What techniques do you use to maintain your writing focus and maximise your productivity?
How do you keep writing no matter what’s going on around you?
How do you avoid the distractions of social media, that dishwasher that needs unloading, that wash that needs putting on, that cup of tea you’re dying to take a break for?
How do you force yourself to write, even when it’s hard, keeping your mind completely focussed on the job at hand?
This question has haunted me since I first started writing and I’ve tried and failed with a variety of techniques and tools.
Then, a few weeks ago, my old university lecturer came to stay. Since we’re both at the same place with our respective novels (editing for our agents to submit to publishers in a month or so) it was a working visit. Our agents are waiting, time is of the essence, and writing paramount.
She forced me into a method of working I would never have considered before. It has tripled my productivity. So I wanted to share it with you as a Q&A in the hope that more writers can benefit from her idea.
Below is her solution.
What works for you? How do you maximise your productivity?
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I don't think there is a better or worse way there is only the way that works for the person who is using it.
Personally I have a writing setting, a place, and a set of media, that defines the situation as "writing time". I sit down to write in the same place, in the same chair, at the same table, and have the same lighting and background noise, in my case a particular musical playlist that I find stokes my muse. This helps to keep me in writing mode when I'm in a mental space where writing can happen. I can't force that state to start, I need to be in an inspired frame of mind. When I am there is no distracting me from the work in front of me.
For my money no-one should ever try to write to a schedule. Inspiration can't be scheduled and writing that isn't inspired is pointless, so writing done for the sake of filling a time quota isn't, for me, worth much of anything. If you can write effectively under those conditions then more power to you but it would be worse than pointless for me to try. The only writing I have ever actually thrown out was the result of forced writing time at school.
To maximise my output I never edit or spell-check while I have new material to get on the page, I write until I'm out of material and ideas and then go back to the piece in a couple of days to do some heavy editing and checking when I'm in the mood to read rather than write.
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Writing shares many aspects with other, more common, white collar jobs - creativity, time management, etc.
So many of the same techniques used by graphic artists, software developers, etc. can also be used by writers. As just one example, the Pomodoro Technique uses both work and break periods to help maximize productivity.
The Critical Chain method for project management attempts to minimize multitasking. When a resource is on the 'critical path' they can place a placard on their door or cubicle wall to indicate they are in critical chain mode and aren't to be disturbed by colleagues. They aren't supposed to answer the phone or emails except for one hour designated during the work day.
While these techniques are mostly suited for teams of people, some of the techniques can be adapted for individuals in non-conventional work areas, like home offices for example.
Working with others is certainly one external method for motivation but, I think, internal motivation is what most of us need to cultivate.
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I've got a lot of particulars when it comes to writing. I find that what keeps me working can vary immensely depending on the language I'm writing in, the genre, being on holiday or having to manage a few minutes out of a heavy work schedule, ... a ton of factors.
I believe the best advice one can give a writer who has trouble avoiding distractions is to 'know thyself'. What triggers the distraction? Perhaps you can't stand the idea of dirty dishes in the sink. Or maybe your mind starts wandering after x minutes. Perhaps seeing other people working eagerly motivates you to follow their example... or maybe it makes you feel frustrated and kills whatever creativity you had at the moment.
Once a writer understands what kills the mood and what strengthens their willpower, then they can establish a sound routine.
However, it is easy to run out of ideas and strategies, especially with a fickle muse. Reading about other writers' strategies can spark new ideas and help to mature one's own routine. The OPs suggestion of having a 'writing mate', for example, was new for me and I find it quite interesting, even if I can't really focus on writing when I'm sharing the room with someone else (but knowing someone else is working hard in the next room, on the other hand, might still work as motivation).
But let's talk about easily distracted minds. I'm one, and I'm not. If I have a scene burning inside me, I am capable of sitting at the computer and working for over eight hours without a stop. I won't notice hunger, thirst, not even a full bladder. Nothing will distract me. It's obsessive and, let's face it, unhealthy. But if I'm not sure how the scene will play out, then breathing itself becomes a distraction. I sometimes find that lying down in a dark room as if I were about to take a nap can get my mind a bit more focused. Either that, or I really end up napping and then wake up with a fresh mind. It's a win-win situation in any case.
In my particular case, I do not have one routine but a variety of them. The strategy that works best one month may be the worst option the following month. I'm erratic, you see. It means my routines are constantly changing and it's very often a matter of playing it by ear. More often than not, I simply change tasks. If I can't edit right now, I'll do some tidying and will go back only when my head feels alert.
One thing, though, I advise to all writers: know thyself. What motivates you, what frustrates you, what distracts you. Be aware it can be different things depending on your mood or the task at hand (planning, drafting, writing, editing, ...) and try as many strategies as it's sensible.
Remember, there isn't one right way for all, and there isn't one wrong way for all. Some of best loved strategies for writing are mood killers for me, and some of the most hated ones (in particular, editing while writing) are what keep me writing non-stop.
PS.: If housework distracts you, try to develop a hatred for it. Few things can keep me going at the keyboard as the burning desire to avoid certain house chores. Instant creativity booster.
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I write when I wake up. Every morning, 365 days a year, with perhaps 2% exceptions for travel days. Even then, I have written on airplanes.
I work in 90 minute cycles, for both my job and writing. I always wake up early and spend 3 hours on getting ready to start actual work, about 2:15 of that is writing, or editing, or reading. Nobody else is awake at that time.
I don't really try to "maximize my productivity", when I write I am not in a hurry to get done, I don't have a word quota to reach. I can finish a novel (with several edit passes included) in about 9 months this way, but I don't set ANY time limit of any kind on myself; I am only committed to writing until it is done. I think deadlines and quotas are a silly thing to do, for me I would only disappoint myself, for no good reason. I trust that if I keep writing I will finish it, period. No need to discourage myself by setting arbitrary milestones I fail to reach.
I do the same thing in my scientific research; I explore ideas until I am done and I judge there is no more useful work to do. Half the time, that results in something publishable; and a few times, that has been something really important.
As for how to really maximize my productivity, that is just scheduling. I have cycles reserved for work, for cleaning the house, for yard work, for washing dishes or clothes, for paying bills, for our various entertainments, for everything.
We don't live a spontaneous life in this house, even the dog knows when it is time to eat or walk, to the minute. Although we can, if family or friends demand, rearrange our entertainment to allow for a simulacrum of spontaneity. And of course if emergency intrudes, we handle that by whatever means are necessary. Thus we have been (my family) for over thirty years.
The point of saying the above is that, when it comes time for me to write in the morning, Nothing else intrudes on my mind. There is nothing else I should be doing instead, nothing I need to worry won't get done if I don't do it now. It will all get done, in its time, every week or month or year.
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