[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] We all want to be the best we can be. I mean, no one sets out to mediocre, right? But that drive to be the best can lead us down the rabbit hole of perfectionism. Never Good Enough … for You Have you ever fiddled around with the ordering of…
Category: Writing Tips
Randomize Writing Priorities for Renewed Enthusiasm — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Having a “To-Do” list is great and can be a boon to productivity if you nurture it. You have to prioritize, and then re-prioritize daily. You have to be ruthless in saying “No” to requests that have no business on your plate and in pruning your list when a task…
21 Non-Writing Hacks to Becoming a Better Author
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] The world is full of advice about how to improve your writing. Heck, this site exists to help people with careers outside of writing make the most of their limited time and become better authors. But if you’ve spent much time reading articles and books…
Avoid Context Switching to Boost Writing Productivity — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] How many email messages to you receive in a day? Some estimates put the average number of emails at around 140 per day, per person. Some of those you can delete without ever opening, some of them you never open and just leave in your inbox (though you shouldn’t), some…
Why You Need a Hobby That’s NOT Writing — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] No matter how exciting your career is, there are days when going to work just feels like a job. You just can’t always be doing the exciting stuff. I mean, sure Han Solo spends a lot of time chasing parsecs records and shielding Kylo’s lightsaber from the elements, but I’ll…
Delegate to Improve Your Writing — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] One of the most important things any of us can do to become more productive is to simply cut out activities that don’t bring any return on our time investment. That’s why there is an emphasis on “Stop Doing” lists around the new year, and writers would do well to…
Prioritize Your Writing EVERY DAY– Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] What are your writing priorities for tomorrow? That is, when you’ve finished at your day job or cleared away your chores or settled in for some late-night creating, what will you be working on? (And if you don’t already have your writing blocks scheduled, you better get to it.) Dabbler…
Schedule Your Writing Time and Hold It Sacred — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Do you ever miss work because “there just wasn’t time”? How about your kids’ soccer games or piano recitals or school drop-offs? Do those get squeezed out by more important events very often? Unless you’re a crappy employee or parent, then you almost surely answered, “NO!” to all of these…
Exploit Peak Writing Times — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Sometimes you don’t have much choice about when you can write. If you work two jobs and are a single parent and have to schlep three kids around to after-school events every night, you’re going to squeeze in your snippets of prose wherever you can. If that means dictating into…
Use Gap Reading to Beef Up Your Knowledge Base — Quick Writing Tip
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] The single most important key to writing more, and writing better, is simply to get your bottom in the chair, belly-up to the keyboard, and actually write. Do it a lot, even if you don’t have much time per session. Eventually, all of those minutes and hours will turn into…