Practical ways to boost productivity as a writer and finish that book!
When it comes to different ways to boost your writing productivity as an author, you have three essential ingredients: time, imagination, and a system that will enable you to be productive during your allotted writing time.
However, to get the most out of your limited writing time, you’ll need to know how to be productive and what’s stopping you from achieving your goals.
Is your environment too noisy to write in? Are you setting yourself writing goals and constantly failing to achieve them? Or is writing an activity you do when you’ve completed all your other tasks?
If you answered yes to any of these, you need to finish reading this post!
In the following article, we’ll go through eight easy ways to boost your writing productivity as an author. So, if you’ve decided to step up your writing game as an author or are just sick of missing deadlines, this article is for you.
8 Ways To Boost Your Writing Productivity Summary:
- Learn the Best Time to Write
- Dealing with Distractions
- Creating Time to Write
- Learning from the Best
- Use Distraction-Free Apps and Programs
- Creating a Consistent Habit
- Organize the Environment Around You
- Boosting Your Daily Productivity
1. Learn the Best Time to Write
You need to protect your most productive hours. If you know when you’re working or writing at your best, you need to schedule your writing around these hours. Like you would schedule a client meeting or time on a project, schedule your writing time.
How much you schedule will come down a lot to your personal preferences. For example, some people like to finish their writing early in the day, and any ‘spare’ time at the end of the day would be a bonus. For others, their most productive writing time could come at the end of the day.
Learn when you are the most productive, and try to block out some time for your writing during this peak period. During this time, set yourself a writing goal, but keep it realistic. It’s better to attempt to achieve a realistic goal consistently rather than fail to meet your goals.
2. Dealing with Distractions
I think most authors will be able to relate to being distracted.
A typical scenario is you have scheduled time to write. However, once you settle down to write, you get an email or a notification. An hour later, your allotted writing time is finished, and your manuscript is still where it was when you started.
If this happens to you, don’t panic. You’re not alone. Social media and digital media are designed to get you off whatever task you’re doing. For example, did you know that social media programs like Facebook use algorithms to determine when you wake up and time notifications to appear during this time?
3. Creating Time to Write
So, how do you combat these distractions? First, set yourself a period where you will write without distraction. Then, buy an old-fashioned alarm clock if you can’t stop yourself from checking your phone. Or move your phone away from you.
“When asked, “How do you write?” I invariably answer, “One word at a time,” and the answer is invariably dismissed. But that is all it is. It sounds too simple to be true, but consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That’s all. One stone at a time.”
— Stephen King
The next step, which might not be for everyone, is to turn off your Wi-Fi or internet. If you don’t need it to write, switch it off. I already know what you’re going to say, “What if I need to research something or confirm a fact?” Make a note and check it later. This writing time is for writing. Not fact-checking or Googling.
4. Learning from the Best
Do you know how George R.R. Martin writes his book? On an old computer not connected to the internet. When it comes time to get the book from one computer to another, he saves it on a USB and transfers it. No internet. Turn off email—no social media. Say goodbye to distractions!
Instead of trying to work around the distractions in his life, George R.R. Martin created an environment without distractions. Now, for a full-time author with several best sellers, movies, and other deals, this is obviously a luxury. It’s not something that all of us can do. However, there are some variations you could try.
This brings us to using distraction-free apps to help us manage our writing time.
5. Use Distraction-Free Apps and Programs
There are a variety of different apps, all designed to keep you distraction free while you work. No more getting distracted by social media, emails, or those pesky notifications popping up.
- The Hemingway Editor – The Hemingway Editor is a basic word processor that gives you a great distraction-free place to write your thoughts. It includes an editor function on the right side of the program that will provide you with a readability score and also break down your grammar.
- Focus Writer – Focus Writer is another great tool designed to look just like a sheet of paper. It has different themes available, and you can even add typewriter sounds!
- Byword for Mac – If you’re using a Mac, then Byword could be the perfect tool for writing basic, plain text.
6. Creating a Consistent Habit to Boost Your Writing Productivity
Have you heard of the television show Seinfeld? The Seinfeld show ran consecutively from 1989 through to 1998 and has earned over $3 billion. Jerry Seinfeld famously turned down $110 million to film a 10th season.
One of the strategies that Jerry Seinfeld uses is the ‘don’t break the chain’ strategy. His strategy is to write every day, and it works for authors too. If you consistently write, you are more likely to get a better-finished product. It also helps you avoid losing track of where you are, the plot, and the storyline.
The more often you write, the easier it will get, and the less likely you are to procrastinate over your writing.
7. Organize the Environment Around You
What’s the environment around you look like? Are you surrounded by clutter, stationary, cables, or loose papers? Part of being a better writer and how to boost your writing productivity is identifying what’s dragging you away from writing.
These could be issues in either our mental or physical space. Personally, I can write with the television going on, music, or even a podcast. But, if someone is talking, moving, or walking around near me, I find it extremely difficult to concentrate.
No two people are the same. What bothers you may not bother someone else. The important thing is finding these triggers and then eliminating them.
Below are 5 tips for decluttering your work environment:
- Only keep what you immediately need around you to write.
- Organize your working space with practicality as the key component.
- If it doesn’t need to be on the desk, store it.
- Tidy your cables and leads.
- Digitize your notes if possible.
8. Boosting Your Daily Productivity
It’s often little things that take us away from what we’re meant to be doing. But, unfortunately, lots of little distractions can quickly add up to a significant loss of productivity.
Below are 5 quick tips to boost your writing productivity:
- Check your emails after you finish writing.
- Switch the internet off.
- Set your word count and schedule accordingly.
- Get yourself in the mood to write.
- Visualize the finished chapter, section, or part of the book you plan on writing.
Effective Ways to Boost Your Writing Productivity – Conclusion
Writing can be hugely rewarding and fulfilling but, at times, totally frustrating. Sometimes all we need is a good reset to get back on track and get our writing project completed. If you would like to learn more about writing or are ready to take the next step in your self-publishing journey, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.
Be sure to check out our other writing articles, including How Do You Get Writing Ideas?
Our friendly and professional team includes writers, cover designers, editors, and formatters. We would love to help make your dream of becoming self-publishing a reality.
What are some of the ways that you overcome procrastination and become more productive as a writer? Your tips could just help another author hit the magical ‘the end” line of their book.
