By Marilyn Forsyth
Am I a Productive Writer?
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Short answer: NO.
It’s why I’ve been researching articles that outline simple steps used by ‘Super Productive People’ to be…well, productive; developing habits like rising early, planning each day, incorporating exercise, etc. So, if what I've read is right, that something like 40% of our daily actions are driven by our habits, then it should be doable to create a new daily routine incorporating these steps, right?
To that end, I’ve taken a few of these suggested habits
and looked into how I might actually do just that.
1. Plan
Your Day the Night Before
Knowing what your goals are for the day gets the ball rolling straight away
in the morning. Setting 3 goals is
manageable - you can always do more. Be sure to prioritise your writing.
Makes sense.
2. Get Up Earlier
Gives you more time (everyone’s most
limited resource) in the day. Works best by being consistent with a wake-up
time. Might mean going to bed a bit earlier to get 7-9 hours’ sleep.
I can do that.
3. Tackle
Your (Writing) Goals First Thing
Skip the emails, social media and other
distractions and get straight to work when your energy is at its highest.
Hmm. I’m not really a morning person; I’ve found my creative energy peaks later in the day so I do my social media stuff when I first get up. Might be worth a try if I’m going to commit to this, though. (Unfortunately, scrolling is not productive.)
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4. Create ‘Office Hours’ (for social media/email interactions)
Social media sucks so much time. Set a hard limit for time spent on it.
Good idea. I really do need to do this if I want to get more done.
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5. Do
NOT Multitask
Do one task at a time and see it through
to completion.
Oh crikey! Is that even possible??
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6. Schedule
Breaks
Get out of that chair! Not only does it
give your eyes a rest but 20 minutes of exercise a day is good for your health
and general well-being. And always have a glass of water handy.
I’ll see how I go with this. When I’m in the zone I find it hard to take time out.
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7. Perfection
is Unrealistic
Yes, we all want our work to be the best
it can be, but don’t give in to the temptation of constantly revising and
tweaking your writing. Set a time limit to finish your final edit and stick to
it.
I’m already working hard on this as I am a bit of a perfectionist.
8. Outsource
I wish! Realistically, unless
you’re making money from your writing, this isn’t an option for most of us.
It’s obvious that just because these
‘habits’ work for other people, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll work for me
and, reading back over this, I’ve realised I’m not going to be able to incorporate
all the ‘habits’ (at one time) to increase my productivity.
So, maybe I’ll start with one. What’s that
old saying? The longest journey begins with the first step? Wish me luck!
Love to Love: my new lifestyle. Living in an apartment in the city is fantastic!
Love to Laugh: at the Graham Norton Show. Love his interviewing technique. 😂
Love to Learn: anything and everything
about ancient Egypt, which is why I bought tickets to the Horizon of Khufu experience. It was sensational! Here’s the link if you’d
like to know more:
Marilyn, these are all fab and do-able hints. I'm guilty of being the world's greatest procrastinator and also scroller...but setting realistic goals for writing will make things so much more productive! I think I like the getting up earlier suggestion the most - but yes, I do need to go to bed earlier so I'm not waking up tired. What a wonderful post, simple suggestions but achievable. Thankyou!
ReplyDeleteThanks Miranda! I think I might challenge you for the title of world's greatest procrastinator/scroller, though. :)
DeleteGreat suggestions here. Plan night before not fore as things always change.. Am a night person so staying up late is best. Social media and scrolling is done in meal breaks. I do tend to immerse myself in writing so scheduled breaks is a great idea. Perfectionist, yes, constant internal battle to stop.
ReplyDeleteHi Enisa! You might find, like me, that starting with just one new habit might get you off and running with an increase in your productivity. Good luck!
DeleteThis is timely for me. I am experiencing my first deadline for a book. So far I am finding that because I have a day job where I already start early that working between 7.30pm and 9.30-10pm is working well for me. I am getting the bones of my story down with the view of having a month to review/rewrite/edt my ms before handing it in. I aim for between 500-700 words a night and if I have time on the weekend I am finding I can sneak in a cheeky 1000 or more words. Could I be doing this better? Probably, but so far for me this is working. I am also using an app on my phone called Writeometer so I can track my progress. I will however be looking to see if I can incorporate some of these tips.
ReplyDeleteHi Cassandra! Sounds to me like you have your goals for productivity already well worked out. Good luck with it all! :)
DeleteGreat tactic to have a daily goal, Cassandra!
DeleteThis is such an interesting post, Marilyn. Scheduling breaks works best for me. Even a short walk around the block helps me.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by, Sharon. Since we moved into town, I've been doing a lot more walking than previously - great for 'thinking/planning' time.
DeleteI think, Marilyn, that planning is absolutely great but deadlines are an even greater motivator! It's always more difficult with a family, too. You're retired, but you can never retire from being a mother and grandmother and I'm sure you're spending a lot of very satisfying time enjoying family. :)
ReplyDelete