Four Writing Commandments

Writing Habit Instructions for Overwhelmed Writers

First:

STOP. Correcting. While. Writing.

Writing and editing are two different activities that need to different mindsets and mixing them up is a sure method for a disaster.

Second:

DON’T. Research. While. Writing.

Again, those are different activities and research will interrupt and disturb your writing. Set a separate time for a research and never mix the two.

Third:

It’s best to have an outline of even the shortest piece.

In fact many times when I prepare a blog post or Quora answer, I first brainstorm a few sentences that will outline my content and then write. I never try to write something bigger ( >1,000 words article or a book) without an outline.

Fourth:

The best time to write (and any other deep work) is in the morning.

You have the most energy, willpower and the least interruptions. I encourage you to wake up earlier if necessary and dedicate a chunk of your early morning to write.