How to be a Productive Writer
January 2, 2010 by John Hewitt · 1 Comment
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
LiveBlogging: Getting Organized
January 10, 2009 by John Hewitt · 9 Comments
In an effort to get some blogging in while I’m getting organized, I am going to Liveblog my organization efforts.
Day 1: 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM
The story to date:
I bought Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
- Three Paper Holding Trays
- Plain letter sixed paper
- Pens
- Post-its
- Paper clips
- Binder clips
- Stapler and staples (Red Swingline of course)
- Scotch tape
- Rubber bands
- An automatic labler (i fudged on this because I have one at the office)
- File folders
- A calender
- Waste basket
I also bought a new desk and two Ottomans that open up for storage. My wife went along and bought here own things. Total bill, about $600. So far, a pricey proposition, but we do what we have to.
Day 1: 5:40 PM
Opening packages up I cut my fingers twice.
Day 1: 5:55 PM
Found cool stapler graphic. Now I have to get some work done.
Day 1: 6:10 PM
My In/Out/Pend boxes need some assembly. It is taking longer than I would have thought. Also, I am having an internal debate. Should I set up my desk before I gather my stuff, or get everything organized and then set up my desk last. I’ll let you know what I decide.
Day 1: 6:27 PM
The baskets are finally together. My thumbs are sore. I have decided to wait until everything else is organized before switching desks. That is the first project I will put into my basket.
Day 1: 6:55 PM
I have decided that the smaller of the two Ottomans will hold games related items such as my Dungeons and Dragons books while the larger will hold books that i don’t intend to read in the near future but still want to keep. I am getting rid of most of my books, however, because I have discovered that I prefer books on audio for pleasure and the Internet for most reference needs. This will help me create a less cluttered, more “zen” office. I will still have a small bookshelf for books that I use frequently or intend to read soon.
Day 1: 7:47 PM
I’m about halfway through my books now. I had already purged a bunch of them earlier this week. It looks like I am going to keep even less of them than I expected. Most of the books I am keeping are poetry and author-signed books with just a few references.
Day 1: 9:00
Finished sorting through my books. Moved old bookshelf to the garage. I had to adjust the new bookshelf to the two different general book heights, which leaves a small shelf in the middle. I’m sure something on my overflowing table (in box) will fit there.
Day 1: 10:17
I’ve begun to make progress on my desk, which I had piled with all of my items to process except for the ones in the closet. I’m about halfway through the pile. Most of the items have been thrown away, a few are filed and others have been put back in their place. I’ve also identified about 5 projects (things that will take more than a couple minutes) that I will have to tackle based on what I have found. I still have a long way to go, but it is a start.
Day 2: 1:37 PM
Back at it. The table is clear enough to see most of the items now. So many things that have been left untended.
Day 2: 4:42 PM
I am halfway through the closet now. There were a lot ofpapers to go through, mostly three-year old bills and such that needed shredding.
Day 2: 6:36 PM
The closet has been cleaned out and then repopulated. Most of the space will hold my office supplies, so that they don’t need to be seen unless I am using them.
