11 Practical Ways to Make Your Writing Day a Breeze
With so many distractions and the enormous weight of self-doubt that sits on our shoulders on a regular basis, we need to be at our best to make the most of our writing days.
Here are 11 practical ways to make your writing day a breeze and have a productive writing session…
1. Drink plenty of water
A dry mouth and throat can be distracting. You know you should drink more, so being thirsty just reminds you (I mean nags you) that you need to drink more water during the day. Under the surface, drinking plenty of water will help you stay alert and focused during your writing day.
2. Eat right
Feeding yourself the right foods will also help you stay alert and focused. Stay away from foods that lead to fatigue.
3. Get enough sleep
When you're tired, it's hard to feel like writing. It's hard to focus and concentrate on your plot and character development. Getting enough sleep will help you feel awake when you're writing.
4. Wear comfortable clothes
You don't need to feel chubby (even when you're not) when you're sitting down to write. We writers have enough to worry about. We don't need to feel uncomfortable, too.
5. Exercise regularly
Just like getting enough sleep and drinking enough water, exercising regularly will give you more energy throughout the day, keeping you awake during your writing session.
6. Take care of chores in a timely manner
Nagging chores that remain undone can really drag you down. Just thinking about them exhausts you. Make it a point to work toward completing your chores.
For instance, when I think about cleaning the floor, I think about the 45 minutes it normally takes me to do it because I have to suck up the cat hair with the hose and then vacuum the floor to get the grit and dust. That's too much. I don't have that kind of free time. But picking up clumps of cat hair off the floor on my way to the fridge is doable and I can drop them in the garbage can easily. It takes a few extra seconds.
7. Set attainable goals
If you're anything like me, you tend to set high goals. The small ones just aren't enough for you. You like a challenge. Only when you actually sit down to think about accomplishing that big goal, you feel overwhelmed. It works best to set small goals that you can actually complete easily. Setting smaller, doable goals will help you have a better writing day.
8. Use productivity and time management tools
Making the most of your writing time sometimes requires special tools, like a kitchen timer. Another productivity tool is a turned-off phone. 🙂
9. Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect
Your house doesn't have to be clean, the clean clothes hanging over your mirror don't have to be put away right this second or the next, your first draft doesn't have to shine, you don't have to do all of your research before you start…
Once you get really serious about being more productive, you'll figure out the things that can wait until later. When you're writing, it works best to let the words flow. If you come across something you have to research further, make a note and move on.
10. Restart your computer (or have plenty of pens on hand)
I have found that if I leave my computer on overnight, it runs really slow the next morning. I don't know what it does when I'm gone, but I need it to be quick when I'm using it. That usually requires a restart or shutting it down at night. (If you write on paper, be sure to have extra pens available in case one runs out.)
11. Refresh your memory each day by reading where you left off in your manuscript
If you're writing every day, this step isn't so critical, but if you write every other day or if you have a hard time remembering what you wrote the day before (it happens!), read a few pages to refresh your memory.
Do you have a practical tip for making it easier to write?
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