How to Build Writing Endurance for Maximum Productivity
Have you ever looked at another writer’s blog and wondered how they could write so many articles in a day?
I used to be someone who took a whole week to research, write, and edit just two posts! And at the same time, so many others were pumping out content like a candy factory.
I realized that if I wanted to write as much as possible, I had to take some advice from health and wellness articles to get on their level.
Strength training was one topic that interested me. Even if you’re not trying to learn how to run a marathon or anything similar, there are many tips and tricks for building endurance that you could apply to your writing habits.
If you want to strengthen this writing “muscle,” then these are just some pieces of advice that you will find vital to building your writing habits.
Get Ready: Cut out a time of day for writing-every day
Just like someone who starts their goal of building endurance, you, as a writer, must begin by first cutting out time blocks to work. I touched a little more on this subject in my previous article, “What My Literature Degree Taught Me About Writing Habits,” but essentially, your main goal is to determine the best time to sit down and write. This time could be early in the morning, middle of the day (of course, that depends on if you’re at home or not), evening, or late at night.
My routine has changed now and again, but I tend to write a little before dinner time. But by making “writing blocks” in the day, you’ll eventually be able to build a habit that makes you go to your computer automatically each day.
If you have your writing system in place, then that’s great! But if you don’t already, take some time to figure out what time of day you can (and want) to write. These time blocks are when you build your writing endurance.
Warm-Ups: Use writing prompts
Your warm-up exercise is when you write a little just to get into the writing flow. For strength builders, this includes stretching, light jogging, or short sets of push-ups. But in your case, this could be writing in your journal, writing down some headlines for future articles, or using writing prompts.
Thinkwritten has a simple prompt for every day of the year. These minor writing exercises will get your mind ready for when you start your articles.
So, decide what you want to use for your daily writing warm-up. If you wish, you can even alternate between all the options. Keeping things fresh is great for creativity in the long run.
The Right Equipment: Have your writing tools ready
One cannot expect to get any better at something if they don’t have the right tools to achieve that goal. That’s why it’s crucial for you as a writer to have your writing tools already there for when you start writing.
While there are a few online tools for whatever type of writer you are, here are some of the most important ones that I have used for a few years to great success.
· Grammarly: This needs no introduction. If you’re a new writer, you have probably heard of this tool that automatically checks your grammar, spelling, tone, etc. It’s a great tool, and I will probably never stop singing its praises. Grammarly has been a lifesaver for me in college and continues to be during my freelance career.
· Stay Focused: This is one productivity extension that will significantly drop the times of day that you will pick up your phone or mindlessly browse the web. There are so many settings that enable you to block various sites, keywords, or apps. You have the option to block them for a certain amount of time or all together.
· Forest: This is probably my favorite tool. Forest is a productivity app that has you choose an amount of time to work. At the same time, you “plant” one of their many creative looking trees that will die if you go into another app (Don’t worry, you can still whitelist apps as well). I’ve never felt more satisfied after looking at my productive overview page throughout the weeks and seeing my forest grow and grow. With this, you can easily block out any distractions.
Go ahead and download some of these productivity apps or find some that you would like better. There are so many on the market that will fit your needs.
Start Small
Now, this is when the real training begins. Building muscles or strength is not something you can get by just jumping into the deep end and running for 2 miles when you only run for a half a mile regularly. It takes baby steps.
And as a writer, you also have to build your endurance through baby steps. When I first started writing and reading to develop my writing endurance, I would try and go for a whole day (I was going to school at home, so I had the time). But then I realized that my mind was becoming noodles as I forced myself to write for so long.
The best plan is to write for however long you can in the first place. This could be 10 minutes or 30 minutes. Keep with the plan for a week or two, and when you feel ready or that your hands are still itching to type more, gradually push the timer for longer and longer. Eventually, you will see yourself writing a few articles a day!
Stay Hydrated: Read the right things every day
It’s not enough that you train and train all day. When you’re not writing, you still need to foster your skills. With other endurance strengthening advice, water hydration is vital to give the person the ability to stay healthy and strong.
On the other hand, your hydration as a writer is reading, reading, and reading more.
Along with the advice to write every day, you will hear about how vital it is to read. This piece of advice is just as important as everyone says. But remember that it’s also important to know that not every written body of work will develop your article writing habits.
Of course, reading anything will help you to a certain extent. But if you want to learn how to write a fantasy novel, you wouldn’t study scholarly medical journals. Unless you need to research your story or article, the source won’t teach you how to structure a fantasy story.
If you want to learn how to write non-fiction, then read non-fiction as much as you can. And if you’re going to write great articles, then study those who also write great articles.
Stay hydrated with sources that will push your writing further.
Building writing endurance, like strength endurance, requires discipline and commitment every single day. But don’t hesitate to make your own system, utilize productivity tools, and develop daily reading and writing habits. If you can keep up with these tips, you may be able to finally write as much as you always wanted to every day.
