Writing Productivity Hacks

Bryan Young
June 13, 2024 | 4 min read
It is a truth universally acknowledged that finding focus in the digital age is impossible.
Everything we do is optimized for productivity, so it's no wonder that we get lost scrolling for hours on end. Consuming is so much easier than creating.
Whether you're a seasoned author, a struggling student, or a pro journalist, focus and productivity are important — and difficult to find. To help, we gathered the top writing hacks that are relatively easy to implement and will help you streamline your process.
By integrating these hacks into your creative process, you can cultivate a more productive and prolific writing life.
In this article:

1. Learn from the Pros

As in anything, first and foremost, we like to look to the professionals for advice. Seeing how Ernest Hemingway liked to write or reviewing Stephen King's routine are not only fun and interesting, they're downright educational.

And the best part is that every writing process is as unique as every writer. So go research your favorite author's writing process. Just make sure to take the tips and tricks that serve you — and leave the rest.

Writing Tips from Prolific Writers

2. Set Writing Goals

We are firm believers in this one, and so are psychologists. Research shows that setting achievable goals (key word: achievable) is a concrete way to push yourself toward higher achievement, whatever that may look like for you.

It turns out that people who set goals are more self-confident, have higher levels of motivation, and are more independent.

Concrete goals give you something tangible to work toward, and that is often the difference between completing a manuscript and giving up entirely.

Learn how to set effective writing goals, backed by psychology, that will actually help you smash your word count targets right here.

 

3. Build a Routine

Some of the greatest writers of all time swear by their writing routine, and it's for good reason. Once you've set your goals, there's no better way to reach those goals than to make writing part of your everyday routine.

4. Utilize Writing Sprints

So much of writing is managing your time. But how do you make the most of your time when the words just won't flow? Try writing sprints.

It turns out a little competition — with others or yourself — can really push the process forward, even when it feels like slogging through mud.

5. Make It a Habit

Humans are creatures of habit. Which is great, because habits free up mental energy by automating our actions and allowing us to focus on more complex tasks — like writing.

For example, when sitting down in your favorite armchair at 5 p.m. to write becomes a habit, you don't have to expend the mental energy deciding whether to do that. And that makes getting started a lot easier.

There are many ways we can leverage our tendency toward the habitual to aid us in the writing process. Good writing habits, when used correctly, can help us get into a regular rhythm that keeps us focused during our writing time.

Find out what habits experts recommend writers cultivate here.

 

6. Gamify Your Process

There's a lot of powerful neurochemistry that's unleashed by turning difficult tasks into a game. It's called "gamification," and there's a reason the most successful apps of today use it. (How many times has that sad little Duolingo owl shamed you into continuing your daily learning streak?)

The same methods work for writing, too. It's just a matter of implementing them into your own writing process!
We did the heavy work for you by creating Postbox Profiles, which track your key writing stats, and we put together this guide to help you gamify your own writing process.
Read the Gamification of Important Tasks
 

7. Create Your Workspace

We all have a place where we love to write. If we're lucky, we get to arrange it just the way we like it. The key is to create a space that helps you focus and inspires you.

Because that's the ideal writing space: whether it's a fixed point in your house, or a setup that travels with you, the point of this space is not to be pretty or professional, or to impress others or look good on social media.

The point is to create an ambience that gets you in the mood to write.

 

8. Join a Community

The act of writing is a solitary activity. But it's more fun when you can share that activity with others. As Writer & Agent Eric Smith says:

"Not only does [collaborating] make the writing process feel less alone, particularly in times that feel, and are, so wildly difficult to navigate. It can also make you a better writer. Because without a doubt, your collaborator will start to rub off on you in ways you don’t expect."

We couldn't agree more.

But how do you find one? A good place to start is by signing up for writing workshops and retreats. Find writing instructor Bryan Young's take on workshops and retreats here.

Recommended articles

More recommended articles for you

January 20, 2025 3 min read

This article explores the facts and fiction around writer’s block, the psychology of why it happens, and the writing productivity strategies you can use to beat it for good.

Take an idea from your brain and put it on the page. It sounds simple enough, right? But all writers know, it’s not that straightforward.

Writer’s block is a “temporary or lasting failure to put words on paper.” It can last for a few minutes, days, weeks, or even months.

When you desperately want to write, experiencing a block can be frustrating and disheartening. Writer’s block affects everyone from beginners to famous, prolific, published authors, and everyone in between. If you’re feeling this way with your current writing project, you’re not alone. All is not lost. There is hope.

Whether you’re gearing up to tackle your novel, short story, poem, essay, or thesis, we’ve got you covered.

In this article, you'll learn:

Is Writer’s Block Real?

The debate has been raging since the first words of Sumerian were chiseled into the Kish tablet. OK, we don’t know that for sure. But whether writer’s block exists has always been a contentious topic.

From writers and academics to psychologists and armchair critics, everyone has an opinion.

Do you think it’s real? Is writer’s block a painful, unavoidable rite of passage for every writer? Or do you think it’s a handy excuse, used to steer away from the hard work of completing a substantial piece of writing?

Either way, understanding the expected and unexpected obstacles a writer faces will help you write faster, better, and more often.

Learn about the real forces working against you and decide which side of the debate you land on in our full-length article "Is Writer's Block Real?"

Why Writer’s Block Happens

Writer’s block is blamed for almost every stalled draft and abandoned idea. But we believe the real issue isn’t the block itself. What we need to talk about is what’s behind the block. Spoiler: it’s psychological.

Instead of blankly staring at an empty page or the few words you’ve managed to force out but can’t make sense of, think about what’s happening off the page.

Your mindset, habits, and emotions are only some of the factors that could be working against you.

Stress, self-doubt, perfectionism, a disorganized schedule — these are more than inconveniences. They’re stopping you from writing the book you know is inside you.

Instead of blankly staring at an empty page or the few words you’ve managed to force out but can’t make sense of, think about what’s happening off the page.

Identify your own specific obstacles to writing in: "Why Can't I Write Even When I Want To?"

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Facing writer’s block may feel like coming toe-to-toe with Tolkien's Balrog of Morgoth. But every baddie has a fatal flaw and writer’s block is no different — it can be defeated.

Sure, it can feel hopeless sometimes. Especially when you started off strong, writing page after page and excitedly imagining the day you’d type "the end," only to come to a grinding halt.

But there are super effective tools you can add to your arsenal to fight this foe. There are proven strategies and productivity techniques you can add to your daily routine to slay this menace and return to your story victorious.

Learn strategies and get expert advice on how to beat your block in: "How to Overcome Writer’s Block: Expert Advice & Strategies for Breaking Through."

Writer’s block doesn’t spell the end of your journey with your latest draft. (This is just what it wants you to think.)

Like the latest plot twist wreaking havoc on the life of your weary protagonist, it’s just another hurdle to overcome.

January 20, 2025 3 min read

In a perfect world, there would be a quick fix for writer’s block. A potent elixir that could jumpstart your brain, magic up genius ideas, and make your fingers race across the keyboard like a lightning storm crackling through the sky.

Sadly, we don’t live in a perfect world. But there are proven strategies you can use to get back into your story. Let’s explore a few of them.

January 20, 2025 3 min read

Yes, writer’s block is real, and yes, researchers have figured out why it happens.