Staying organized can seem like an intractable problem if you’re an academic writer. You have primary data, PDFs of articles, notes on the secondary literature, and then your own writing to keep track of. It’s a lot. It’s tempting to think that there’s a tool out there to solve all of your organization desires, and they’re very well might be. But where people get caught up is in thinking that a tool is a substitute for a writing system. It’s definitely not. The good news is that once you create a reliable system, you’ll remove the guesswork in selecting a tool that works. Writing an academic book is challenging, but it doesn’t have to feel like torture. Join me, Jane Joanne Jones, writing coach and developmental editor to women and non-binary scholars in academia, as I teach you how to write your academic book with ease, clarity, and purpose. Let’s bend the rules, expose the hidden curriculum, and write your book the right way, your way.

Hello. In today’s episode, we’re going to discuss the difference between tools and systems. In my coaching, I get a lot of questions about what apps to use to add structure to the writing process. Because I personally am a Luddite, I don’t spend a lot of time trying out new software or apps. Don’t get me wrong, I think tools have their place. They’re not, however, a substitute for good systems. So what’s the difference between a system and a tool? A system is a method and strategy for achieving your goals. Suppose you have a system for writing a book chapter. You start by reviewing your annotated notes on secondary literature. Step two is to review your primary data and identify interview quotes, field note passages or archival examples that you’re going to highlight. Step three is writing a general outline. Step four might be filling in the outline, and step five is writing a draft.

So as you can see, a system is like a process. Now a tool would be what you use to accomplish that, to implement your system. So maybe you outline in Scrivener and Scrivener is your tool. However, someone can have the same process as you, the same system and use a different tool. That’s because the system can be repeated and replicated, whether you’re using Scrivener, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or a legal pad and pen. What’s most important is having the step-by-step process in place. Once that process is in place, the tool is just a tool, it’s neutral. Now, there might be some tools that work better than others, but the point here is that you could be what I call tool agnostic. There’s no one tool that is the only tool to solve your problem. Here you can choose from an array of tools and all of them can have utility because you have a system in place that can be repeated.

But what I see happening with authors and writers is that they think the tool is going to create the system for them. They think that, well, if I have Scrivener, it’s going to be easier to write chapters. If I use some type of mind mapping software, that’s going to make it easier for me to write, and in most cases it doesn’t. It just makes you busy. Using the tool can create a lot of busy work if it’s not attached to a system, and that doesn’t really help you make the progress that you need to make. So why are we so enamored with tools? I don’t think it’s because people are looking for a quick fix. Instead, I think it’s because writing a book is an overwhelming experience and writers are looking for tools to create structure and predictability. Also, we fetishize organization. Now, I know all of my listeners are not in the United States, but here we have what I believe to be an unhealthy obsession with organization and optimization.

So if we believe a tool is going to make us more organized or optimize our writing process, we are going to search high and low until we find it. Now, this doesn’t mean that all tools are bad or that you should never use them. Tools can save us time. They can organize large amounts of information, they can help us collaborate to name just a few benefits. I mean, imagine trying to analyze quantitative data by hand and not having software, it would take you forever. So tools can be very important. Tools could also be essential for how your brain works. I do not claim to be any type of expert on neurodiversity, but I know that certain tools can work well for certain people and certain tools are terrible for certain people, but a tool can have its place in a rewarding and efficient writing process.

But no matter what, tools are not substitutes for systems, systems are prerequisites for tools. Systems come first no matter what, because when you have a system in place, it’ll be easier to find a tool that makes sense for you. Here’s an example. I worked with a writer who likes to get everything on paper first, then sort her ideas into an outline. Sticky notes were great for this because she was able to move them around easily. She’d always have her sticky notes up on her wall during our Zoom calls. We would see them, we would work through them together. She’d be moving them around, then organizing her thoughts as we were going through the coaching call. Now, as you can tell by this example, it’s a low tech system. Doesn’t require a lot of high learning curve. All you need is your sticky notes, a wall and a writing utensil.

Another writer had a similar system but wanted to simulate that sticky note tool in digital form. So she found a software that was a digital equivalent of sticky notes. But note, both of them had a system and a preference for how they wanted to write before they looked for the tool. And what I want you to take away here is that the system should dictate the tool. And the reason I’m emphasizing this point is because I want you to be discerning when you look for a tool, but I also want you to be very clear about what you want so you can find one quickly. We can convince ourselves that we’re being really productive by searching for the right tool. We could try out all sorts of tools and think this is a great use of my time because I’m going to figure out eventually this tool that’s going to save me time.

But in the process of finding that tool, we have been wasting a lot of time. So a good tool, in my opinion, shouldn’t have too steep of a learning curve, but should meet, let’s say about 80 to 85% of your needs, ideally. The other 15 you can probably rig together. We’re not going to search for perfection in our tools because that is also something that can slow us down. And honestly, my coaching principle, my number one coaching principle, is that you should be spending your time writing not agonizing. Not agonizing over tools, not agonizing over what you should be doing. You should spend your time working. So the best way to do that is to spend your time creating the systems so that you can write with more clarity and structure. Now let’s talk about the systems that you need to write a book. You need a project management system so you can keep track of your tasks and timelines.

Next, you need a writing system so you can get your ideas out of your brain and onto the page. Finally, you need a system for engaging your thoughts about writing and your thoughts about the progress you’re making. You see that across the episodes in the season. We’ve been talking about how to engage your thoughts about writing and your thoughts about progress. These three systems, project management, writing, and engaging your thoughts are the systems that I teach in my coaching programs, and those are systems you need to successfully write a book without being stressed all the time. So once you develop each of these systems in a way that works for you, you’ll then be able to go out and select the tool that is helpful for or decide that you don’t need any type of software. Maybe you want to stick to pen and paper and the tried and true because you’re going to need some software.

I mean, that’s the way we write these days. But what I want you to take away from this is that systems come first and with systems, everything else will come with more ease and less confusion. Thank you so much for listening. I appreciate you taking the time to spend with me today, and I will talk to you in the next episode. Thank you so much for listening to today’s episode. If you like what you heard, please share the podcast with a friend. Or if you’re an Apple listener, leave a review. It helps other folks find the podcast so we can continue the conversation and make sure that when it’s time to write your book, you could do it on your terms, your way.