Keep Your Writing Time Productive
You’ve created space and time in your life for your book. You power up your laptop and sit down with a cup of coffee, determined to make some serious progress. Four hours pass and you glance at your document. You’ve written a grand total of 23 words. You feel terrible and wonder where all that time went.
You’re not alone. Many writers struggle to keep their writing time productive. There are hundreds of distractions that can cripple your writing resolve. Here’s how to beat them so you can get back to work on your book:
Start with your phone—that’s where most people get the majority of their notifications from. Put your phone on silent mode so you won’t be aware of the dings and vibrations. If you’re still tempted to pick it up and check notifications while you’re writing, then you need to put your phone in a different room.
Don’t stop with your phone, though. You should also turn notifications off in your inbox. There’s no email so urgent that it can’t wait until you’ve finished your writing for the day. Tell yourself that once you hit your writing goal, your reward will be a nice long email session.
If you cut off notifications and still end up wasting time online, then you need to do something drastic like blocking the internet. There are a variety of programs that you can use to do this.
But one of the best is Cold Turkey. It will prevent you from accessing certain websites or even the entire internet for a specified period of time. If you can’t seem to log out of Facebook or Twitter, then this app might be exactly what you need. It’s even free to try so you can see how well it works.
Most writers need a lot of ambient noise in order to get their best work done. If you suspect this might be your problem, then try writing in a coffee shop and see if it makes you more productive and more focused. You could also try quiet locations like bookstores or libraries.
If you like working at different locations, be sure to take with you any material you may want to use while you work – like interviews or statistics. Don’t forget to bring a copy of your outline with you so you can reference it if needed.
Some people find they do their best work in high pressure situations. They’re usually the ones who wait until just a few hours before the deadline to work on a project. If that describes you, then it might be helpful to set a timer while you work.
But don’t go easy on yourself. Set a tough challenge, like writing a thousand words in forty-five minutes. The pressure of trying to beat the timer mimics the feeling of having an important deadline and boosts your productivity.
Keep notes on what works best for your productivity. This will give you a list of solutions next time you find yourself feeling like you just can’t write.
I’m author, publisher, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and would love to connect with you. If you are new to the world of online entrepreneurship please check out my comprehensive training on how to set up Funnels That Click and learn how to gain an unfair advantage when it comes to building a lucrative online business.