All of us deal with a certain amount of friction as writers. Even under the best of circumstances, there are obstacles and problems that threaten our productivity and success.

When you are under a deadline or experiencing a high amount of stress, it’s time to reduce the friction. The easiest way to do this is by prioritizing your commitments.

You can’t do everything. After I created my first podcast, called The Artist’s Suitcase, I kept it going for almost a year. It was a weekly show and it took several hours a week to produce.

However, I decided to end it after a few dozen episodes because it wasn’t helping me reach my creative goals at the time. I went back to podcasting later on when I had more time and it was clear that podcasting fit into my business and creative goals.

You can say “no” to something right now but it doesn’t mean you’re saying “no” forever. In times of high stress, you have to focus on what matters most right now. You might disappoint some people, or even disappoint yourself, but you can’t do everything. You have to choose.

Daily Question: If you are feeling stressed right now, what can you eliminate or postpone on your schedule?