Some writers just seem to be incredibly productive.  They seem to effortlessly crank out work and get stuff done. So what’s their secret? 

Focus and planning, that’s what. It really is as simple and unglamourous as that.

Now more than ever our lives have so many moving parts pulling us away from the writing work we want to do.  At a time when it’s never been easier to create and put your work into the world, many writers don’t produce as much, or as often, as they want to.

So how are we gonna fix that?  By making 4 small changes to help us get the most out of our writing time. 

Focus on One Thing at A Time.

Time blocking is your friend. Allocate time to your daily tasks and focus on them one by one rather than multi-tasking.  And spend that time working solely on that task.  You can relax because everything on your list has its allocated time - including your writing session. Try not to relegate your writing time to the bottom of the list - shift your thinking about it so it’s just another item on the to-do list rather than an unimportant “if I have time” item.   Set an alarm for the allocated block of writing time and give your writing project your undivided attention. You’ll be surprised how much you get done and how quickly the time passes.

Turn It All Off

When you sit down to write – turn off any distracting background noise including alerts, close open windows on your computer and turn off the ringer on your phone for your designated amount of time.  When you’re distracted away from your writing task – you then waste time getting back into it.  Check out this rather horrifying little nugget from an Unmistakable Creative article…

“Every time you’re interrupted by a person, checking email, a social feed, or respond to a notification, your mind requires 23 minutes of refocus time – just to get back on task! This doesn’t count the time you spend being distracted, this is just to get refocused again.”

Yikes.

Try placing your phone in another room for the amount of time you want to write. You might feel slightly twitchy about it initially – but it won’t kill you. 

Protect Your Writing Time From Non-urgent Tasks.

Tidying, organising or cleaning feels immediately satisfying, I get it.  It’s simple and rewarding whereas writing, on the other hand, is hard work and takes a long time to yield results. But realistically, you know that finishing your project is actually more important than washing the car or tidying your desk or having folded laundry. So stop prioritising non-urgent tasks over your writing.  Put writing at the top of your to-do list rather than under the endless list of tasks. When you feel the pull of easy tasks, literally ask yourself this; what is more important to me – finishing my book/screenplay/poetry collection or having a tidy desk? Caving into easy, satisfying tasks feels good initially but so does the satisfaction gained from moving your project forward.

Get on Top of Your FOMO

Convincing yourself you just need to check your emails or Facebook or Twitter or Tiktok before you start writing is a habit that hoovers up your writing time.  Every time I do this - I lose hours of writing time. TIP: Make social media time a reward. This will stop you feeling like you’re missing out - and curb that impulse to stop working to idly check your accounts. If you've already decided you’re gonna check out your FB feed over lunch or later that night then there’s no need to think about it when you’re working on your project. 

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