How to Blog a Book

Inspiring You to Build Visibility, Boost Authority and Become an Author Post by Post

Inspiring You to Build Visibility, Boost Authority and Become an Author Post by Post

  • Home
  • About
    • Vote This Blog One of Writer’s Digest’s Annual 101 Best Internet Sites for Writers
    • Resources for Nonfiction Authors and Bloggers
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service
  • The BOOK!
    • Table of Contents
    • Page One
    • NEW! Revised and Expanded–2nd Edition–of How to Blog a Book
    • How to Blog a Book (Revised and Expanded Edition) BLOG TOUR
    • Previous Virtual BookTours
  • Services
    • Blog Services
    • Coaching
      • Blog and Blog-to-Book Coaching
      • Author Coaching
      • Writing and Book Coaching
  • Courses
    • The Productive Writer Course
    • Inspired Creator Community
    • High-Performance Writer Group Coaching Program
    • Turn Your Blog Into a Book Production Machine
    • Build a Business Around Your Blog
    • How to Blog a Book Audio Course
    • How to Blog a Book eCourse
    • How to Blog a Book Audio Recording
  • Contact
  • Login

April 10, 2018 by Nina Amir 3 Comments

Productivity Hacks to Get Yourself to Sit Down and Write

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

blogging productivity

Does your productivity suffer because you struggle to get yourself to sit down and write? You aren’t alone. That’s why today freelance writer and ghostwriter Dan Kenitz (@buildwithwords) shares some productivity hacks that get your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard…fast…so you become more productive as a writer and blogger.

It’s not the writing so much. It’s the starting.

When you’re highly involved in a piece you’re writing, you forget about outside distractions. You think only about the paragraph, the line, the word choice. You’re entirely focused on what you’re doing and the goal at hand.

Write a blog post—or a section of your book that will become a blog post.

Most people forget that the hardest part of writing is starting the process. How do you get yourself away from the TV or the smartphone and in front of a blank computer screen? The following productivity hacks ensure you can fight that vital half of every writer’s daily struggle.

Work in Big Chunks

“Just sit down and write for one minute!”

It sounds like good advice. And if it gets you started, it can be useful advice. But you’d be amazed at how powerful one single distraction can be. You’re far more likely to do productive work if you can ride the momentum of writing as long as possible.

Being overly busy, according to the Annual Review of Psychology, can sap that precious mind-fuel that drives creativity and willpower. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin. Instead, get yourself to write by focusing on solving one problem for your reader, not on what you can do for the next five minutes. Chances are, you’ll find yourself increasingly focused by the time you identify the solution. And you’ll end up with more words on the page.

Get yourself to write by focusing on solving one problem for your reader.

Click To Tweet

Create a Deadline and Stick To It

According to Seth Godin, a prolific writer who also maintains a popular blog, setting a deadline is the key to his productivity. “The deadline focuses the mind,” says Godin. A deadline forces you to rethink your strategy (not writing and sitting in front of the TV instead) in the context of an overall timeline you’ve established. When the two don’t match up, it has the end-result of making you uncomfortable.

You solve that discomfort by writing.

Build a Routine Using the Trigger-Response Method

Our brains don’t always work the way we think they do. We like to believe that our minds are machines of free will making conscious decisions all the live-long day.

Not so.

Instead, our brains are more like trained circus animals, succumbing to the instincts and notions that we’ve conditioned into ourselves on a day-in, day-out basis. Ever wonder why you start to get hungry after you open the refrigerator door? You’ve built a routine for yourself.

Build a routine based on writing instead. Doing so requires two items: a trigger (such as a physical stimuli) and a response (you sitting down and starting to write). Even something as simple as lighting a particular scented candle when you write can be a powerful trigger. You strengthen your neural pathways by always burning the candle when you write; then you associate that smell with the joy you get from writing.

Build a routine based on writing.

Click To Tweet

Trick Your Brain If You Have To

Sure, your brain is what you use to write, but it’s also your own worst enemy—if you let it work against you. Figure out the specific triggers that make you want to write—or make you want to sit down and watch TV. The more you know about how you and your mind work, the more you can get yourself to write.

How do you get your butt in the seat and write? Tell me about it in a comment below.

About the Author

Dan Kenitz is a freelance writer and ghostwriter from Wisconsin who helps individuals and companies build their brands through valuable content. www.empirewriter.com

Image copyright: georgejmclittle/123RF.com

 

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Email
  • Print
  • More
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket

Filed Under: Success Strategies, Writing Posts/Chapters Tagged With: blog post, blogging, procrastination, productivity, writing

Comments

  1. Alexandra says

    April 16, 2018 at 5:39 am

    Dear Nina,
    Happy to inform that this post has been mentioned in the recent part of our Productivity Articles roundup!
    Please find the entire article “Productivity Articles: Feel Motivated! 15/4/17” on https://www.timecamp.com/blog!
    Alexandra at TimeCamp

  2. Nina Amir says

    April 17, 2018 at 1:15 pm

    Thanks so much for including my post!

Trackbacks

  1. Productivity Articles: Feel Motivated! 15/4/17 - TimeCamp says:
    April 15, 2018 at 12:01 pm

    […] Productivity Hacks to Get Yourself to Sit Down and Write – by Nina Amir […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

About Nina Amir

Nina Amir, the Inspiration to Creation Coach, inspires writers to create published products and careers as authors as well as to achieve their goals and fulfill their purpose and potential.

Read More . . .

Follow Me!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on LinkedInFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on SkypeFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on E-mail

As Seen On:

social proof2

How to turn your blog into a book

Amazon.com
Barnesandnoble.com
IndieBound.com
WritersDigestShop.com

Create a Successful Author Website!

Book. Books and laptopPurchase a copy of my eBook!

Bestselling authors like Michael Hyatt and Joanna Penn use Scrivener and endorse this course! I tried Learn Scrivener Fast, too, and found it a quick, easy way to learn the Scrivener writing technology. Plus, you can use it to produce produce ebooks!
Click here to find out more!

250x250

bluehost

Writer's Digest: 2013 Best Writing Websites (2013)
This website has been awarded a Best Writing Website.
Sponsored by Writer's Digest, Writer's Market,
Writer's Digest University & Writer's Digest Shop.

TFOI Badge

Popular Posts

  • Are You Blogging a Book? List it here!
  • Can You Publish Blogged Material As a Kindle Ebook?
  • Darren Rowse on Book Deals and Discovery in the Blogosphere
  • 3+ Reasons I’ve Started Using Scrivener as a Blogging Tool
  • 7 Social Media Marketing Tips and Tricks for Bloggers

Search

Categories

Archives

Copyright © Nina Amir 2021

Copyright © 2021 · Generate Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

»
«
Powered by Conversion Insights: Boost your online revenue.  
Are you a productive, semi-productive or unproductive writer? Take My Quiz To Find Out!
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.