Do you need solitude or solidarity when you write? You might answer one way today and a different way another day. There is not one right answer. It depends on you and your writing project. Here are a four tactics to help you get your writing done in a timely fashion!

1. Get a room. Rather than what you might be thinking, the idea here is that you get a hotel room (or reserve a room at your local library, civic center, or any other place that has rooms for rent or by request. Often, being in a room where there are NO distractions other than your cuticles is a great way to get major writing projects completed. I often worried that when I was writing my dissertation I might have to spend the last bit of money from my student loan on hotel rooms just so I could get finished! Part of what is wonderful about one of these reserved rooms (hotel or otherwise) is that you can spread out your materials and no one complains or tries to move them.
2. Have multiple writing projects. This way, if you are not in the mood to work on one writing task or project, you might be in the mood to work on another one. Generally, most of us don’t just have one outfit to wear because there are days that call for one look and days where we’re in the mood for another. Take that idea to your writing: When you have a variety of pieces of writing that are in process, you can make decisions about what you want to work on depending on your mood, the amount of time you have to devote to the task, the level of distraction you’re dealing with, or what your passion is right now. The main idea for writers is to keep writing no matter what. Having myriad options helps us stay fresh instead of frozen when presented with today’s writing time.
3. Channel your inner writer or channel someone else. Some days, you have nothing to say or at least you have nothing to say that sounds very good. On these days, channel the inner writer who has secret, special things to say or channel someone else’s writer. Imagine you are ______ and say what s/he would say. Write what s/he would write.
4. Join a writer’s group. You can check sources for ones that are in your area, form your own group, or become part of the community of writers who congregate virtually. Two excellent resources for the latter are Gina Hiatt’s group (AcademicLadder.com) and Kerry Ann Rockquemore’s group (www.BlackAcademic.com).

 

Meggin McIntosh, the PhD of Productivity, is an award-winning professor who now works with academics who prefer overjoyed to overwhelmed. She is a former university professor and administrator and currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to connect with.

We all have daily rhythms, and we also have weekly and monthly rhythms. It is worth paying attention to all of them. Here are four ideas for acknowledging and using your rhythms so you can be productive in your writing.

1. Early morning. Many people find this to be the very best time to write because the muddle of the day has not started yet. If this is your best time, then schedule it so you have the time right there waiting for you. Sharon O’Brien said, “Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say.” What a fabulous mindset to have!
2. Late at night. The night owl writer is the one who loves it when the house is quiet and all the rest of the world is asleep and then can write uninterrupted and unimpeded. For some, this is the rhythm that they need to capitalize on. For others, the nighttime writing is not planned but is the result of what Carrie Latet describes: “If I’m trying to sleep, the ideas won’t stop. If I’m trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness.”
3. At lunch time. “Found” time is a fine time to write. If you wrote 30 minutes during lunch for 5 days in the same week, that’s 2 1/2 hours of writing. You can get a lot of words written during that time. You can write at your desk or better yet, get out of your regular “work” place and write outside, in the car, in another room, or a place that lets you know you are taking a break from your other work.
4. Special times that you protect for yourself on the weekends or certain workdays. Even though the wise writers don’t try to hold all their writing to do during blocks of time, because those too rarely show up, we can create some special spaces for writing. You can decide that Saturday mornings are special writing times for you or Tuesday afternoons, or any other time that you can look ahead, block out, and decide to protect just for writing. More of this is under your control than you may have been acknowledging.

Note: Acknowledging your rhythms does not mean excusing yourself from writing at other times, i.e., if writing is a goal for you. And I’m assuming that since you chose to read this article that writing is a goal of yours.

 

Meggin McIntosh, the PhD of Productivity, is an award-winning professor who now works with academics who prefer overjoyed to overwhelmed. She is a former university professor and administrator and currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to connect with.

Do you ever have those times where you know you should be writing, where you want to be writing, where you really, really feel pressured about writing but aren’t getting your writing done? See if one of these five tips can help you build some momentum.

1. Set aside time. Exactly how do you think you’re going to get your writing done if you don’t write? And how do you think you’re going to write if you don’t designate a space for writing? Runners who are training for a marathon don’t train when a block of time opens up. They block in the time. Set aside the amount of time you need and want to write. Fifteen minutes a day is better than no minutes a day (and 15 minutes a day is better than one block of 1 hour and 45 minutes, and is more likely to happen, too).
2. Write with a partner. This may involve collaborating on a writing project or just doing parallel writing (like children engaged in parallel play). The two of you may just hold each other accountable on your individual projects or you may actually be writing together on the same project.
3. Turn off your email. Answering email is not writing. Don’t pretend it is or that it’s just a warmup. It’s not. It’s email.
4. Sit where you have nothing else to do. When you are sitting at a game, sitting in the car, sitting on a plane, sitting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and the like, you have nothing else (productive) to do. Always have paper and a pen/pencil (or your computer). See if your brain doesn’t respond to the lack of stimulation by seeking an outlet through writing. I’ve experienced it many-a-time. And this is far more productive than calling someone you wouldn’t normally care whether you talked with or reading an out-of-date Good Housekeeping or Field and Stream.
5. Limit interruptions. Although breaking your writing down into manageable chunks is wise, writing in fits and starts due to interruptions is a less-than-productive practice. Research galore is available that documents the amount of time it takes us to complete tasks when we are interrupted. Do everything within your power to limit all potential interruptions.

 

Meggin McIntosh, the PhD of Productivity, is an award-winning professor who now works with academics who prefer overjoyed to overwhelmed. She is a former university professor and administrator and currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to connect with.

Do you like accessing online tools to support your writing? If you do, I’ve got a couple of suggestions. And, if you like to talk, then I have a tool for you, too. How about good old water or a stamp? There are so many different possible tools we can use to get moving in our writing. These are five that help me.

1. OneLook.com. I like this one because you just type in the word for which you need the meaning and the program draws from 15–20 dictionaries (at minimum). Then if you need additional information, particularly if you need a definition from a medical dictionary or some other specialized reference book, you can click on it right from the webpage. When I’m concerned about whether I’m using the correct word, I will “onelook” it.

2. Mindjet’s Mindmanager. Our brains organize more like a mindmap than an outline. You can certainly do your own mindmapping on large blank paper. However, an alternative that I use is a special software that is designed for mindmapping. The features are numerous, but suffice it to say, you will be more creative and more prolific in your idea generation when you use this tool.

3. Dragon Naturally Speaking. This is another incredible software product that allows you to talk instead of write. The software will recognize your voice and translate your spoken words to written text. You can speak directly into your computer, or you can use your digital recorder. The software is amazingly accurate.

4. Coffee, tea, water, soda, wine, or some other beverage that signals writing. Since you want to have all the tools you need when you sit down to write, you might as well have your beverage of choice available. Without that, you just might decide you need to get up and get it rather than write. Then, when you’re on the way to procure your beverage, you may find a few other things to do instead of write. For me, it’s different beverages at different times of the day and in different locations. There is not a writing beverage but keeping yourself hydrated is a healthy choice.

5. An envelope and a stamp (or your Send button). Although most places now want your articles, chapters, poems, and other written material sent electronically, there are still those who request a paper copy. Get your writing out the door so it has a chance of getting published.

 

Meggin McIntosh, the PhD of Productivity, is an award-winning professor who now works with academics who prefer overjoyed to overwhelmed. She is a former university professor and administrator and currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to connect with.

If you’ve ever heard, “I make sure I write at least 1,000 words (or other amount) each day” or the statement, “I write from 8 to noon (or some specified time) each day” and wondered if this is good advice, consider this: There is no absolute.

This is a matter of style (as well as being conditional on a number of other factors). With that being said, there is wisdom in specifying the time you will write or the number of words you will write. One is not better than the other, but having a specific goal is important. Note that I said, “specific goal.” It is more attainable (because it is more tangible) to work toward a particular number of words or to write for a particular amount of time than it is to have as a goal, “I will have this section of my article (dissertation, precis) written today.” That’s too fuzzy.

Now, what about getting distracted when you write? Has that every come into play for you? Maybe you have found (or believe) that you can write for 15 minutes (maybe) before you have to switch focus. It is possible that you have noticed that email is the usual way you switch focus! It’s possible that you tell yourself, “Yikes. This is not good to be doing. Maybe I need to find a new way to switch focus, even for a couple minutes, and then get back to writing. Maybe I should be getting up and walking around for a few minutes . . . or what about switching my focus to another writing project? Or wait, I know, maybe I should just move away from the keyboard, take pencil and paper, and write down ideas?”

Believe me, not only have I heard these conversations from others, I have had them in my own head. Here are four tips to assist you:

1. Turn off your email. Email has made all of us highly distractible, and we have to be diligent about avoiding that self-distraction.
2. If necessary, log out or disconnect from internet access. For example, think about the times when you have taken your laptop somewhere that doesn’t have internet access or it’s too much of a pain to connect and so you know how uncomfortable (and sometimes panicked) you feel. This gives you a sense of the need to break the addiction to distracting yourself with email (and believe me, I am HIGHLY familiar with this one).
3. Begin to work from 15 minutes of uninterrupted writing time to 20 minutes over the period of a week. Then the next week, go to 25 minutes, and so on until you can work uninterrupted for 45 or 50 minutes. (After that, most people will get up, stretch, go to the bathroom, or get a drink of water.) To help facilitate your increase in focused time, use a timer that is set for 15 minutes one day then 16 the next and so on. Just make it a little game and sure enough . . . you can do it!
4. Break your writing down into smaller pieces. For example, writing five tips for your topic and then working on explaining one of the tips at each sitting is another way to get your writing moving forward even though you are doing it in 15-, 20-, or 25-minute spurts.

 

Meggin McIntosh, the PhD of Productivity, is an award-winning professor who now works with academics who prefer overjoyed to overwhelmed. She is a former university professor and administrator and currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to connect with.

 

Once you discover mindmapping — and really give it time and an opportunity to become your new default — you will wonder why you ever used an outline (at least once you got out of high school where outlines may have been required). I am not anti-outline just like I’m not anti-Compaq computers (the old luggable kind like I used to own). It’s just that once you know there is something better, why go back to a less-effective and -efficient tool?

Here are five reasons why mindmapping will serve you well in your writing.

1. When you are working with a partner on a project, a mindmap lends itself to collaboration more than an outline does. This is true whether you are working side by side or virtually. Generally, if you are working virtually, you will want to test out one of the web-based/cloud-based solutions for mindmapping (and there are many).
2. Mindmapping helps you make connections that you would be less likely to make if you were just making a list or outlining. Just as your brain makes linkages between and among ideas — often when you are not even trying — viewing a mindmap provides that opportunity as well. If you are writing a book or article and just can’t seem to make some elusive connection, see if a mindmap will help. Create your mindmap and then spend some time just looking at it.
3. Most mindmaps can fit on one sheet of paper. So rather than shuffling through reams of outlines, you can consolidate your thoughts — even for a whole book — on one page. You are certainly welcome to have many pages, but it is not necessary.
4. Mindmaps can be adapted to be playful or serious, depending on your needs. Let your mindmaps reflect your writing personality and style. Adapt them when you are working on different projects. You’re not turning in your mindmaps to anyone (unless you have an editor who wants to see that aspect of a work in progress). Your mindmap helps you to write more fluently and cohesively.
5. Mindmaps are an excellent way to get unstuck. When you hit a writing wall, get out a fresh paper or the mindmap for the project you’re working on and start extending it and seeing the connections that are there, and you will get unstuck. It works for me every time.

If you haven’t tried mindmapping yet, I hope you will. Even if you think outlining works great for you, live it up! Try a mindmap (or two or three or twelve). It can’t hurt. I think you’ll become a believer, like me!

 

Meggin McIntosh, the PhD of Productivity, is an award-winning professor who now works with academics who prefer overjoyed to overwhelmed. She is a former university professor and administrator and currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to connect with.

Writing has many phases. Thus, capturing your ideas, both the good and the not-so-good ones, is part of the process. Here are three ideas to get and keep your flow going so that you postpone your procrastination. There’s always time for that later. . . .

1. Open a document.

Whether it is a document on your computer or a physical document that you have in a folder (imagine that!) or however you received the document you need to be working on . . . open it. It is difficult to write without having a document open and ready for our words.

Stop procrastinating and open a document and see what happens. It might be quite productive! Really, this is the first idea and it’s kind of surprising how many writing procrastinators don’t get started with this.

 

2. Open your brain so there is flow.

Our brain can be our very best friend when we write or it can really seem to get in the way. If your brain is somewhat dammed up, then you need to get it moving again.

Just sit and envision your brain like a dam that is either overflowing or better yet, that has been opened to allow for a controlled flow. In your case, you are allowing ideas, thoughts, words, directions, structures, and concepts to flow through. There’s no blockage, only flow.

 

3. Always capture ideas.

Great ideas can come to us at any time: in a meeting (that of course, is not about writing), sitting and waiting for the campus shuttle, watching a ball game, in the middle of writing about something else, while grading papers, and so on.

Never let an idea slip away. Keep tools available so you can jot down these random thoughts and ideas. When the idea occurs to you, there is no way for you to know if the idea will be good or not-so-good. You can make that determination later.

The main idea here is that you capture any and all ideas related to your writing, whenever they show up. As Peg Bracken reflects:

“Every idea is my last. I feel sure of it. So, I try to do the best with each as it comes and that’s where my responsibility ends. But I just don’t wait for ideas. I look for them. Constantly. And if I don’t use the ideas that I find, they’re going to quit showing up.”

You aren’t lacking for ideas. Allow them to be there for you so you can postpone your writing procrastination.

 

Meggin McIntosh, the PhD of Productivity, is an award-winning professor who now works with academics who prefer overjoyed to overwhelmed. She is a former university professor and administrator and currently a coach, author, and workshop leader. People who are overwhelmed and would prefer to be overjoyed instead, are the people I’m fortunate enough to connect with.