Who else wants to be a more productive writer?
This isn’t so much an exhaustive list of all the ways you can be more productive as a web writer. Instead, it’s a quick list of 5 principles I use to help me get more writing done in less time.
It’s important to note these principles are easy to apply. They don’t require non-productive “work time” to put them to use. Their purpose it to help you crank out more writing projects than you do now.
Admittedly, this post runs a little long for an article on productivity, but the few minutes you spend here now will reward you with a long, successful writing career.
1. Never start with a blank screen.
Sounds obvious but let me explain: The way to write quickly and avoid writer’s block is to use a simple strategy before you start. For me, this means fueling my creativity with a little research on the topic I want to write about.
For example, let’s say I’ve decided to write about the effect your writing environment has on your productivity.
One way I can start is by listing my own emotions on the subject.
I might ask, “How do I feel about writing with a cluttered desk? What are some of the things in my writing environment that slow my own productivity? How does poor productivity effect my income? How does this effect my level of fulfillment? And so on.
Next I simply write the answers to these questions down. Because guess what? If I’m struggling with these things, then, chances are, the readers of my article (other writers) will too.
By the time I get my own answers down the wheels in my brain are starting to turn with ideas or article titles I can write about on the subject of improving productivity. So … I move on to step two:
2. Getting started is more important than getting it perfect.
As soon as I’ve got an idea worth writing about … I … (drum roll please) … write about it!
Shock horror. I know this breaks tradition with all the writers who prefer thinking or reading about writing rather than actually hunkering down and doing it. But the fact is, movement creates more movement.
It’s like rolling a ball down a hill. Once you get the thing moving it tends to build its own momentum. And before long, the writing is flowing under it’s own steam.
However, if the ideas don’t begin to flow, try this: Grab a piece of writing on the subject and begin to copy it out in your own hand writing. Strangely, soon enough, following this exercise, your mind starts to tick over with your own ideas and before long your “trainer wheels” fall off and you’re riding solo.
3. The faster you capture ideas, the faster new ideas arrive.
Perhaps this tip should have come first. And it, too, is probably pretty obvious. But here’s what I mean:
Ideas can come at any time. And it seems the more frequently you capture your ideas in writing … the more frequently new ideas come to you. It’s as if there is a great well of ideas in the sky or somewhere just waiting for you to prime the pump. You prime the pump by writing about each of the ideas that come to you – even if you don’t think they are good enough to publish.
Next …
4. Examine your topic or idea from different angles.
An idea is like a raw piece of granite. You can let it just sit there on your desk … or … you can sculpt it into something useful. If you decide to sculpt your idea into something useful … then this tip might help:
Take your idea and examine it from multiple view points or perspectives. There are no limits to the perspectives or view points you can take on any given subject. But here are a few “idea starters” to get you moving in the right direction:
Opinion – you can give your own opinion on a topic, or relate someone else’s opinion which you either agree or disagree with.
Insight – give a useful insight about the topic that you have discovered. Or share a useful insight you gained from someone else.
Advice – give advice on a topic you are an expert in.
Solution – provide a solution to a troubling problem such as: How to overcome procrastination and become a more productive writer.
Prediction – make a prediction about where a trend is headed.
Question – ask a provocative question about something in your field that people tend to take for granted.
And so on.
By the way, each of these ideas starters could be great fodder for an interview with an expert in your field. And I’m sure the interview would spawn a lot of new ideas too. As an example, if you were interviewing a professional writer about overcoming procrastination you could ask the following questions:
1. In your opinion, why do writers procrastinate?
2. What insights have you gained in your writing career that have made you more productive?
3. What advice do you have for new writers?
4. Writers have a tendency to get “stuck”, do you have any solutions for getting “unstuck”?
Etc., Etc.
5. Complete at least one writing task before you do anything else.
The fastest way to increase your productivity is to increase your productivity. Sounds like double-talk, I know. But let’s face it, you’re only a writer when you’re writing. And you can only measure productivity by the amount of work you produce. So if you’re not writing … you’re not going to be a productive writer.
Here’s how to apply tip #5:
Use the tips in this article to knock out an article or letter or blog post now, before you click away or do anything else. At the very least, write your ideas down about what you just read. Do it now.
Practice these productivity techniques everyday and you’ll see an immediate lift in the quality and quantity of your writing.
Author Info: Michael Low is a professional copywriter specializing in Internet sales letters, traffic generation, website conversion and email marketing campaigns. He’s also the author of the popular ebook “How to Write Articles People Want to Read” which he now gives away free to readers of this blog.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The words of wisdom I really needed to start this day.
@ synnagain – thanks for letting me know