6 Ways to Boost Writing Productivity

Indie author and self-publishing luminary Kristine Kathryn Rusch has been doing a series on writing with chronic illness, a subject near and dear to my heart. This recent post on productivity has inspired me to step up my daily writing output. One thing I realized while reading her post is that it’s not about how much time you can make for writing each day — it’s about getting the most out of the time you’ve got.

So how can you do that? Well, here are a few tricks that usually work for me. Maybe they’ll work for you, too.

1. Make an appointment with your writing, and keep it. Even if you only have 15 minutes. Even if all you do in the beginning is sit in your desk and stare at the screen. If you make a commitment to showing up to your writing each and every day, sooner or later your muse will start showing up to meet you there.
2. Make a playlist. Until recently, I’ve resisted the idea of making a playlist for my works in progress, partly because it’s hard for me to write to music with lyrics, and partly because I’m kind of terrible at curating music. But then I discovered that Spotify makes it easy by suggesting similar songs and artists — all you have to do is come up with the first song to get started. And I also realized that creating the perfect soundtrack for my story is not the point. The point is to set the mood that will trigger your brain to think about that particular story. And then, even if you can’t actually listen to the list while you write because it’s too distracting, go ahead and make time to listen to it while actively thinking about your story. I’ve gotten into the habit of listening to mine while I eat breakfast and drink my morning coffee, so I’m ready and rarin’ to go by the time I sit down at my desk to write.
3. Develop a ritual. I make a cup of tea, and then sit and drink it about halfway before I set it down and start writing. Some people light candles or use aromatherapy. Listening to your playlist might also be part of your ritual. The point is to come up with something you can do to signal to your brain that it’s time to get into that space where the words flow.
4. Listen to something that will help you focus. If your playlist is too distracting, try classical music, or white noise, or binaural beats. If you like electronica, I’ve got a writing playlist you might enjoy. Sometimes, simply wearing headphones to muffle the noises around me can considerably boost my ability to concentrate.
5. Set a timer. You might try the pomodoro method, in which you set a timer for 25 minutes and then take a 5 minute break before starting again. Feel free to experiment until you find your sweet spot. For me, the magically productive amount of time is 45 minutes, followed by a 15 minute break until the next writing session. But however long you’re able to sit down and write, setting a timer will help you stay focused on your writing for that amount of time.
6. Give yourself permission to suck. Your job during this time is to get the words down. Let go of any notion that they have to be good. Making them good is what revising and editing are for. Embrace Anne Lamott’s advice to write a sh***y first draft and set your muse free to fly.

By employing these tricks, I can usually start writing almost immediately when I sit down at my desk, and I can accomplish about 2,000 words in two 45-minute sessions. But even if you can only carve out 15 or 20 minutes a day for your writing, you’d be amazed at how much you can get done in that amount of time, especially if you practice consistently. You’ll also be amazed at how quickly it adds up.

Jean Marie Bauhaus is a hybrid author with four novels to her credit, as well as a freelance writer and editor. She’s also the author of Self-Publishing for the Broke Author: How to Edit Your Manuscript, Format Your Book and Create a Killer Cover on Little to No Money. This post was originally published at daydreamerpublishing.wordpress.com on March 12, 2019.