Tips to Become a More Productive Writer

It’s when my daughter is watching her cartoons and eating her breakfast, so all I used to do was browse the internet and drink my morning cup of tea. By getting the studying done in the morning, I gave myself an extra hour in the afternoon/early evening to get through work.

Look for the hours that you’re wasting in the day. There may be more than you expect. See what you can get done instead in those hours, and use them more productively.

That doesn’t mean every minute of every hour needs to be taken up with writing, or the research. You will need breaks here and there, lunch is a requirement, and there are other things in your life that you want to do. After all, isn’t that why you chose to write online?

I’ve finally found a good use for my tablet computer, and not just to keep my daughter entertained or for watching TV while I study. I have Evernote installed on it, and use it for note-taking throughout the day. Wherever I go, my tablet is in my handbag so I can pull it out and make notes whenever I need. It’s so much better than carrying a physical notebook and pen around (although I do still prefer writing on that!).

The benefit of having the Evernote app is that it syncs with my other devices. I can access my notes anywhere.

If you have a smartphone or tablet device, it’s time to use them better for writing. Do your research on that, so you can keep the internet uninstalled on your computer. Use it for writing out a draft article when you’re away from the desk—like waiting for your doctor’s appointment—or to take notes about any ideas that you come up with while out.

There are other apps that you can download to help with productivity. I don’t have many of them yet, so I can’t recommend any decent ones right now except Evernote. But I have heard that there are a few that are great. If you write on Blogger or WordPress blogs there are some apps for them, so you can post directly from your phone!

By time tracking, you are more conscious of how you are using your time. When I started, I found that I kept taking breaks in between articles, such as to check Facebook or read more into research than I really needed to because it was interesting. Now that I track my time, I procrastinate less and less.

When you are tracking the time spent writing, you should also track your breaks. It helps you stick to set timeslots, and encourages you take regular ones. Contrary to popular believe, taking regular breaks will actually help you become a more productive writer, because you will give your brain and body the rest they need.

I do now have a time tracking app on my phone. I can just click a button and it will start a timer. I can also track the time I sleep, eat, use the internet and more, so I really get to see how I use my time. I’m not sure if it is any more useful than just using a spreadsheet, but it is much easier than trying to type in all the details.

There are certain activities in your day that will make you more money than others. As much as you may hate it, your marketing makes you more money than you really believe at first. The marketing brings the readers to your content, and encourages them to share it with their friends.

I used to split my hours up in my diary, so I would spend a certain amount of time on clients, time on marketing and then time on other tasks that needed doing. I had to stop that lately because my daughter never likes sticking to my plan (and I can’t really blame her) but now that she is at nursery for two days a week, I’ve started doing it again.

It means I have the hours in the day for everything. Once the clock clicks to say 2pm, I know that it is time to do an hour of marketing. At 3pm, it is time to move onto writing a piece of Wizzley. Those are just examples, but you get what I mean. Nothing is allowed to run over, unless it’s for a client, I have promised to get it done at the last minute and I am usually paid extra for it.

I really hope the tips above work for you. Put them in place, if you don’t already, and see what you think. If they work, great! If not and you find something else that does, feel free to leave a comment (I encourage comments anyway). Maybe your productivity tip will help someone else become a more productive writer.