Write effectively using these techniques
I tried these and improved my productivity in a month
Proactive notifications are good. But not always. We live in a world where we’re filled with notifications and we have no idea how much time they’re taking from us.
Especially when you sit down to write, notifications will fall down on you as a curse. All the distractions are something that takes away your ninja mode. There’s an alternative way around. These tools will help you find your flow and stay in it.
Make sure you take care of these four things before you sit down to write. It’ll make your concentration stay with you.
1. Reduce distractions
DND on your phone: Switch your phone to DND mode and let it move away from all your distractions. It’ll help you stay away from notifications and calm down your receptors.
Blocksite: Block all the social media and news sites for a while. Nothing will happen(let’s hope so) in the next 45 minutes that might change your life around.
Boomerang: Pause your emails for a while, or if you’re expecting something that’s to be replied urgent, set up an auto reply for it.
2. Track your time
You should not be writing more than 45 minutes continuously. Or you’re writing more than one article and trying to fit them into one. That’s not good for you.
Research beforehand: Do your necessary research beforehand. And collect all the data you want. Never deviate from your comfort zone while writing.
Coggle it: use mind mapping to map down your structure and data you have collected. The multi monitor will be really helpful in this case. You might want to run fullscreen with your editor.
Toggl: track your time spent on everything in the article. And make sure you stay in the boundaries. If something is to be looked up, let it be TBD and go for it in the additional time.
3. Use a project management tool
Everyone might have a content calendar. But a project management tool will work handy for a content writer. It helps me a lot. I’ve tried basecamp, but Jira had my eyes.
I always split my content into smaller parts which can be done in 15 minutes or less. It helps me understand the part and scrutinize it well. You can choose your own from the list of management tools.
4. Write down your draft status
If it’s the first draft, you might have to concentrate less on it. You’re going to iterate over it. It’s better to have it written in bolds on a sticky note. Every time you look up to think over and over again, you should be seeing the first draft note. Every draft should have a similar note.
My final draft note says “Your last chance”.
These all worked for me pretty well in concentrating on the task I have in hand.
Originally published at blog.refly.it on September 15, 2017 by Tony Tom.
