For productivity geeks like us, the professional writer can become a bit of a mystic figure. When we fantasise about finally perfecting our morning routines, finally clearing out enough time for a fruitful Deep Work session, setting up the ideal workstation – we’re often thinking about a writer.

There’s something idyllic about the idea of being a writer: it’s just you, your thoughts, and the blank page. It’s the platonic ideal of knowledge work! But… it’s not that simple.

Take Brian Koppelman, for example. Inarguably one of the most prolific and successful screenwriters working today, you’d think Brian spends most of his life holed up in a cabin in the woods, clacking away on a typewriter, free from any and all distractions.

But Brian lives in New York City, the busiest, most distracting place on the planet. Oh, and he’s not just a screenwriter. He’s also a director, producer, and showrunner. Brian’s “average” day looks a lot less like that of a reclusive artist, and much more like that of a busy CEO.

So, how does he still manage to produce so much incredible work? Brian shares how meditation, morning pages and music help him focus, and recalls the most powerful lessons he learned on the set of his very first film.

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