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Becoming A Productive Writer
Tips for writers on how to increase their productivity
This feature first appeared in print in the June 2025 issue of Writing Magazine
When I had a full-time day job and could only write in my spare time, I yearned to be a full-time writer. To have all that time to write would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? And yet, after writing full time for over twenty years, I still don’t have enough time to do all the writing I want.
I often stop on June 20th, World Productivity Day, and reflect upon how I use my writing time. What steps can I take to make better use of this time? How can I be more productive as a writer? After all, we learn our craft by writing, so the more time we can devote to our writing, the better.
However, being productive isn’t just about writing more words. It’s about making better use of our limited writing time, whether we write full-time or have to fit it in around a day job and looking after the family.
Productivity Paradox
One lesson I soon learned when I became a full-time writer is that I am not creative all the time. Even though I may have eight hours a day to write, I simply cannot do it. Sometimes I have, somehow, written several thousand words in a five or six hour writing sprint. But those moments…
