One right insight at the right time can save you years of trial and error. And a recent B2B Writers International Book Club selection — Four Thousand Weeks — gave me one of those insights I’ll carry with me for a long time.
Being a beginner copywriter can be hard, especially when you’re learning to improve your skills, understand the profession, and pick up sub-skills like marketing, advertising, and human psychology — all at once.
At the same time, you’re trying to make a living from this new venture.
It can easily feel overwhelming, especially with all the noise and conflicting advice across platforms.
The good news? Books like Four Thousand Weeks can help you cut through the clutter and save months — even years — of trial and error by offering the right techniques and fresh perspective.
In this book, author Oliver Burkeman explores a very different side of time management — one that emphasizes slowing down and getting back to the basics.
So here it is — one of the many insights from this modern classic that could shift the way you see your craft.
The Harvard Professor’s Weird Assignment
Jennifer Roberts is a Harvard Art Professor. When you take a class with her, the first assignment is always the same: Choose a painting or sculpture from a local museum. Then go and look at it for three hours straight. No phones. No distractions. Just your undivided attention for a full three hours.
Why would she have her students do that? Apparently, if you slow down to the speed art demands, you begin to see its meaning — you begin to really understand it. Now sure, this task might sound punishing. Three hours is painfully long, especially for those of us used to living life in the fast lane.
But if you think about it, just as a painter meticulously crafts every brushstroke to evoke emotion and convey a message, we, too, carefully choose every word, every phrase, to connect with our audience and inspire action.
When we, as copywriters, commit to a similar depth of observation and intentionality in our craft, we unlock the true power of our words, elevating them from mere text into carefully constructed pieces that forge genuine connections and inspire action.
It’s not just “words on a Google Doc” (even though that’s what every YouTube guru seems to reduce it to).
We do so much more — we analyse the needs and desires of our audience, figure out how our product/service can make their life a little better, and then write a message persuasive enough to guide them toward it.
How is this not art?
I even sensed a hint of this “Harvard exercise” in AWAI’s training method.
Most of us know about the famous hand-copying technique to sharpen our skills.
But AWAI takes it up a notch —
You don’t just copy the winning copy…
You read it aloud 10 times, and then hand-copy it three times.
It’s the same principle as the professor’s assignment — giving the work the time it demands.
Sure, reading a sales page 10 times and hand-copying it thrice sounds like a lot. But those repetitive actions are what allows the words to sink into your muscle memory. It’s what lets the structure and rhythm live in your subconscious.
It’s a small price (in time) you pay today to reap bigger rewards tomorrow.
A Common Mistake You Might Be Making Without Realizing
Now that we’ve talked about how ours is a craft needing time and patience, let’s talk about a mistake many beginners make, without even realizing it.
We consume a lot of content. That’s not necessarily bad… But we often don’t know what tactics, rules, or techniques are worth following yet.
For example, many creators preach: “Forget structure! Forget PAS, AIDA. Just write like how you talk.” Now, writing copy in a conversational tone is a good piece of advice.
But… being just a beginner, it isn’t wise to throw the basics out the window and blindly follow this advanced technique. In fact, when you start following this without even getting yourself strong in the basics, you can literally see your quality dropping. And all that confidence you had in yourself? Lost.
Just know that copywriting, like all good art, requires the time it requires. Give yourself permission to take it slow — enjoy the process. Experience enough repetition of the basics, the structure, before you jump into all the fancy stuff.
Always make sure you learn to walk before you start running. Allow yourself to build a solid foundation and then build your career on it.
Final Thoughts…
Remember — no one is harder on you than you. And without knowing it, that pressure is quietly affecting not just your productivity… but also your creativity.
It’s high time we (yes, me included) stop thinking of copywriting as some quick-money shortcut and start treating it like the art it’s truly meant to be.
As Burkeman reminds us: Give the art the time it demands.
