Have you folded enough cutlery rolls? Can you polish every tray of glassware? Is every wobbly table stabilized with a stack of coasters?
Those questions just sent shivers up the spine of anyone who has worked in the service industry. Usually, they were barked out by managers or owners during that start-of-shift lull between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., when the tips aren’t flowing yet. Sure, one part of it was to maximize your time on the clock, but it also served the purpose of making sure everything was absolutely ready when you ended up in the weeds by 9 p.m.
Writing has its shit work too. In between the jet-setting to bookstores, there’s less glamorous work to be done. It could be big, like rewriting the first 30 pages to make it consistent with where your book has ended up. Maybe it’s smaller: did you leave a “TK” or two in the previous chapter? Maybe you have a note to research the statute of limitations in Massachusetts, or to sign up to be part of that AI lawsuit.
Not everything you do is going to be instantly rewarding. Some things to do with your writing are simple housekeeping tasks.