The dream was pleasant.
Last thing I remember before waking up is myself talking about kettles to a tall stranger smiling a heart-stomping smile.
It’s all good. Except I woke up at 3:45 am, and I can’t dive into a mug of earl grey just yet, because everybody’s sleeping.
Without my drink of choice, it’s funny how I’m having a hard time focusing on the words. Or formulate any words, to be honest.
Is it legal even to write without a caffeinated or sugar infused drink ?
Productivity before dawn… let’s see…
Anyway, lying in bed trying to convince myself I should try and get back sleep, I started thinking about, not writing habits per say, but writing-related things writers do or need to do, in order to get in the mood, or in the zone, or both. Or let alone be productive.
Working from home forced me to finds ways to set the writing mood, as well as finding ways to be more productive.
It’s easy, for me anyway, to work on a bunch of stuff that’s related to writing and don’t get any progress in the current writing project.
Here some of the productivity tips I gathered from other writers, AuthorTubers and, of course, from bloggers found on Pinterest (my dear friend) and that I actually use:
- Schedule writing time
Either if the freelance writing gigs are piling up, or if my business inbox is gathering rejection emails and dust, I schedule writing time, at different times of the day too.
Usually, it’s 2 hours in the early morning, then 2 or 3 hours during the day and 2 hours in the evening.
Research, I try to do before writing, for I can easily get distracted and lose track of time. - Setting daily or weekly word count goal
When I use them well, meaning when I don’t compare my results with other writers’ results, word count goals really help me feel productive. I like being able to see progress with the drafts, progress in editing. Now, as to help me feel motivated and productive while proofreading, I’ve got nothing, so feel free to share on that topic! - Live word sprints
Word sprinting by myself is not working for me. I’m slow, I get startled by the timer, I forget I’m supposed to be word sprinting and get up in the middle of it to get some tea and the whole thing is messed up.
As I said before, I really like the live write-in some authors on youtube are hosting. And I often catch the replay, so to speak.
There’s many more productivity hacks and tips out there, many of which I should take more seriously, like drink more water, eat well and go play outside (I’m-getting-better-but…).
Marie Alice Writes & Reads 