Over the past two decades, I’ve written eleven books and hundreds of articles, reports, handouts, media pitches, website pages, worksheets, slide decks, courses, and so much more. Despite all this productivity, I often regret not devoting more time to writing my next book, especially since I know how to get it done. If you can relate, this article is for you.
With my manuscript writing goals in mind, I reviewed my own productivity habits and compiled a list of those that have served me well over the years. I hope the following tips give you some inspiration and help you reach your own writing goals.
1) Capitalize on your energy levels. When do you have the most energy? In the morning, after lunch, late afternoon, or evening? Identify when you are most productive and take advantage of this prime creative time to do your best writing.
2) Commit to reaching your writing goal. One of the biggest challenges for every writer is finding (or making) the time to write. Writing tends to be a task that gets bumped down the to-do list. (I speak from experience here.) The only way this will change is when you decide to make it a priority.
It’s like committing to an exercise routine. Sometimes I need to push myself to get to the gym, but I have never, ever regretted a workout. And I have never, ever regretted writing a few more pages in my manuscript. And in the same way consistent workouts can have a cumulative effect, so can writing a few pages several times per week. Most importantly, it’s about the commitment we make to ourselves to prioritize an important goal.
3) Make room in your life for writing. One of the biggest complaints I hear repeatedly from writers is that there isn’t enough time to focus on writing. Yet we dedicate time to other activities like binge-watching shows on Netflix and doom-scrolling on social media. (Can you tell where I’m going with this?!)
If you’re going to commit to writing, you need to make some room in your life. This means that you may need to give up some extracurricular activities, get up earlier, stay up later, watch less television, or spend less time on social media. If writing your book manuscript truly matters to you, then do whatever it takes to dedicate time to writing and achieving your goals. The results are worth the sacrifice!
4) Remember your “why.” Most of us write nonfiction books because we want to make a difference in the lives of our readers. Sharing your stories and experiences can be a powerful way to make an impact on the world. Keep this in mind as you aim to prioritize getting your book manuscript completed. Your readers are waiting for you!
5) Create a dedicated writing space. Your writing space could be in a corner of your bedroom, a dining room table, a quiet space in your garage, in a shed in your backyard, or even in a closet. If you have a home office, you can certainly write there as well. However, if you equate your home office to the demands of work, choosing a different writing space could help unlock your creative flow. The point is to use whatever space you have available and make a habit of writing there.
6) Clear the clutter. Whether it’s paperwork on your desk or clutter sprinkled around your workspace, you might be amazed by how much your productivity improves when your writing space is free from distracting “stuff.” (Confession: Tackling the paperwork on my desk is one of my greatest personal challenges!)
7) Find space outside of home. Some writers enjoy working in coffee shops or other spaces outside the home. If this works for you, find one or more favorite places where you can set up your writing camp. If working in busy settings like this doesn’t work for you (it’s too distracting for me), then skip it and focus on carving out space at home. If home isn’t an option, libraries offer free internet and quiet surroundings.
8) Mix up your writing spaces. Creativity can get a powerful boost when you enter a new environment, so consider seeking out different places to write. When you do this, notice how your productivity and creativity are impacted in new environments.
9) Schedule writing time in your calendar. Just as you schedule time in your calendar for a meeting, dental appointment, lunch with a friend, or a business call, you can schedule writing time as an appointment you make with yourself. Whether you block out thirty minutes or three hours, treat this time as a commitment that cannot be cancelled or changed.
10) Prepare to work. Gather whatever you need to make your writing time as comfortable as possible. A comfortable chair and a big glass of ice water is a good start. A notebook, pens, notes, and files that you need to reference, a pack of gum if you like, and whatever else you need to feel comfortable and stay focused.
11) Create a ritual. Some writers find that it helps to signify to the brain that it’s time to get creative. You might light a candle, turn on some soft music, say a prayer, meditate, do a rain dance—or whatever works for you.
12) Set limits with your family. If you are frequently interrupted by your partner or kids, it’s perfectly acceptable to set some boundaries when you’re writing. Hang a sign on your door to signify you need privacy and ask them to honor your time, except for emergencies, of course. (NFAA members get a free “Writer at Work” door hanger when they join!).
13) Set limits with your pets. Writing time should be sacred, and it will be far more productive when you limit outside distractions. This might mean putting Fido or Fluffy in another room. As a cat lady myself, I initially resisted locking my cats out of my home office until I realized how distracting they can be and how much more productive I am without them trotting across my desk.
14) Silence your phone or leave it in another room while you’re writing. A study conducted at the University of California, Irvine reported that most people take 23 minutes and 15 seconds to recover from an interruption. YOWZA! Is your phone really that essential? And by the way, this applies to your smart watch as well. My Apple watch alerts me to calls and breaking news. When I need to focus, I take it off.
15) Ignore email and social media. It can be hard to break away from your constant communication with the world, but instead of checking email and social media several times per day, try checking just once or twice per day. You may be amazed by how much time you can reclaim.
16) Set word count or page count goals. The average nonfiction book is around 50k to 60k words. Three typed pages is about 1,000 words. If you write three pages per day, five times per week, you will reach 60k words in just twelve weeks.
17) Work from an outline. Writing a book can feel like a herculean task but breaking it down into bite sized pieces can make it far easier to tackle. Creating a detailed outline for your book should always be the first step. Your outline can flex and change as you work, but it gives you an organized structure to begin and will help you stay focused.
18) Write what moves you. While you should work from an outline to help you stay organized, that doesn’t mean you have to write in chronological order. Find a topic on your outline that feels right and start there.
19) Write a crappy first draft. Formal writing classes teach writers to get in the flow and just get words onto paper. The goal here is to write without editing, without stopping to look something up, and without any distractions. Write, write, and write some more. Get those words out of your head and onto paper. Research and editing can come later.
20) Note places where you need to follow up. If you want to look up a statistic or source, instead of breaking up the flow of writing, mark your text so that you can come back to it later. I simply add an “XXX,” so that I can search for those notations and handle my research later.
21) Eat light snacks. A heavy meal can make you groggy and bog down your creativity. Stick with high protein meals and snacks. Good options are chicken or fish, a handful of nuts, a piece of cheese, or a cup of yogurt. The goal is to keep your energy up and your brain firing on all cylinders.
22) Stay hydrated. Statistically, most of us are chronically dehydrated. By the time you’re thirsty, your body has been craving fluids. I keep a big tumbler of ice water next to me at all times and sip frequently. Hydration will keep you focused and give you energy. It also staves off hunger and makes you feel good.
23) Take breaks. Writing requires a lot of brain power so be sure to give yourself frequent breaks. You could take a short walk, sit outside for a few minutes, meditate, hydrate, or eat a light snack. Ideally you want to avoid tasks that break up your creative flow so ignore the temptation to log on to social media, check email, or return phone calls.
24) Shift gears when needed. If you bump up against a bout of writer’s block or get stuck when writing about a certain topic, then put it away and work on something else from your outline. You can always return to it later. You can also shake the cobwebs out of your brain by doing any of the following tasks.
- Get up and take a walk.
- Read something light, like a magazine article or short story.
- Make a cup of tea or coffee.
- Spend a few minutes with your pets.
- Take a bath or shower.
- Do a mindless task or chore, like folding a load of laundry.
- Turn up the tunes and take a dance break.
25) Exercise your writing muscles. Like any form of exercise, writing tends to get easier when you do it on a regular basis. Find ways to make it a daily practice, even if it’s just a few minutes of journaling. With time, your skills will inevitably improve, and you will discover the joys of creative flow and the satisfaction that comes with reaching your goals.
Bonus Tip: Consider binge writing. One of my favorite ways to get a bunch of writing done is to check into a hotel for a couple of nights. I wrote several books at The Hampton Inn, located just a few miles from my house. You can also binge-write on an airplane, in a tent or cabin in the woods, at a local café, park, or library.
And as I write this now, I am committing to follow my own advice and prioritize writing my next book. Perhaps you would like to join me in making this commitment?
Check out our course: Write Your Nonfiction Book Manuscript in 90 Days. We can do this together!
My advice is to lose the outline, or at least what your high-school teachers told you was an outline. When I wrote my book on the Edmund Fitzgerald, I struggled with how to arrange the Fitz’s foundering with all my comparison sinkings. The arrangement finally solved itself–I’d get to a point in the story where some decision was made and wonder if it was correct (divert to narrative of contradiction example, then return to the Fitz timeline)–AFTER I started writing the book.