Increasing your productivity

Finding time to write is one thing, using it effectively to get your words written is quite another. If you often find yourself getting to the end of a writing session only to realise you’ve written fifty words in the last hour then, unless you are writing poetry, you probably want to improve your productivity.

As a writer, as with any other job, you improve your productivity by achieving more in the time you have. That might be writing more words, finishing more writing products or doing other activities that generate more income. Below are some ways you can instantly improve your productivity.

Focus on a single task – whatever you are working on stay focused only on the task in hand and stay working on that task for at least twenty-five minutes (unless you have less time than that available). Whether you frequently switch tasks or try to complete two tasks simultaneously multi-tasking reduces productivity and increases the likelihood of making mistakes. Switch to single-tasking and you will achieve more in the time you have available.

Turn off your mobile – messages, e-mail social media, on-screen alerts, and not forgetting the occasional phone call. All will distract you, engage you, and steal your time – your writing will not get done. Turn your phone off and hide it. You do not want to be tempted to pick it up, not even once, whilst you are working. If you are writing for long periods of times put your phone, on silent, in another room and check it during your break periods only.

Plan your time – don’t wait until you have some time before you write, plan your writing time and diarise it. Prioritise your writing and writing related activities and then plan other non-essential tasks around these rather than finishing everything else and then doing your writing in the time you have left.

Plan your projects – whether a book or other writing project ensure you create at least an overview of the scenes or sections you intend to write and of the tasks you need to complete. Preferably create a detailed plan so that you always know what you need to write, what you need to do and when you are going to do it.

Clarify your goals and objectives – be clear about your writing goals and break these down nto objectives with a deadline. If you are writing a book you might have the goal of completing that book within six months. You can break this down further with deadlines for each scene or section, for completion of the first draft, final edits and, if you are self-publishing, publication. Write down all your targets and deadlines and you are more likely to achieve them.

Stay healthy – often forgotten until it is too late. Look after your health to ensure you remain focused on your tasks, can work the hours needed to complete your projects and don’t have periods of time when you are unable to write due to avoidable illness or injury. Eat well, drink plenty (of water) and exercise.

If you would like further hints, tips and techniques for improving productivity for writers then take a look at my new book Productivity for Writers: How to get more done, write more words and createmore time to write. This book is available on all Amazon sites.