How to be a Productive Writer

Aspiring writers often have trouble when it comes to sitting down and writing. Writing requires time and focus. People underestimate just how much commitment writing requires. Even professional writers get bogged down by seemingly endless projects or by the distractions of every day life. Productive writers find a way to get back on track.

Here are five tips to help you increase your writing productivity:

Set Aside Specific Time in your Schedule to Write

Productive writers set aside specific times to write and they use that time. One of the differences between an amateur writer and a professional is the way they treat their writing time. If writing is something you do in your spare, unscheduled time, your productivity will suffer. Most people never allow themselves to have spare, unscheduled time. If they do, they wind up sitting in front of the television set because they are exhausted and they need to relax.

Reduce Your Overwhelming Project to Manageable Pieces

Productive writers like progress they can measure. Novels are intimidating. Sitting down to write a novel is a daunting task. Sitting down to write a chapter is a little better and sitting down to write a scene seems much easier. Large projects aren’t finished in one session or even a dozen. Setting daily goals with specific targets allows you to control what you are writing. It also gives you a greater sense of accomplishment when you meet those goals.

Increase Your Accountability

Productive writers hold themselves accountable for their work. If you set a date for the completion of a project, or even a project phase, that deadline will help motivate you. Making that deadline public will motivate you even more. When it comes to writing, peer pressure is an excellent motivator. If you join a writer’s group it requires you to present and discuss what you have been writing on a regular basis. It gives you a reason to keep working even when the project gets tougher. If you find a friend who also needs to be more productive (it doesn’t have to be a writer) you can take turns reminding each other to get back to work. Accountability will keep you focused.

Find a Better Place to Write

Productive writers know that their environment matters. When your work space is also as your living space, it can create problems. People like to associate home with relaxation. When you introduce work to your home life, it blurs the lines between work and relaxation. This often results in less work and less relaxation. Find a space outside the home to write. If you can’t afford an office, try your local library or a restaurant/coffee shop that provides wireless Internet. You may not need to go there every time you want to write, but it’s good to have a place to go when you need to focus on your writing.

Pick the Right Type of Writing

Productive writers find ways to write. In many cases, people choose projects that aren’t suitable for the amount of time they have to devote. For example, a person who only has three hours a week set aside for writing, and who has to divide that amount of time into two or three sessions, is going to have trouble writing a novel. Novels are extended, time-consuming efforts and the delay between beginning a novel and completing it can make the entire effort seem wasted if something goes wrong. If you only have a little time, try writing poetry, short stories or personal essays. Those projects are manageable on a tight schedule and will give you a better feeling of accomplishment. When writing is going well, you often find more reasons to write. Eventually, you may be ready to commit the time necessary to write a longer work.

For Further Information

• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• How to Be A More Productive Blogger [And Add 37 Minutes to Every Hour!] at Problogger
• Top 30 Tips for Staying Productive and Sane While Working From Home at Zen Habits
• 5 Easy Ways to Start a Productive Day at Freelance Folder

Related links

• LiveBlogging: Getting Organized (0.534)
• 4-Hour Work Week: Lessons for Writers (0.500)
• Seven Powerful Tips for Maximizing Your Freelance Writing Business (0.500)
• Are You Determined Enough to be a Freelance Writer? (0.500)
• Why Writing Deadlines May Be (Almost) As Good As Money (0.500)

Contact John Hewitt

Writing Content and Web Consulting

Email: hewitt@poewar.com
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