33 Ways to Increase Your Visionary Writing Productivity
...for Visionary Writers
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
Short and Sweet Notes on How to Increase Your Writing Productivity - for Visionary Writers:
Find Your WHY - This can include your core values, mindset, business plan, revenue stream, higher purpose, bigger vision. Reconnect with your WHY whenever you need a motivation boost.
Shift Your BELIEFS/ IDENTITY - Use your journal to write affirmations & I Am statements. Own your self-definition. Rewrite your internal narratives. Examples: I Am an Author. I am a Visionary Writer. I write books and bring them into the world in service to the collective. My books are of value to myself and others. Place these around your writing space, as sticky notes on your MacBook, on your altar, under your pillow, on the fridge, or wherever you will see them, feel their frequency, and engage with them regularly.
Align Your ROUTINES to meet & match the vibrational frequency of your emerging author identity. Where are your habits in/out of alignment with your new I Am affirmations? What adjustments can you make to reprioritise?
Set your GOAL / PLAN - Create a timeline for your Visionary Writing Project, with a clear and accountable deadline. Make your goals SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound).
Create Your Visionary Book OUTLINE - Break down your goal / plan into manageable, measurable actions & outcomes.
Deadlines / Constraints & Structure - Creating the Container that gives shape and accountability to your project. Set timebound goals for daily writing output (word count, duration, etc.). Plan where, when and for how long you will write, plus determine the longer term deadline for your Visionary Book completion. Create the solidity that will help you to birth your book into the world. Call in the holding of the Earth Element here - meditate with crystalline structures, or the blueprint frequency of YOUR unique book.
Get Guidance, Coaching, and Accountability. Share your progress and experience with a Visionary Writing Community. Be an accountability partner for others. Be in this together and support each other’s goals. You can subscribe to join my Co-Writing Community here.
Set appropriate word counts & targets: Non-Fiction teaching memoir can be 25k - 60k words. Average is 40-60k. Can be longer, up to 90k. Fiction varies by genre. Fantasy average is 90k-120k.
DISCERNMENT - Clarity, Boundaries & Eliminating Tasks (Creating Time for Writing) - What can you automate, eliminate, or outsource for the duration of your visionary writing project? Set writing as your priority and reduce distractions in the short term writing period.
Determine whether your current work can be categorised as: Busy / Important / Urgent (Joanna Penn, Productivity for Authors). Busy work keeps you from doing what’s important, so decide which tasks you can Batch, Schedule, Automate, Eliminate, or Outsource to maximise your visionary writing time.
Get into your Zone of Genius (Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap) - Determine which work you are doing fits into the following categories: Incompetence, Competence, Expertise, Passion. Automate, eliminate, outsource, or minimise anything that is in the categories of Incompetence, Competence, and even Expertise. Zone of genius = writing your book, sharing your vision, living your Passion.
Create First, Respond Later
Write First! Allocate writing time first thing in the morning, or write first before beginning other tasks - even for a short period - to ensure you are engaging with your visionary book on a daily / regular basis.
Create a Not-To-Do List for tasks that you need to say NO to in order to complete your book (Joanna Penn, Productivity for Authors).
Do less, better
Minimise distractions & notifications - turn off notifications, get app blockers, etc.
Schedule Your (Non-Optional) Writing Time and include the Ritual Writing Warm-Up to maximise your productivity. Keep your commitment to your scheduled visionary writing time.
Meeting Yourself on the Page / Showing Up on the Page - make this a daily devotional commitment to yourself. Start with the Ritual Writing Warm Up or Black Screen Writing Practice, to give time and space for acknowledging your thoughts and feelings, and get into the writing zone. Then move into focused writing practice based on a topic or section from your outline.
Time Tracking
Read books for inspiration in your downtime and make notes or lists of ideas to write about from your reading. Be ready to write when it is time to write.
“What are you willing to sacrifice to create the life you are pretending you want to live?” - Liz Gilbert, (Live event Southampton 2024)
“Write at the Edges of the Day” - Toni Morrison
Dictation & Transcription can increase your writing speed, but may need more editing. Ideal for writing while you are travelling or on the move. Writing while walking, in the car, on the train, plane, etc. Supports your connection to your voice, confidence, courage, truth, authenticity.
Meet Your Own Edges of Resistance - Stephen Pressfield, The War of Art (Procrastination, Perfectionism, Burnout, Fear, Inner Critic, etc.)
Light a candle and call in your Visionary Writing Guides.
Listen to ambient sounds on your earphones, frequencies for creativity, solfeggio frequencies, noise cancellation, productivity playlists, etc.
No distractions, notifications, or multi tasking. Turn off phone / internet and use app blockers if necessary.
If you get stuck on a word, a citation, a detail, etc., make a note or highlight that part & move on - you can come back to it later in the editing process.
Timed writing practice - with breaks & focus. Try the Pomodoro Technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo: 25 minutes writing, 5 minutes break. Stick to the timings. Keep focused for writing and take regular breaks throughout your visionary writing session.
Measure your progress / track your targets and be realistic (you can set trackable Project Targets on Scrivener) - self-rewards, progress tracking, habit tracking, keep the streak (Atomic Habits, James Clear).
Pick a focus for your session - use your outline to choose a section or topic that you will write on for this writing time, and stick to it.
Write Anyway! (Whatever the excuse…)
“Don’t wait for the muse” (Stephen King, On Writing)
If this feels resonant for you and you’d like to explore more, you can subscribe for regular updates, or go here to get my book, Writing & Thriving: Writing Tips and Wellbeing Tricks for Visionary Writers.
