, eventually, we will assuredly hash out a new lunch plan, there’s no question mark because right now I’m not eliciting your immediate input. It’s just not something I really want while facing a looming deadline.

As to this trend’s long-term ramifications for the question mark – well, who’s to say.

8 Subordinate clauses

Although this one might sound arcane, the challenge with subordinate clauses really just has to do with comma errors that can crop up in sentences like this one. Although the term “subordinating conjunction” may sound intimidating, it really just means words like the “although” at the beginning of this sentence here.

Subordinate clauses may sometimes make subject-verb agreement confusing, particularly when it comes to matters of singular and plural. If that’s you, don’t feel bad; we tallied almost 2 million instances where this came up. And if you were among the many thousands who shrugged and decided to stick with what you originally wrote, you may just be in the vanguard of a bold new linguistic convention.

Verb Tenses–Grammar Rules

Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future. The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the day, yesterday, last week, three years ago). The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things that are continuous. The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow, next week, next year, three years from now).

The following table illustrates the proper use of verb tenses:

Simple Present	Simple Past	Simple Future
I read nearly every day.	Last night, I read an entire novel.	I will read as much as I can this year.
Present Continuous	Past Continuous	Future Continuous
I am reading Shakespeare at the moment.	I was reading Edgar Allan Poe last night.	I will be reading Nathaniel Hawthorne soon.
Present Perfect	Past Perfect	Future Perfect
I have read so many books I can’t keep count.	I had read at least 100 books by the time I was twelve.	I will have read at least 500 books by the end of the year.
Present Perfect Continuous	Past Perfect Continuous	Future Perfect Continuous
I have been reading since I was four years old.	I had been reading for at least a year before my sister learned to read.	I will have been reading for at least two hours before dinner tonight.

The Present Tenses

Simple Present

Present Perfect

Present Continuous

The Past Tenses

Simple Past

Past Perfect

Past Continuous

Past Perfect Continuous

The Future Tenses

Simple Future

Future Perfect

Future Continuous

Future Perfect Continuous

What’s the Difference Between Grammar Correction and Grammar Trolling?

Prescriptive English grammar seems to be one of those things that either impassions you or inspires some level of dread. Lovers of English grammar and usage are energized by mastering the rules of a messy and disorganized language. For the rest of us, our feelings run the gamut from indifference to loathing as we muddle through a seemingly arbitrary organizational system and apply it to something as individual as language. There’s pride. There’s resentment. There’s a lot in between.

Most of us live in the “in between.” We understand that following traditional grammar and usage rules helps us succeed at work and in our communities. It makes us better communicators. We do our best to write and speak well and to help our friends and loved ones do the same. It would be great if we could leave it as that—just a bunch of well-meaning people trying their best. Unfortunately, there is an ugly side to this pursuit of grammatical correctness.

Some people take it upon themselves to “police” grammar online or at work. When they use restraint and tact, these people can positively contribute to their communities. Sadly, many people miss the mark and consider “foolish” grammar mistakes justification for making others feel bad. These are grammar trolls. They are language bullies. And as well meaning as they think their efforts are, all us in-betweeners (56 percent) pretty much agree that peer grammar correction is not such a good idea. Language bullying destroys trust, hurts communities, and is just plain mean. (#StopGrammarTrolls)

Understanding Who Grammar Trolls Are

It’s likely that you know one or two people who infuriate others with their pedantic and vocal approach to grammar. It’s possible that you’re worried you might be a grammar troll. (Here’s a hint: if you have ever wished you had an app for correcting people’s texts, you are probably a grammar troll.) Language bullies are everywhere and come in all shapes and sizes, but they’re easy to spot because these trolls have some typical characteristics.

• Hyper-corrects self and others
• Focuses on relatively minor grammar and writing mistakes (e.g., typos)
• Makes broad statements and exhibits black-and-white thinking
• Insults, mocks, or shames others over writing mistakes

If we break each one of these down, you’ll get a clearer picture:

First, grammar trolls have a (compulsive?) need to correct grammar and other linguistic mistakes. This alone makes them scientifically proven jerks. This perfectionism can stem from a general need for control or from a desire to impose control on one sphere of influence when other areas are perceived as chaotic.

Trolls also tend to call out minor language errors as a front for a lack of deeper understanding. They rely on typos, missing words, and stale grammar myths (e.g., never end a sentence with a preposition) to prop up their “contributions.”

Trolls have a flair for generalizations and overstatement, particularly of their own opinions about grammar or writing—it’s all or nothing with them.

Finally—and this shouldn’t be a surprise—language bullies lack empathy for other writers. They often assume that all writers have had the same experiences with language that they have had and, therefore, have “no excuse” not to “know better.” It seems lost on trolls that while it’s easier now than ever to improve your grammar, we’re still not all starting at the same place. Nor do we necessarily want everyone to follow the rules all the time.

Drawing the Line Between Trolling and Helping

As a language lover, you might look at that list and think, “Geez, this looks familiar.” There is a fine line between a language troll and a helpful grammarian, which is why we’ve made the case before that you shouldn’t ever correct others’ grammar. However, there are some differences that deserve attention.

The critical differentiator is motivation. Trolls and bullies correct people for their own gratification—to vent anger, to feel superior, to connect with others, etc. Grammar samaritans offer advice and corrections for others’ benefit—to notify the small business that tweeted a typo or to help that co-worker who keeps using “their” incorrectly in company memos. If you’re not sure which bucket you fall into, ask yourself this: Why are you correcting this person’s or group’s grammar? Think seriously about this one. If you’re doing it for any other reason besides helping that person or group, you’re bullying. If you’re so sure that you’re doing it to be helpful, ask yourself this final telling question: how are you going to correct them? If you considered anything other than a tactful private message or conversation, you’re probably bullying.

Why are you correcting this person’s or group’s grammar? Think seriously about this one. If you’re doing it for any other reason besides helping that person or group, you’re bullying.

To be clear, bullying

• Is for the troll’s gratification
• Focuses on petty errors
• Destroys trust within the community or group and creates an us-vs.-them dynamic
• Often degrades others
• Is often public

While helpful correction

• Is for others’ benefit
• Deals with substantial errors or small errors that have a strong, cumulative influence
• Creates trust within the community or group and is inclusive
• Is tactful and considerate
• Stays private

Grammar trolls are pedants whose love of language and being correct trumps their love of community and people. Grammar samaritans are those who use their passion and love to build community and trust. For the majority of us on the fence about grammar, we can all come together around our frustration with language trolls. When it comes to helping with grammar and language bullying, there is no in between. You’re helpful or you’re not.

What is your experience with grammar trolls? Let us know on social media with #nogrammartrolls.

8 Incredible Podcasts All Book Enthusiasts Will Love

Is life getting in the way of your book habit? The more hectic your schedule, the harder it is to find time to indulge in your favorite work of fiction.

Fortunately there’s a new invention called a “podcast” that may just satisfy your craving for juicy storytelling. As an audio-only experience, podcasts can be enjoyed at times when it’s simply not practical to read a book—like while driving a car during your morning commute, standing squished against strangers in a bumpy train car, or working at your computer.

If you’re ready to be whisked away to realms of imagination, learning, and exploration, here are eight incredible podcasts you’re sure to love.

1Myths and Legends

For those who love a good fantasy, Jason Weiser’s Myths and Legends delves into the rich and bizarre realm of world folklore.You’ll meet wizards and princesses, gods and dragons, and learn the fantastic (and often surprising) origin stories of your favorite fantasy characters before Disney got ahold of them. Weiser’s insightful storytelling and melodious voice will carry you off to magical lands and keep you coming back for more.

Couldn’t be more in love if I tried. @mythpodcast #mythpodcast #mythsandlegends #greatstor… https://t.co/mHY1ZL4wJ0 pic.twitter.com/udlsQTjw70

— Chenoa Loves Hair (@chenoaloveshair) March 22, 2016

2The Black Tapes

As an investigative documentary series, The Black Tapes is a modern-day War of the Worlds—convincingly blurring the lines between real-life and fiction. The show follows journalist Alex Reagan and paranormal expert Dr. Richard Strand as they investigate Strand’s mysterious unsolved cases. In their search for truth the duo encounter strange disappearances, occultic geometry, and portals to hell. Fans of sci-fi, mystery, and public radio will revel in this gem of a show.

Serial meets X-Files: the #blacktapespod is the most imaginative podcast since CBC’s brilliant Wiretap. https://t.co/be7zE9yvW6

— Miles Weafer (@miles_weafer) May 14, 2017

3LeVar Burton Reads

Need to get your short story fix? For countless years fans have been begging LeVar Burton to create a Reading Rainbow for adults, and the gods of fiction have finally smiled down on us with LeVar Burton Reads.

Burton selects his favorite short stories from various genres . . . which he then reads to you, whereby fulfilling one of your greatest childhood fantasies (or is that just me?).

The warm, soothing tones of his voice will melt away the stress and anxiety of daily life, and the thirty- to sixty-minute run time is perfect for your commute.

I started my week listening to @levarburton read me a story during my commute and I swear it has made all the difference.��#LevarBurtonReads

— lacie kopez (@KacieFriday) August 7, 2017

4The Grift

Lovers of true crime, this one’s for you! Journalist Maria Konnikova takes us deep into the world of con artists and their victims. Each episode of The Grift focuses on the incredible life and crimes of an infamous con artist. From the greatest card sharp alive, to a master art forger, to the schemer behind a $450 million Ponzi scheme, you’ll get a peek inside the minds of these expert deceivers and leave with as many questions as answers. It’s a cocktail of deception, power, and charisma that goes down smooth.

#TheGrift pic.twitter.com/8NuCZ06Ap9

— Panoply (@Panoply) April 28, 2017

5Modern Love

Based on the popular New York Times column, the Modern Love podcast dwells at the intersection of drama, romance, and the personal essay. The stories featured explore love and relationships, heartbreak and joy, with a vulnerability and intimacy that’s often heart wrenching.

Most episodes run twenty to twenty-five minutes and feature an essay lovingly read by an actor or personality (Kristin Chenoweth, Margaret Cho, and Judd Apatow, to name a few), plus an insightful follow-up with the essay’s author.

Swooning over this week’s #modernlove podcast about #bigtalk. Hint: It’s huge! https://t.co/gHSHneDA2M #intuition #matchmakers #datingtips

— Kelleher Intl (@kellehermatch) March 24, 2017

6Fictional

Another must-listen series from the creative genius behind Myths and Legends, Fictional transports us into the world of classic literature—but with a twist. Weiser features books that are difficult reads but tells them in a modern, conversational voice that’s easy for modern ears to follow.

Whether you’re already a fan of Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, or if you’ve had difficulty getting comfortable with these texts, this podcast brings new life to classic stories.

@fictionalpod thx for doing a Sherlock story so quickly! Loved it! Keep up the great work, already loving this podcast!

— Joel Mendez (@JoeDiddy99) August 23, 2017

7Lore

If you’re a fan of horror, folklore, history (or just plain having your pants scared off) you’ll find a new favorite in Lore. This award-winning podcast tells the spine-tingling true life stories of the ghosts, monsters, curses, tragedies, and altogether unexplainable phenomena that have haunted human history. So grab a mug of cocoa and a blanket, and lean a little closer to the campfire—the show’s tagline, “Sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction,” does not disappoint.

I’ll be honest, this @lorepodcast story truly creeped me out and I thought I was immune at this point. ������ #podcast #mystery #lore #folklore https://t.co/5PQ4osQz6D

— Brook (@brook_podjunkie) August 22, 2017

8Rabbits

Another compelling docudrama for those whole love a good mystery, Rabbits resides in the same world as The Black Tapes—full of shady characters, conspiracy theories, and the unexplained. Carly Parker takes us into the world of ARGs (Alternate Reality Games) as she searches for her best friend, Yumiko, who has disappeared while playing a dangerous game known only as “Rabbits”. But as Carly’s quest unfolds, the rabbit hole begins to go much deeper than expected.

This made weeding, baking and cleaning thrilling! Fascinating podcast! #rabbits https://t.co/4KuEvdtYSj

— Erin Conkin (@ErinConkin) August 1, 2017

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up Your Writing

A few years ago, author Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, became a New York Times Bestseller. Kondo, a Japanese consultant who helps people get organized, detailed her KonMari method of decluttering in her book. We wondered if her principles could be applied to writing and found that they work just as well for creating clean copy as they do for creating a clean habitat.

“In Japan,” writes Kondo, “people believe that things like cleaning your room and keeping your bathroom spick-and-span bring good luck, but if your house is cluttered, the effect of polishing the toilet bowl is going to be limited. The same is true for the practice of feng shui. It is only when you put your house in order that your furniture and decorations come to life.”

Here are some great tips inspired by Kondo’s book to help you declutter your writing and make it come to life.

Tidy by Categories

It’s hard to figure out where to start editing when you look at your writing as a whole, but if you break it down into categories things become a whole lot easier. Kondo’s book will help you clear out a cluttered closet and find a new home for that blender you never use. In writing, instead of taking out the garbage, you’ll be sweeping away the extra verbiage. Finding incidences of some of the words below might be as simple as using your word processor’s “find” feature (ctrl + F or cmd + F), sorting through your finds, and deciding what to dump.

Slash weasel words

Weasel words are qualifiers. They can make your position seem weak or ambiguous, as though you’re trying to create a little wiggle room. Say what you mean! Slash words like: could, can, like, may, might, virtually, up to, as much as, believe, and possibly. You may need a qualifier every now and again, but more often than not you’ll find yourself able to cut them without changing the meaning of what you’ve written. In fact, your writing will be stronger and you’ll sound more confident. How will you know you’ve used a weasel word? If you sound like a politician trying to smooth over a public relations disaster, you’re on the right track.

Toss out very, really, and other empty words

Renowned newspaper editor William Allen White said, “If you feel the urge of ‘very’ coming on, just write the word, ‘damn,’ in the place of ‘very.’ The editor will strike out the word, ‘damn,’ and you will have a good sentence.” Editors disdain the words very and really, so it only stands to reason that you should pitch them out when you’re cleaning up your draft.

You may find you have a tendency to use adverbs to amplify weak adjectives. Instead of saying that death metal concert was “really loud” you could say it was “ear-splitting.” That good-looking salesman may be “very cool,” but why not describe him as “suave” instead? Better yet, especially if you’re writing fiction, do your best to eliminate adjectives that tell readers how to feel. Invoke feelings through narrative, instead.

Just like very and really, there are plenty of other words and phrases in the English language that, more often than not, aren’t necessary in clean writing. When you find them hanging around in your drafts, just like the 150 neckties hanging in your closet (including the twelve you actually wear), strike them out whenever possible:

• That
• Currently
• Presently
• Actually
• In order to
• Start to
• Suddenly
• Because of
• Therefore

Eliminate redundancies

It doesn’t make much sense to have both a toaster and a toaster oven—they’re two appliances with the same function, which makes them redundant. Redundant words and phrases can easily creep into writing, too. Search your draft with an eye out for where you might be repeating yourself. Here’s an example:

Before: Not a soul wandered the dark, deserted streets that night.

The words “not a soul” imply that a place is deserted. “That night” implies darkness. Eliminate the redundancies:

After: Not a soul wandered the streets that night.

Also, keep an eye out for tautologies—phrases with words that mean or imply the same thing. A few examples:

• Baby puppy
• Future prospects
• Added bonus
• 2:00 a.m. in the morning
• Completely devoid
• Final outcome
• Duplicate copy
• Honest truth

Don’t get too attached

Kondo is onto something when she directs her readers to focus on specific categories one at a time. The practice allows you to detach from your writing project as a whole and home in on the specific bits that need tidying up. It also encourages you to be ruthless with your purging. Remember: less is more!

We tend to ramble when we’re writing; it’s our brain’s way of finding just the right words. It’s fine to pour those words out into your first draft, but once the draft is finished, it’s time to start cleaning house. To declutter your living space, Kondo recommends putting all your clothing (or books) on the floor so you can get a clear look at just how much you have and get rid of whatever’s unnecessary. You can apply the same principle to your writing. Dump everything into your draft, but then sort through it, category by category, and keep only what works.

In writing, just as in keeping a home, we often become attached to things that don’t serve any useful purpose. You may love the way you’ve turned a particular phrase, but if it doesn’t fit with the rest of what you’ve written, or it’s otherwise repetitive or unnecessary, then it has to go. As Stephen King said in his book On Writing: “Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”

The joy of tidy writing

Cleaning up your writing, just like cleaning up your home, is a process. It takes time to develop the habits that keep clutter at bay. But, as you tidy up each draft, you’ll begin to learn how to avoid most of the messiness in the first place. When you come across weasel words, empty words, and redundancies, you’ll be able to leave them on the shelf, and your writing will bring you joy.

Monday Motivation Hack: Focus on Self-Improvement

Are you better this week than you were last week?

There’s only one way to guarantee an affirmative answer to that question: Set a self-improvement goal at the beginning of the week.

Why the beginning?

What Research Says

Long-term goals encourage procrastination rather than action.

In a study published in 2015, Daphna Oyserman of the USC Dornsife Mind and Society Center and Neil Lewis of the University of Michigan found that for goals to be motivating, the future (the deadline) must feel imminent. In one scenario, the researchers asked participants when they would begin saving for retirement. They told the first group that they would retire from their jobs in 10,950 to 14,600 days. The second group planned on retirement starting after 30 to 40 years. Even though 10,950 to 14,600 days is the same amount of time as 30 to 40 years, the term “days” influenced how imminent the participants perceived their deadlines to be. The “days” group planned to start saving four times sooner than the group who thought of the event in years.

What the Research Means for You

Instead of setting a far-off goal, break one of your long-term goals into smaller chunks that have an imminent deadline. Amy Morin of Forbes called them “now deadlines,” and she explained how to reach them: “Create target dates to reach your objectives. Find something you can do this week to begin taking some type of action now.” Let’s look at an example together.

Long-term goal: Write a novel in one year.

Short-term chunks:

• Day One: Think of three interesting plot ideas by Sunday.
• Day Two: Decide which plot you want to pursue.
• Days Three to Six: Write 500 words every day.
• Day Seven: Read and enjoy what you’ve written so far.

Why Short-Term Self Improvement Goals are Always Successful

Forward movement is progress. Starting your week with an objective will provide motivation and structure. You may not always meet your daily goal, but you will still be moving forward and improving yourself. For instance, in the example above, the goal for Day Four was five hundred words. Even if you don’t have a chance to write a single word that day, you have still come up with three awesome plots and five hundred words of your new novel. You can get back on track for Days Four through Seven. The small steps you take every week will lead to big accomplishments.

You can’t predict the future. No one can say for a certainty what will happen in the future, especially years or decades from now. However, you can speculate what will happen tomorrow or next week with some accuracy. Take advantage of your short-term prediction skills by setting goals for the near future. You will have time to adapt and change to new events, technology, and even the weather when you set short-term goals.

How to Choose a Self-Improvement Goal

In an article titled “How to Worry Less About the Future and Make Each Week Awesome,” Samy Felice suggests concentrating on weekly events that are in your control. You can center goals around what time you wake up, with whom you associate, and what you eat, read, and watch. You can drop a bad habit or pick up a healthy one.

So, what will your goal be? Whatever you decide, make sure to divide your big objectives into small, manageable chunks that you can focus on each week. Choose something in your control, and don’t be discouraged by minor setbacks.

Are you better this week than you were last week? If you start the week with a self-improvement goal, the answer will always be yes.

Among vs. Amongst: What’s the Difference?

Amongst and among mean the same thing, but among is most common, particularly in American English. Both words are prepositions that mean “into, surrounded by; in the midst of, so as to influence; with a share for each of; in the number, class, or group of; mutually; or by all or with the whole of.”

Linda Richman, a Saturday Night Live character, would often give her audience an interesting topic to ponder, such as “The peanut is neither a pea nor a nut,” delivering the line in an exaggerated New York accent. “Talk amongst yourselves,” she would instruct them. Why did she say “Talk amongst yourselves” instead of “Talk among yourselves?” Is amongst a word? And if so, what is the difference between among and amongst?

Among is the older version of the word, tracing its roots back to Old English. Amongst appeared in Middle English. During this period, the English language added sounds to some words to form adverbs. In modern English, we still have some words like that, such as once, always, and unawares. Amongst, whilst, whence, and amidst may sound dated to some, but they’re still part of the language.

Here are some examples from literature:

“Voldemort himself created his worst enemy, just as tyrants everywhere do! Have you any idea how much tyrants fear the people they oppress? All of them realize that, one day, amongst their many victims, there is sure to be one who rises against them and strikes back!” —Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling

“But the bravest man amongst us is afraid of himself.” —The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde

“An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself.” —Marcus Tullius Cicero

“Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.” —Jane Wagner

Though the meaning of among and amongst is the same, the frequency of use is not. Among is much more popular than amongst. The Oxford English Corpus counts about 10,000 mentions of amongst in American writing. However, among appears over 300,000 times. The difference is less extreme in British English and other international English dialects, but among is always most common.

Because it appears less often than among, amongst can seem foreign, pretentious, or even incorrect. Then again, one blog quotes Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage as saying that the commentators who call amongst quaint or overrefined are “off-target.”

Among vs. Between

Use among (or amongst) to describe collective relationships: The key was hidden among the papers covering the desk. Use between when a one-to-one relationship or multiple binary relationships: The treasure map had been stuffed between the sofa cushions.

Linda Richman never asked whether writers should use among or amongst as a topic, but wouldn’t it make a great discussion? Which do you prefer?

Did You Learn Grammar in Primary And Secondary School?

What do you think? Tell us in the comments!

Here’s the Real History of Mother’s Day

Did moms come up with Mother’s Day as an easy way to get pancakes in bed? Did activists fight for its adoption as a way to get folks to focus on peace? Or did card companies invent it as a way to make a few (billion) bucks?

If you answered all of the above, you’re right. Well, at least partially. Peace activists did play a role in early versions of Mother’s Day, and makers of cards and candy (not to mention florists) do get to rake in the rewards the second week of May every year. And yes, who would ever pass up an excuse for pancakes?

But there’s more to the history of Mother’s Day than meets the eye. In addition to the hidden history of the holiday, there’s a whole lot of controversy, from debates about who came up with the holiday first, to lawsuits about who’s able to use the name “Mother’s Day,” to one of the founders actually trying to get the holiday scratched from the books, even after fighting to get it recognized as a national day. Besides all that, there’s the question of where that pesky apostrophe goes. (Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered on that one.)

Here are the secrets of Mother’s Day and its history. And, for good measure, a few ideas on how to celebrate your own mom on the second Sunday of May.

The Birth of Mother’s Day

The origin of Mother’s Day as we know it took place in the early 1900s. A woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers in 1905, the year her own mother died. The first larger-scale celebration of the holiday was in 1908, when Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia.

Over the next few years, Jarvis pushed to have the holiday officially recognized, and it was celebrated increasingly in more and more states around the U.S. Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day an official holiday, to take place the second Sunday of May.

Anna Jarvis put Mother’s Day on the calendar as a day dedicated to expressing love and gratitude to mothers, acknowledging the sacrifices women make for their children. That’s why she was determined to keep “Mother’s” a singular possessive, as marked by the apostrophe before “s.” Each family should celebrate its own mother, so that individual women across the country could feel the love, even in the midst of a broad celebration of motherhood.

Other Mother’s Days

Before Anna Jarvis worked to get a day just for recognizing mothers, her own mom played an important role uniting women for good causes. Mama Jarvis—also known as Ann Reeves Jarvis—cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the field during the Civil War, and in its aftermath she organized a “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” the goal of which was to foster reconciliation between former Union and Confederate soldiers by having them come together, along with mothers from both sides. With the senior Jarvis’ lifelong focus on caring for children and promoting peace, it’s no wonder her daughter fought for a day just for moms.

At around the same time Ann Reeves Jarvis was working with mothers in the spirit of peace, Julia Ward Howe, another activist—as well as abolitionist and suffragette—worked to have June 2 be celebrated as “Mother’s Peace Day,” and wrote a “Mother’s Day Proclamation” calling on mothers to work toward world peace.

These women and others were responsible for precursors to Mother’s Day in American culture, but celebrations of motherhood go back deeper than that. Such celebrations sometimes involved worship of a mother deity, such as the Goddess Isis in Ancient Egypt, or Cybele and Rhea in Ancient Greece. In other cases, celebrations were only tangentially about mothers: Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom, for example, was originally dedicated to the “Mother Church,” but was later broadened to honor human mothers, too.

Around the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated in a variety of ways and on different dates throughout the year, though many countries observe the holiday on the same day as the United States—proof of the powerful impact made by Anna Jarvis.

The Big Mother’s Day Controversy

Even after Anna Jarvis was successful in getting Mother’s Day made an official national holiday, she wasn’t satisfied with the way that holiday was celebrated. She had teamed up with florists while she was lobbying to get the holiday recognized, even recommending a white carnation as the symbolic flower of Mother’s Day.

However, in the first few years of the holiday’s official existence, Jarvis observed as florists, candy-makers and card-makers, and even charities used Mother’s Day as a way to make an extra buck. The commercialization of Mother’s Day, according to Jarvis, defeated the whole point of a holiday that was supposed to be about celebrating the personal, individual connection between a mother and her children.

From about 1920 onward, Jarvis fought hard to prevent businesses from profiting by means of Mother’s Day cards, candy, flowers, and other gifts. Although she had fought to be recognized as the one and only “Mother of Mother’s Day,” she later lobbied to have the holiday removed from the calendar of national holidays, and spent piles of her own money in lawsuits against profiteers she saw as using the Mother’s Day name in vain.

The Commercialization of Mother’s Day

Did Anna Jarvis have success getting people to cut down on the consumerism? If you’re considering buying your mother a card or a bouquet of flowers, you’ve got your answer.

The National Retail Federation does a yearly survey to find out how much Americans are planning on spending for Mother’s Day. Here’s a hint: most people aren’t busting out the crayons to make a homemade card.

In 2017, the expected total spending for Mother’s Day in the United States is $23.6 billion. That’s an average of $186.39 per shopper. In the fourteen years the National Retail Federation has conducted the Mother’s Day spending survey, that’s the highest amount yet.

But don’t feel bad if you’re not planning on forking up quite so much. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Mom without emptying your wallet. It’s all about making it special.

How to Celebrate Mother’s Day Today

For most modern moms, going out to brunch or getting a Hallmark card and a fat bunch of flowers will do the trick. Sure, Anna Jarvis will roll her eyes, but if Mom’s grateful, where’s the real harm?

If you want to go the Anna Jarvis route, make your own card or write a letter to show your love to your mommy dearest. Need inspiration? Use a phrase involving the word “mother” (like, “Word to your mother” or “Shall I be mother?”) or a nice mom-centric quotation. Here’s a good one:

There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one. – Jill Churchill

More where those came from here.

For some more free alternatives, you can pick up the phone (fun fact: Mother’s Day marks the highest phone traffic of the year in the United States), take Mom for a walk (if you live nearby), or send over something sentimental, like these pictures of animal moms with their cubs, pups, kits, or kids. Irresistible, right?

Most importantly, show your mom that she (and Grammarly) taught you well by putting the apostrophe in the right place when you write “Happy Mother’s Day.”

How to Accept a Job Offer (Examples and Tips You Should See)

Accepting a job offer isn’t as simple as saying, “I’ll take it! When do I start?” It’s important to make sure you and your employer have covered all the bases and there’s no confusion. It’s best to accept a job offer with a letter of acceptance.

What to Look for in a Job Offer

Prior to the official offer, you may take part in a brief little dance (sometimes called a supposal) where your potential employer says something like, “Suppose we want to offer you a position. What would we have to offer in order for you to accept?” Once you’ve negotiated the terms, it’s time to seal the deal.

Here’s a tip: The time to negotiate your salary and benefits is before you’ve accepted the position. If you’ve had a strong interview (or series of them) and you’re anticipating being offered a position, it makes sense to prepare to address these things in advance. Knowing what you want is half the battle.

Except in the most informal cases, your future employer should then extend an offer to you in writing. The offer should lay out:

• Your salary
• Your benefits package
• Your start date

Here’s a tip: If the employer doesn’t extend a written offer, it’s a good idea to request one. You can subtly prompt the employer to send you something in writing by saying, “I’m excited to get to work! I’ll review the terms of your written offer just as soon as I receive it. When would you need my response?”

How to Write an Acceptance Letter

You’ve got the job! Now it’s time to show your new employer they’ve made a good investment. You polished your resume and cover letter, so give your acceptance letter the same attention. Make sure you proofread your letter carefully. (May we suggest a helpful personal editor?)

Here’s a tip: Read your letter aloud to yourself before you send it. Reading aloud helps you recognize problems with flow and syntax—the parts you stumble on as you speak might need some rewriting.

Be sure to express your gratitude for the job offer. You’ve been given an opportunity, and your acceptance letter is a great time to show how excited you are to get started. Think about what you’re looking forward to the most. Maybe you’re amped about contributing your creative energies to projects, or you’re on board with the company’s mission, or you’re ready to dig into a project you’ve been told about. Go ahead and say so!

Keep your letter short and sweet, but do include these elements:

• A thank-you for the opportunity
• Verbiage that says you accept the company’s offer of employment
• Your title
• A recap of the salary and benefits as you understand them
• The date you expect to start

Job Offer Acceptance Letter Example

You can send your acceptance letter by snail mail or email. If you send a hard copy letter, format it like a business letter with your contact information at the top.

Here’s a tip: If you’re unfamiliar with business letter formats, word processors like Google Docs and MS Word have handy templates you can use.

If you’re sending an email, include your name in the subject line and the words “Job Offer Acceptance.”

Here’s what the body of your message might look like:

Dear Cecilia,

I was excited to get your phone call yesterday. I’m writing to formally accept your employment offer for the Social Media Manager position at XYZ Company. Thank you for the opportunity to put my skills to work making XYZ’s brand shine across multiple platforms.

As we agreed, my starting salary will be $52,800 per year with two weeks of paid time off. I understand that health and dental benefits will be available after ninety days of employment.

If there’s anything you need from me prior to that start date, or any documents I should bring on my first day, just let me know. I’m eager to dig in and get started on November 6, 2017.

Thanks again,

Paul

NFL Fan Grammar Rankings: How does your team stack up?

Geoff Foster, of The Wall Street Journal’s “The Count” sports column, collaborated with Grammarly, the popular automated proofreader, to put NFL fans to the test. Each official NFL team site was analyzed looking at the top 150 fan comments (10,000+ words) for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Grammarly ranked all 32 NFL team fan bases from worst to best. Whose smack talk was the most eloquent? The Detroit Lions fans proved to be the grammar champs. Who not write so good? That dubious honor goes to Washington Redskins fans.

To share this table with your readers, embed this in your blog post by pasting the following HTML snippet into your web editor:

Please attribute this content to grammarly.com/grammar-check.

8 Steps to Stop a Grammar Troll

You write a great article, and someone comments to point out every typo. You express your opinion in a comment, and someone critiques your writing style. These self-appointed grammar overseers are grammar trolls. What do you do when a grammar troll tests your patience? An angry response often makes the situation worse. If you want them to leave you alone, you will need to shut them down once and for all! Here are eight ways to stop grammar trolls without sinking to their level.

Act as though they are invisible.

Why do grammar trolls pick on your grammar? If their motive is to make you feel bad, reacting angrily only gives them satisfaction. Learn from this Korean proverb: If you kick a stone in anger, you hurt your own foot. Don’t damage your credibility by arguing with unreasonable critics; ignore them! Nine times out of ten, trolls who fail to get a reaction lose interest and move on to their next victim.

Focus on the real problem.

On the other hand, perhaps your grammar troll isn’t trying to be malicious. Some pesky commenters have good intentions, but they lack the tact to express their opinions inoffensively. In that case, carefully prepare a polite response. Let them know that you appreciate their feedback, but the way they express themselves is hurtful. If their hearts truly are in the right place, they might think before they post their next comment. You never know—you might later find their insights valuable once you realize that they came from someone who is trying to help you.

Starve them.

What happens if birds can’t find enough food in one location? They fly off in search of new feeding ground! Trolls are also migratory. They need typos, misspellings, and grammar mistakes to survive. They move from one territory to the next in their search for sustenance. If you proofread carefully enough, your writing can be completely devoid of nutrition for these voracious beasts. You will leave them with no choice but to move on.

Have the first and the last laugh.

Can you look for the humor in the situation? In real life, you might chuckle at yourself if you trip on the sidewalk. Why take your words so seriously? A balanced self-view contributes to emotional health and confidence. Besides, trolls hate when you laugh at them! If they want to embarrass or anger you, your good-natured response will really get their goat! You might say something like, “Ha! I guess that apostrophe got the best of me this time!” To add an extra zing, add a funny gif from a website like giphy.com. You’ll find plenty of options if you search “typo” or “grammar.”

Join the club.

To err is human, right? Everyone, grammar troll or not, has made a mistake at some point in their lives. Ironically, trolls are frequently guilty of making mistakes in their criticisms. Why not give them a taste of their own medicine? Check to see if the trolls are following correct and current practices by consulting a style guide. If you find an inconsistency, link to the resource in your response. It might be just the wake-up call they need.

Tell your biggest buddy.

Grammar trolls often bully those they feel are weaker than themselves. However, you have more control than you might have imagined. For example, did you know that you can disable comments on your blog or block certain users? If it’s not your website, report the bully to the moderator or webmaster. Most moderators of forums, for instance, are willing to remove comments or revoke privileges of abusive community members. Be patient when you make a report. Sometimes moderators need time to gather evidence before permanently banning a user. You can help them by sending screenshots of inappropriate comments made by the offender.

Graciously give thanks.

Look on the bright side: not many things in life are free. Grammar trolls offer proofreading and grammar advice at no cost to you! After all, you can learn a lot from your mistakes. Rather than let disparaging comments get you down, make an honest evaluation of your writing and speech. When someone points out a weakness, research how you can improve. Then, practice what you’ve learned. You might find your grammar troll to be an ugly but beneficial blessing in disguise.

Avoid dark alleys.

Trolls like to hang out in the dark corners of the Internet. If you are selective about where and how you comment online, you might be able to avoid trolls altogether. If you do decide to comment, remember that your exchanges are public. People, even those who don’t go so far as to contact you, will judge what you write and say. If your posts are well thought out and in good taste, readers will respect you even if you don’t always write perfectly.

You can beat a grammar troll without using your fists. Maintain the moral high ground. Trading insults only brings you down to their level. If your responses—should you deign to respond—show respect and good sense, readers will quickly see your intellectual superiority. Sure, you made a boo-boo, but who are the real buffoons?

Historic vs. Historical—Which Should I Use?

• Historic describes something momentous or important in history.
• Historical simply describes something that belongs to an earlier period of history.

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Historic and historical are two adjectives that have very similar meanings; so similar that it’s no wonder they are often confused. Still, they are not simply two spellings for the same word, so you should know when to use which.

When to Use Historic

Historic is an adjective that comes in handy when we speak about people, places, or events that existed or happened in the past. But we can’t use the adjective for everything that relates to the past—only those things and people that have a prominent place in history are called historic:

We used a historic map to learn about the history of our town.

The effects of the historic Battle of Hastings can still be seen in the English language.

When to Use Historical

For other people or places that existed in the past, or for things that relate to history, we use the adjective historical:

We used a historical map to learn about the history of our town.

The meeting between the two countries’ leaders was a historical occasion.

Examples

These battlefields and military installations were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

Forbes

Chanel has said it will leave a historic perfume site in France if plans for a high-speed train line affecting its jasmine fields go ahead.

BBC

Gladden said Alda Clark founded the historical society after the death of her husband, former Howard County Circuit Court Judge James Clark Sr., in 1955.

The Baltimore Sun

Scientists have pieced together historical records to reconstruct Arctic sea ice extent over the past 125 years.

The Guardian

How Lin-Manuel Miranda Gets Things Done

One look at composer-performer Lin-Manuel Miranda’s list of accomplishments and you’ve got to wonder how he does it all.

His first musical, In the Heights, which he wrote and starred in, won four Tony Awards. He’s acted in TV shows, appeared on SNL, and was recently awarded the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Grant. He wrote the songs for Disney’s animated “Moana,” whose hit song “How Far I’ll Go” was nominated for the 2017 Oscar for Best Original Song. He’ll be starring in Disney’s upcoming Mary Poppins sequel, and is also connected to the live action version of The Little Mermaid.

Oh and you may have heard of his game-changing, record-breaking, smash hit musical, Hamilton, which won 11 Tony Awards, the 2016 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and totally redefined what musical theater could be.

via GIPHY

This guy stays busy. And not only does he find the time, but he’s consistently producing work that is both tremendously creative and is always raising the bar.

So what can we learn from Lin-Manuel Miranda about getting stuff done? And what can we learn about the creative process from this creative powerhouse?

1 Find Your Creative Groove

via GIPHY

With so much on his plate, Lin-Manuel has learned to make his creative time intentional and organized. He says:

In a way, I know that I’m going to get more writing done while I’m in the show, because having your life structured this way, where you have to be somewhere every night at 8:00, forces you to organize your time.

He always writes with a deadline (or else it won’t get finished), and he plays to his strengths by scheduling his writing time for the morning—his most productive time of day. Now that he has a dog, the morning walk is “when all the good stuff happens” and he’s able to tap into his peak creativity.

2 When The Going Gets Tough… Keep Going

This conversation happened 3 years ago. Keep writing. Get back to your piano. pic.twitter.com/90csgeoLUv

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) September 23, 2016

Lin-Manuel deals with writer’s block, just like the rest of us. It took him a full six years to write Hamilton, and along the way he faced the same bouts of discouragement (and hope) that all writers face.

Anytime you write something, you go through so many phases. You go through the ‘I’m a Fraud’ phase. You go through the ‘I’ll Never Finish’ phase. And every once in a while you think, ‘What if I actually have created what I set out to create, and it’s received as such?’

So if Lin-Manuel seems a little superhuman, it’s not because he was bitten by a radioactive, song-writing spider — it’s because he worked at it.

Making words rhyme for a living is one of the great joys of my life . . . That’s a superpower I’ve been very conscious of developing. I started at the same level as everybody else, and then I just listened to more music and talked to myself until it was an actual superpower I could pull out on special occasions.

3 Make Your Work a Priority—Because It’s Worth It

Good morning.

You will have to say no to things to say yes to your work.

It will be worth it.

This is from 2009. pic.twitter.com/fplm2QLsf6

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) October 11, 2016

A few years back, Lin-Manuel was sitting on a train headed to a friend’s birthday party, when he got the idea for a song. He started writing in his notebook and suddenly he had the chorus and he could see the whole shape of the song. When the train arrived at his stop he got off, went up to his friend’s party and said “Hey what’s up, man? Happy Birthday! I gotta go.” Then he left the party, got back on the train, and wrote the rest of the song (the Hamilton showstopper “Wait For It”) on the way home.

You have to do that sometimes, you have to say no to your friends to say yes to your work. Because what are you gonna do, like, lose that idea because you decided to have a drink with your friends? It’s not worth it, your friend will be there!

4 Find Collaborators and Mentors You Can Learn From

Hamilton doesn't exist without John Weidman.

Both by example

(Assassins, Pacific Overtures)

& through his friendship. pic.twitter.com/P86Z0QDnyQ

— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) February 15, 2015

Collaboration can be a key part of raising your work to the next level. There were many times when Lin-Manuel felt stuck when writing Hamilton, but he had mentors like John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim who he could turn to for encouragement and feedback. Lin-Manuel says his choice to work on projects is not based on whether he thinks they’ll succeed or fail, but on what he’s going to learn from the process.

I co-wrote . . . “Bring It On: The Musical,” not because ever since I was a little boy I wanted to write about cheerleaders, but because I knew I’d be working with Andy Blankenbuehler and Tom Kitt and Jeff Whitty and Amanda Green. And I knew I’d have . . . three new tools for my songwriting tool kit from working with that caliber of artists. . . . I could not have written “Hamilton” without having worked on “Bring It On” first.

5 Do Work That You Love

At the end of the day, whatever type of creative work you do, it’s important to love the project you’re pursuing. In Lin-Manuel’s case, musicals involve a huge time commitment, and like most creative projects, will not make you rich (unless it’s Hamilton, which seems to be the huge exception to every rule).

Basically I have the best job in the world because I fall in love for a living. I write musicals, and musicals take a long time to write. So when you have an idea you really have to fall in love with it.

He advocates the importance of pursuing those ideas that just won’t leave you alone. Reality-wise, sometimes this means finding a job you can support yourself with so you can have the flexibility to work on your passion projects. While writing In the Heights, Lin-Manuel worked as a substitute teacher, and in the early days of writing Hamilton he took a job acting in an unsuccessful TV show (Do No Harm) which allowed him to spend time in Philadelphia doing research.

Lin-Manuel had no idea whether Hamilton would be a success or not, but he was passionate about the idea and he was committed to doing his best work. And the results were truly magical.

Here’s to doing the work you love!

via GIPHY

Regards, Best Regards, In Regard To—How to Use Them

Should you write regards to close your next letter or email? What does it mean to send your regards, anyway?

When to End a Letter with “Regards”

Historically, with best regards and with kindest regards have been used as a letter closing—a.k.a. a valediction. In decades past, regards implied not only esteem but also affection; today it sits somewhat higher on the spectrum of formality. While sending regards might have once been reserved for close friends and family, the tone it currently implies makes it well suited for informal correspondence, whether business or personal. A good definition for best regards, for example, would be a comparatively neutral “with my best wishes and esteem.”

Suitable Ways to End a Letter

Formal: Yours faithfully Formal (business): Yours sincerely; Sincerely Semi-formal: With best regards; With kindest regards; Warmest regards Informal: Regards; Kind regards; Best regards Personal: Yours truly; Cheers; Love

Using regards in a letter closing suggests that you have respect for the recipient, but not necessarily a close relationship with him or her. Because it is less formal than yours faithfully or sincerely, expressions with regards are perfect in emails, which tend to be less formal than letters anyway.

The more informal style for an email would be simply Regards. It can work for emails to people you work with regularly, but you might also want to consider that if you correspond with someone very frequently, no closing may be required at all.

Using “In Regard To” in a Sentence

The phrases in regard to and with regard to are identical in meaning to concerning. These expressions are used often in business correspondence to identify matters at hand. As regards is also frequently used in this way.

We have noticed a discrepancy in regard to your bill.

I have a question with regard to your position on taxation.

As regards sustainability, we use only recycled paper in our products.

Because as regards and in regard to/with regard to are closely related, a common error is to write in regards to (with an s) or with regards to. There is no need to make regard plural in either of these phrases.

Please let me know what your preference is with regards to the payment schedule.

Please let me know what your preference is with regard to the payment schedule.

The client asks that you give her monthly reports in regards to the status of her investments.

The client asks that you give her monthly reports in regard to the status of her investments.

It is worth remembering that some people consider with regard to and in regard to unnecessary business speak, and that ninety percent of the time, they could be simply and cleanly reduced to about or concerning.

Please let me know what your preference is concerning the payment schedule.

The client asks that you give her monthly reports about the status of her investments.

Using “Regarding” and “Regard” in a Sentence

The preposition regarding can also be used in the sense of concerning or with respect to.

The doctor called this morning regarding your test results.

Has the travel agent given you any more information regarding your proposed trip to Malta?

As a noun, regard can mean “consideration”:

Jane has no regard for the safety of her employees.

Or “esteem”:

The software development team holds their supervisor in high regard.

As a verb, to regard means “to consider or think about something in a particular way”:

The law regards child endangerment as a very serious crime indeed.

Or “to observe” (although this usage is archaic):

Alas, Dante could regard the object of his affection only from a distance.

“Regards,” “Best Regards,” and “In Regard” in Summary

Regards, Best regards, and Kind regards are good email sign-offs.

Remember that concerning and about can work just as well as, and more concisely than, in regard to and with regard to. The phrases in regards to and with regards to are never correct, and you might garner criticism if you use them.