What Hank's Writing: Are YOU Over-Tabbed?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: This bookface photo will wake you right up, right? Weird, huh? But that's not what this is about.

Listen, I sat down at the computer yesterday morning, ready to work. But my computer was not going to participate.

It would not respond, no matter what I did. I clicked on my e-mail. It would not open. I clicked on Facebook. It would not open. Nothing nothing nothing would open. I stared at it, incredibly frustrated, and accelerating into panic. I had meetings at 10, 11, 12:30, and 130.

But before those, I had to confirm the large print cover with New York, and send the publicist links for a potential January appearance, which meant I had to find the links. I had to check on the Super Readers for One Wrong Word. Email the graphic designer about a project. I had to create a blog for Wednesday. I had to prepare to teach my Master Class at Crime Bake this weekend, and then for my travel to the UK for the documentary premiere events.

AND, after my meetings, I had to do my words for the day for the next book!

But my computer did not care about any of that. It just sat there, petulant and dead.

I sat right here in this chair, staring at the screen, and worked myself into a total snit. I realized I was going to have to get a brand new computer, like, today!

And what if I hadn't saved the newest version of the new novel? And I couldn't work without a computer, the laptop would not be good enough, plus tomorrow I had two interviews on zoom, so I had to have the desktop. It had to work. It HAD to work. It had to work.

And then I looked again at my screen. And saw how many tabs were open along the top.

Reds and readers, I should have taken a picture of all them instantly, this is about half the screen, but once I realized I had too many tabs open, I knew what I had to do.

The computer was trying to communicate with me. And she was saying: “We have too much going on! Pick something! And let the rest of us rest.”

Adobe Express, close. Canva, gone gone gone. Twitter, close. Three different Amazon tabs, close close close. The One Wrong Word BookTour Google doc. Diminish. Instagram, diminish. Someone else's manuscript. Save, close. Facebook author page, close. Facebook personal page, close. Spreadsheet for The Back Room, close. Spreadsheet for First Chapter Fun. close. My backup e-mail, close. The backup to the backup e-mail. close. My website, close. I know what's on that.

I could almost hear the computer sighing in relief. And I burst out laughing, then, imagining the weight off of the computer's shoulders.

And the weight off of mine, too. When I had two tabs left: my manuscript in Word, and my e-mail, my whole brain settled, too.

I had over-tabbed myself, and the computer was a metaphor for my very own brain.

I used to be the queen of multitasking, and I am still pretty good at it. If necessary. But these days I truly prefer to pick one thing, do it, finish it, then go on to the next thing. The psychic weight of having too much to do, i truly think, makes each task harder. When I focus, and be present for each individual task, then I can accomplish it.

My computer tabs taught me a lesson, and I hope I can remember it. If your brain is on overload, at some point it is going to refuse to respond.

I know, it's actually a good thing. The only thing worse than having too many tabs is having no tabs at all. And I love all of my tabs, they are fabulous tabs, I embrace them fully, and I am happy to have them. I just need to learn to deal with them one at a time.

Reds and readers, do you have too many tabs, whether metaphorically or actually?

(And an advance review copy of ONE WRONG WORD to one lucky commenter!)