How to Write with Focus and Efficiency
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It’s no secret that we live in a world full of distractions. As writers, we often allow writing to fall to the bottom of our to-do list while wishing we could make more progress, quickly. Many productivity gurus out there claim to have all the bells and whistles to life-hack your way to being more productive. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hack my life. I want a fulfilling and creative life. To achieve this means being able to check in with ourselves. We need to understand how we can best support ourselves along the way to achieving our writing desires.
How do we create the space to allow ourselves to focus and be more efficient with our writing time? Being able to focus means simplifying. Remember that small increments will build towards your goal. You don’t have to make sweeping grand gestures to get it all done right away. After all, writing a novel is as much about the journey as it is the final product.
Here is how I approach bringing more focus and efficiency into my writing practice.
Scheduling the Time to Write
While I dream of a dedicated weekend writing retreat in Vermont frolicking among the fall foliage, the reality is that I often have small 15-minute windows throughout my day when I can dedicate myself to my writing projects. During the weekend, I like to plan my writing time for the upcoming week and schedule it into my calendar. I use Google Calendar but you can use whichever is your preferred way of scheduling appointments for your week. I plan for 15-minute writing blocks three times a week with one larger 30-minute block on the weekend. The 15-minute blocks tend to be at the start of my day before any appointments or meetings. This gives me a solid finish line. If I want to write, I better sit down and do the damn thing. On the weekends, I like to have slow mornings so I tend to schedule my writing time for around 10 am. I also allow for more writing time if I get into a flow and don’t want to stop…which is often the case! I invite you to look at your week ahead and see if you can’t find 2-3 writing blocks you can schedule. The key is that you can not compromise on these times. So, if 2-3 time blocks feel overwhelming to you, try for just one.
2. Manage Your Energy
When you hear the title “writer,” the lifestyle choices that person makes aren’t likely the first thing that comes to mind. If however, a person tells you they are a professional basketball player, you might ask them questions about their daily routines of workouts and diet. Our health is our wealth and without it, no great masterpiece will ever get written. This doesn’t mean you need to hire LeBron James’ coach, this means that you need to be investing your time and energy into supporting your body the best way you can. By supporting your body, you support your brain which houses that great story we’re all waiting to read! Take a moment to think about:
How much sleep you’re getting at night?
Are you eating a balanced diet?
Are you finding movement in your day such as walking, yoga, or a workout class?
Are you drinking enough water?
This might sound like a pro-athletes training program but if you think about it, writing requires our bodies and minds to be operating at a top level just like an athlete. You have to show up at the practice arena in top shape to write your best. That means showing up as your best self for each of the writing sessions you’ve blocked off on your calendar. Are there 1-2 changes you can make to help elevate your body & energy into writing shape?
3. Creating a Consistent Writing Practice
The first step to consistent writing is creating a dedicated time to write each week as we discussed in #1 above. The second key to consistent writing is to keep writing forward. This can be challenging when it's so easy to sit down and read what we wrote yesterday and start editing. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for review and editing, but can you continue to write forward? Especially, if you only have 15 minutes, focus on what happens next instead of re-writing. This will help you build your creative writing muscle and allow your brain to keep thinking about what could possibly happen next as you move throughout your day. Have you had a great idea for a piece of dialogue or plot twist while in the shower or while driving? When we give our brains direction such as “I am writing a book,” and we consistently engage with writing, our brains will scan for inspiration and be focused on helping us move forward, even unconsciously. That is why I love to use the Notes app on my phone where I can quickly write down ideas that come up so that when I sit down to write, I allow myself to explore those possibilities. If you are anything like me—and often get your best ideas in the shower—grabbing your phone isn’t recommended. That is why I purchased washable markers for the shower so I can write ideas on the shower wall and once I’m dry, I can grab my phone and make those notes digital.
4. Use Productivity Tools
Again, there are a ton of tools and perspectives on productivity that you are happy to explore and try which ones work best for you. I like to keep things simple, otherwise, I’ll just walk away if it feels too complicated or cumbersome. This means I use these tools sparingly, however, I have used a number of tools for specific reasons to support my achieving my goals.
The first is Habit. This is a goal-tracking app where I love being able to check each writing session off with great achievement. It doesn’t matter the length of my writing session, as long as I showed up and put works on the page, I get to track it! There’s a lot of satisfaction in tracking this way. Plus, it also doubles as an accountability tool when you can honestly see how many writing sessions you actually showed up for each week and month. I also use this for tracking my flossing - which has kept me and my dentist happy!
Using a timer has also helped me stay focused on writing and not get distracted by other platforms, paying bills, or social media. I like to use this free Pomodor web app which allows me to set a timer for my writing blocks quickly. There are also stats that you can track your progress. I just save the link to my browser and open it up at the start of each writing session. When the timer goes off, you’ve achieved your writing goal for the day! If you have the time and are in the flow, by all means, keep writing!
The last tool, I love to use is the timer on your iPhone. Especially, when traveling or writing by hand, this can be a quick and easy way to get words on the page. Careful with this one, it can be easy to pick up your phone and then 15 minutes later realize you’ve been on every app except the clock one which has now burned through your writing time.
It doesn’t matter which tools you decide work best for you, it’s about the time that you find to be consistent with your writing and showing up for yourself. When you are able to focus on writing, you will become more efficient with your time and get closer and closer to your writing goals. You and your story matter, that is why taking care of yourself will allow you to focus on writing and be efficient with your time will bring joy to this world with every word you write.
Keep up the great work and have fun exploring the tools and resources to best support improving your writing and routine. If you’d like support with creating a more focused and effective writing practice, join the WriteConnect community to learn from other like-minded writers.
