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We all have time to write during our day – just as you have time to read this article right now. You might not complete a novel, but you can certainly complete a paragraph or more. Don’t leave to write just as yet. When it comes to productivity for writers, it’s not about finding more time to write, it’s about making the best of the existing time that you have available to you.
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Productivity Hacks for Writers
In this article, we’ll be covering some unique ways to increase your efficiency as a writer and share productivity hacks. Read on below to get started.
Write on multiple devices
Don’t always wait for inspiration in order to begin writing, as when you begin writing the inspiration usually ends up catching up with you. There will be times of course when you do in fact feel inspired, and at that moment you’re away from your desk. Sometimes that inspiration can happen while you’re taking your morning commute.
So rather than trying to remember your ideas until you get back to your desk, of which you may have forgotten your ideas by then, make sure that you’re ready to jot them down immediately. Carry a notebook and pen with you, or even make use of your cell phone or tablet.
The great thing about writing on other devices is that you can use a writing tool like Google Docs and your writing will automatically sync to the other devices.
Write when you’re feeling sleepy
Here’s an interesting fact, when you’re not fully awake, you’re actually more creative. So, before your day begins with your job and your morning cup of coffee, you’ll be vibrant, fresh, and hopeful from a creative viewpoint.
Research shows that when your conscious mind loads you’re most open to possibilities. So, rather than waiting to see straight before writing, begin writing immediately when you awake. Your brain will automatically tap into the unconscious part of your brain to find unique and unusual ideas that you wouldn’t have otherwise come up with in the first place.
On the other hand, you may find that you’re feeling more creative after a long day when you’re feeling sleepy. Scientifically speaking, we tend to be more creative when we’re feeling sleepy due to being relaxed and less focused. We wouldn’t otherwise see this spectrum of possibilities when we’re concentrating and wide awake.
Use tracking
If you’re not tracking your goals already, you should start. Whether you track your goals in the form of page numbers or word counts, of all the productivity hacks covered in this article, this is one of the productivity hacks that very few writers can manage without. This is because if you don’t track your progress, you won’t have a clear picture in your mind of how much work you’re doing. Setting goals encourages you to look back and see how far you’ve come now.
Write while you’re slightly intoxicated
Believe it or not, according to research, being slightly intoxicated boosts your creativity. I’m sure at one point or another we’ve all heard the phrase that may have originated from Ernest Hemingway, “Write drunk, edit sober,” which closely relates to the above tip about writing when you’re feeling sleepy.
Being slightly tipsy can help you come up with some fantastic ideas out of nowhere – check out the hashtag that Jimmy Fallon started on Twitter, #MyDrunkStory.
So the next time you experience writer’s block, pour yourself a glass of wine and let the writing commence!
Avoid multitasking
Surprisingly, multitasking is best to be avoided as it’s impossible for the brain to do. The brain is unable to do two or more things simultaneously – in other words, you can’t write and watch a TV show at the same time. This is because your mind switches between the tasks quickly and it ends up taking twice as long to accomplish a task when you try to multitask. This results in increased rates of error and the risk of burnout.
Take a typing class
Increase your writing output by taking a class on typing, which focuses on the mechanics of typing. Productivity can be reduced if you’re slow at typing… I mean, think about it this way… people on average type at a rate of 40 words per minute, guess how many words Troy Aikman, the former American football quarterback can type per minute? 80 words without making mistakes.
Even if you begin typing faster than that, you’ll never be able to catch up with the speed of thought. Our thoughts form between 1000-3000 words per minute – yikes!
It may not be humanly possible to type as fast as our thoughts, it’s always possible to improve our typing speed and learn to type quicker. This way, you won’t only be a faster writer, you’ll be a more efficient one too. Not to mention that you’re typing will become more accurate.
Try using the program Keybr.com to increase your typing speed.
Don’t spend too much time when writing your first draft
When writing your first draft, lock up your internal editor in order to be more productive. You’ll only be slowed down by your internal editor and it will make you think twice about anything you come up with.
This can sometimes keep you from writing completely, thus resulting in writer’s block. Of course, the internal editor is an important aspect of the creative process, just not when you’re busy with your first draft.
When you’re busy with your first draft, editing should be the very last thing that crosses your mind. You should focus on letting your words flow, if that doesn’t happen, take a small break, come back and try again.
Conclusion
It’s important for you to understand that not all of the above hacks will work for each and every single writer. At times, you’ll need to experiment with different hacks to figure out which one works best for you. This may take up time as you’ll need to figure out which methods to discard because they’re sub-optimal to yourself as a writer. However, the more time you spend testing new methods, the better productivity boost you’ll get to figure out which productivity hacks work for you.
These productivity hacks include methods that give you a better understanding of when and how you can write at your best.
