Becoming a productive author takes practice and using certain habits. Today’s author faces demand to write books, create blog posts and other materials to sell books and grow their career. Use these productivity habits to get more work done each day. Let’s get started with these 11 productivity hacks for authors.
1. Set Daily Writing Goals
Writing a book may appear overwhelming at first – there are thousands of words to be written! To get over this anxiety and concern, start by setting daily writing goals. Jeff Goins, a successful blogger and author of several books, encourages aspiring authors to write 500 words every day. Entrepreneur and author Nathan Barry changed his career by writing 1,000 words per day for over 500 days.
Set a writing goal that you will keep for the next month. For the best results, use word count (rather than pages or paragraphs) since it is easier to measure.
2. Write With Ear Plugs
Background noise is frustrating. If you work in a cubicle or open office, the noise can become overwhelming. Neville Medhora, author of This book will teach you how to write better, recommends wearing ear plugs when you need to focus and get a lot of writing done. There’s also a bonus benefit – people are less likely to distract you when you wear ear plugs.
3. Use A Mindmap to Plan Your Book
Facing a blank sheet of paper (or an blank computer screen) gives some people writer’s block. Rather than sitting there and feeling frustrated, consider using a mindmap instead. Tyler Wagner, author of Conference Crushing and founder of Authors Unite, has long used mind maps to develop ideas.
4. Read Outside Your Field
In order to study the craft and art of writing, you nee to commit to reading books. Best selling author Neil Gaiman observed that becoming a fantasy author means reading in many fields. In a BrainPickings interview, Gaiman commented, “If you like fantasy and you want to be the next Tolkien, don’t read big Tolkienesque fantasies — Tolkien didn’t read big Tolkienesque fantasies, he read books on Finnish philology. Go and read outside of your comfort zone, go and learn stuff.”
5. Use “Distraction Free” Writing Tools
Writing on a computer makes life easier for authors in many respects. You can cut and paste text. Many common spelling errors are easily detected and corrected. Yet, computers are also full of distractions! If you are struggling to focus, consider using a specialized writing tool. Here are a few suggestions to get you started: OmmWriter, FocusWriter or Write or Die (a great tool for those who want pressure to produce!)
6. Use Writing Templates
Blogger and author Michael Hyatt frequently uses templates to write blog posts faster. You can use templates to help you write a book faster. For example, a template for a chapter in a business book might include: define the problem, present two case studies and finish with suggestions to solve the problem. You can create your own templates by studying the structure of popular books in your field.
7. Tell Stories Not Just Facts
Stories give life and excitement to your writing. Even if you are writing a non-fiction book, look for ways to include stories. For example, include case studies, tell how a person overcame a problem, or share a story from your own life. Even better – the drama of a story often makes for faster, more productive writing. Read Made To Stick for more insight on how to craft stories and make your message memorable.
8. Carry and Use An Idea Notebook
James Altucher carries a waiter’s notepad with him every day. Why? He finds it is an easy way to quickly note down ideas as they occur to him. You may be coming home from the gym and finally get an idea – use an idea notebook to gather those ideas. Those who prefer digital tools may prefer to use Evernote. You never know when inspiration will strike!
9. Schedule A Set Writing Time Each Day
If you are writing your book and have other demands on your time (e.g. a corporate day job), consider setting a fixed schedule for writing. Author and computer science professor Cal Newport used a fixed schedule to write books, do research and stay productive. If you take a train to work, you could use your commuting time to write parts of your book.
10. Outsource Non-Writing Tasks
Creating a successful book requires more than words. The book needs a cover, layout, marketing and more. If you are struggling with all the non-writing aspects of being an author, look for a way to outsource some of those tasks. For graphic design (e.g. book covers, illustrations or logos), you can use a service like 99 designs.
11. Write An Outline First
Writing an outline first is a great way to improve your productivity as an author. Start by writing out all of the chapter titles of your book. Next, you can write the headings for the various sections within a chapter. Spending an hour or two to create a rough outline for your book will significantly improve your productivity.
Featured photo credit: Pen and Notebook/condesign via pixabay.com
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