Description:
Struggling with being a productive writer? We all fall into distraction traps and periods of low productivity. All productivity tips are like tools in a toolbox, and having multiple is a great way to break out of writer's block. This episode covers the first 5 of 10 productivity tips for writers to keep in mind as we start 2025!
Listen
You are listening to The Novel Writing Podcast, Episode 160.
I'm your host, Colleen Mitchell. Grab a cup, cozy up, and let's get to writing!
Today's episode is the first 5 of 10 productivity tips for writers that I've both used myself, and have seen used successfully by the authors I work with in our coaching & critique group. These are in no particular order, and are not all-inclusive, so if there's a particular tip that works for you that isn't on this list, we'd love to hear it!
Let's dive right in:
1. Decide in advance what you want to work on before you sit down to write.
Let's say you have an hour set aside to write, but normally when you get to that hour you stare at the screen for twenty minutes trying to figure out what you're even going to work on. If you write chronologically, but you're stuck at a particularly tough scene, this can feel like time wasted. And if you write out of order, not knowing what to work on means lost time to work on anything.
Why this works:
If you choose in advance, whether it's in the hour before starting or at the end of the previous writing session, your brain is primed to work on a specific problem in the draft. The longer you give your brain to prime or noodle on the next session, the faster you can get working means a maximized writing session.
Practically, this means choosing something specific like writing an interaction between two characters or focusing on writing a visually rich description in the next scene.
2. Time block or time box your writing time on the calendar, especially a shared calendar.
Why this works:
Time boxing is a tried-and-true method of planning your time in such a way that you're focused on that one thing for that amount of time. When writing, the more we can get into "deep work mode", the better our writing is. If you have a shared calendar with family, blocking out your time can help cut down on the distractions or interruptions if you establish expectations around how your writing time is to be treated. Of course, if you don't honor the time block you give yourself, then other people won't, so if you have trouble with sticking to the calendar then you'll need to build up your stamina and discipline for it first.
3. Use a Pomodoro timer to focus your attention for shorter periods of time, and to get over the hump of starting.
Why this works:
I don't know about you, but there's something about seeing a timer ticking down that incentivizes me to fit as much work as I can into the time that's left. It's kind of a competition with myself to see how much I can do in that time.
Pomodoro timers are all over the internet, but the most basic version is 25 minutes of work followed by 5 minutes of a break. After four sets, you'd get a longer break. Obviously you can use this in a variety of different ways, whether it's just 25 minutes on a timer to get started and then you stop paying attention to the timer. Or you can adjust the intervals. Some people work better with 45 minutes on and 15 minutes off. The point of a Pomodoro timer is to jog your brain into work mode for a short focused period of time, knowing that you have a break coming up. That reduces the likelihood of getting distracted during the Pomodoro session, if you're clear on what your goal for those 25 minutes is.
As an example, I used a 30-minute timer to work on this episode, and it was far more effective than not having a timer and constantly getting distracted. I tend to pair Pomodoro sprints with background music without vocals. I also avoid any movie soundtracks that I recognize, because that can pull me into wanting to watch the movie rather than working on what I've planned to work on.
4. Write with friends (if y'all can agree not to interrupt each other).
Why this works:
Working together in silence is called the body double effect. When you're working on your book while your friends are also working on their books, you're more likely to actually focus on your book AND at the same time you're more likely to make more progress than working alone. You get a boost in focus and productivity because you have a silent layer of accountability, even if you don't share your progress at the end. It reduces procrastination, especially if you're in person with those friends.
We use the body double effect quite often in our coaching & critique group with our work sprints, regular blocks of time where we're all on camera (but muted) and working on our projects. Usually we'll put in the chat what we're working on, and then at the end we'll come back and share how it went. Some of our members get insane word counts during these sessions, simply because of how focused they get with other people virtually surrounding them.
5. Change up your writing location every now and then.
Why this works:
We get used to our spaces, but if we get too used to it, our brains can use that as an excuse to stop performing how we expect when we sit down to write. One of our coaching & critique members had great success writing in her bedroom, but then had to start writing in her kitchen when the bedroom stopped being conducive to creativity. And then when the kitchen stopped working, the bedroom worked again. You might have to move around a bit to find places that can really tap into your creativity, whether it's someplace in your home or at a library or a coffee shop.
For me, something as simple as moving from the office to the couch helped break a block I had when working on my 2nd book.
Next week we'll cover the last 5 of these productivity tips! In the meantime, have any of these worked for you in the past? We'd love to hear from you about your experience. There's a link in the description to text us.
That's it for today's episode! Thanks for joining me, and remember, the first draft is supposed to be garbage.
Show Notes
Dive into the first episode of the Novel Writing Podcast with your host Colleen and her sometimes-guest Halie Fewkes Damewood! Here, we give you the gist of who we are, what we do, and what you can expect from this podcast.
What to do next…
Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:
Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell
Comments