The War of Art

Key takeaways

• Resistance is the inner force that stops you doing the work that matters most
• The stronger the pull toward a project, the stronger the Resistance against it
• Procrastination, drama, excuses and fear are all disguises Resistance wears
• Turning pro means showing up daily and treating the work as a job
• Sit down and start; inspiration arrives once you are already working

Inside this bit

1. The enemy lives inside you

   Most of us know exactly what we should be doing: the novel, the business, the fitness plan, the degree we keep deferring. So why does it stay undone?

2. Know how Resistance works

   Resistance is invisible, but you can learn its habits. It is strongest against work that matters to your growth and weakest against things that do not matter.

3. The disguises of Resistance

   Resistance rarely shows up as a simple no. It shows up as procrastination, the most common form, which persuades you that delay is a decision you can revisit.

4. Turn pro

   The amateur, in Pressfield's telling, plays for fun and quits when it stops being fun. The professional shows up whether or not she feels like it.

5. Sit down and the muse arrives

   The final part of the book turns almost spiritual, and you can take it as metaphor if you prefer. Pressfield describes the muse, the sense that ideas come from somewhere beyond the conscious mind, and argues that it only visits people who are already at work.

6. Put it to work

   This week, write down the one project Resistance is fighting hardest, the one that makes you most nervous, and admit that the nerves mean it matters. Book a fixed daily slot, even 30 minutes, and keep it like a shift at work.