5 Weird Writing Productivity Hacks That Work

Do you feel burned out and brain dead after a full day of writing?

Heavy writing days used to exhaust me. My brain felt like mush. I could barely talk. Exercise was out of the question. All I wanted to do is sit in front of the television and force my brain to stop thinking.

You’ve probably had days like that, too.

I’ve learned some great time (and sanity saving) writing hacks over the years. And I no longer feel like my brain is going to explode at the end of the day.

But yeah, these tips are a little weird.

Here are five of my favorites:

Chart your writing rhythms

Your writing brain doesn’t click along at peak capacity 24/7. To leverage this hack, simply notice when your brain is on and your creative juices are flowing. For me, I can write a 500 word blog draft in about 15 minutes between 7-10am. Between 3-5pm, I’ll stare slack-jawed at my laptop and check Facebook every few minutes.

Chart your own writing rhythms and notice the patterns. Then, give yourself permission to write only during your peak times. Yes, you will feel guilty if you’re not writing during your “off” times, but get over it. Let the process work.

Limit your writing time

Are you used to long, ultra marathon-like stretches of writing? You may get a lot done during a 10 hour write-a-thon, but it often has a heavy cost. Instead, break your writing time into 25-minute chunks. This technique, called the Pomodoro Technique, forces you to focus 100% on a task for less than 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes, you’d take a short break and let your brain rest. Chris Winfield discusses his success with the Pomodoro Technique here.

Some people worry that 25 minutes isn’t enough time and they’d feel rushed. For me, it’s the exact opposite. I love to see how much writing I can accomplish in a 25 minute block of time. Plus, the Pomodoro Technique is a great way to complete tasks you don’t enjoy doing. It’s much easier to keep up with your bookkeeping when you know you only have to do it for 25 minutes.

The five minute brainstorm technique

Do you feel like your first drafts are all over the place without a cohesive flow? Spend five minutes outlining some quick notes before you start writing. You don’t have to create a full-fledged outline. Just let your mind wander and see what comes up. This hack seems to rearrange things in my brain and makes the actual writing process easier.

Wear different hats. Literally.

Sometimes, I feel like two people live inside my brain. My inner writer is laid back, easy going and just wants to let things flow, man. My inner editor is much crankier–and she forces me to reexamine every word. Their constant fighting can make life…difficult.

If the two sides of you can’t get along, it’s time to separate the voices inside your head. Some writers wear one hat (like a baseball cap) when they’re writing and another (say, a cowboy hat) when they’re editing. You could even write at a Starbucks and edit at a Dunkin’ Donuts. The key is to physically do something that cues your brain into the right writing mode. It sounds like a cheesy solution, but it really does work. Try it and see.

The two minute trick

There are days when the writing muse isn’t with you, even when you’re writing during your peak time. You can’t think. You don’t feel like writing. You can feel the icy-cold beginnings of writer’s block seep into your brain.

Don’t pack in the keyboard! Instead, set a timer and force yourself to write for two minutes. At the end of two minutes, you can walk away if you choose. Or, you can keep going. Some days, you may close your laptop and know that you’ve done your best. And that’s OK. I often keep going past the two minute mark and write for an entire 25 minutes. There’s something about giving myself the permission to stop that loosens up my brain cobwebs.

What about you? What’s your favorite writing productivity hack (the weirder, the better!).

9 replies
  1. sara says:

    Heather,
    Thanks for another excellent post with useful tips. Charting writing rhythms and five minute brainstorming will be incorporated into my writing sessions. I found it all too easy to head off to planet FB when bereft of ideas and words. So, I took the nuclear option and deactivated my account for 2015. It has saved me time and removed one less distraction. (It still leaves the chocolate biscuits and a myriad of other temptations) Have a great week.

    Reply
  2. Zara says:

    This is really great. As I write daily and I really need some productivity hacks to increase my writing peace. I also wrote an article about it mentioning some tools that will improve the productivity and editing. But your article is amazing.

    Reply
  3. Colleen Reske says:

    I think the pomodoro technique is fascinating. I was so intrigued I even bought a little tomato kitchen timer, just for kicks! (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato — literally, golden apple). Now I just need to implement the technique!

    Reply

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