Are you writing a lot right now? Maybe you're
working on major papers and assignments. Perhaps
you are working on a manuscript for an academic
journal. Or maybe you're working on a novel
or a piece of non-fiction or other creative
work. If you're in any of these situations,
you're probably looking to have some really
productive writing sessions in the near future.
Yet sometimes when we intend to have a really
productive writing session, it doesn't exactly
work out as hoped. We might get distracted
or want to spend our time in other ways. We
might be feeling anxious or stressed about
the completion of our writing project. These
types of feelings can get in the way of our
success unless we implement some strategies
designed to help us with overcoming them and
hopefully less likely encounter them the next
time we sit down to write.
In case we haven't met before, hi! My name
is Jacqueline Beaulieu and I am a PhD Candidate
studying Higher Education at the University
of Toronto. In this video, I will share some
strategies that I've been using to support
the productivity of my writing sessions. I'm
finding that they're working really well and
I'm really excited to share them with you.
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And with that, here's my first tip.
So one of the things that I've been doing
to increase the productivity of my writing
sessions has been really making use of setting
intentions before I write. And for me, there's
three steps involved. So the first thing is
figuring out what can I accomplish in the
time that I have to write that day. And I
think about that and what I like to do is
record it in this journal here. I find that
writing it down helps to hold me accountable
and by putting it in this journal, because
it's somewhat permanent, for whatever reason...
I take that intention a little more seriously.
Alternatively, sometimes myself and a friend
will email back and forth to say "this is
what I'm working on today" and with the knowledge
that we're going to follow up with each other
to see how we did. It doesn't matter if we
didn't quite check everything off the list.
What's most important is that we're sort of
reflect upon why and chat to each other about
that.
Before I write, I also have been asking myself
the following question of late: "Why is it
important to focus and make as much progress
as I can during this session?" And so what
will it mean for others if you are as productive
as possible and you complete your writing
project. For example, what difference will
your research make? What impact might it have?
Also, what will it mean for you, your future,
your dreams to make this type of progress?
I also take time to think about what it's
going to feel like to accomplish this and
finish this project and also like what it's
going to feel like to hit the milestones along
the way. I find that can really help. I find
that thinking about these things really helps
to give me additional motivation as I approach
my writing sessions. So to give you an example
of something I wrote down in terms of why
my research is important, I wrote in my journal
yesterday that "my research plays into a larger
question of what role students ought to have
in institutional decision-making in the face
of a shift towards a neoliberal university".
One more thing that I do is I review my energy
sheet which I discussed in a previous video,
which I will link to here so I don't have
to repeat it. However, what it is is a document
where I describe the types of energy I want
to bring to a writing session as well as what
types of energy I'm hoping to experience and
take away from my writing session.
And I find that reviewing that document before
I sit down to write helps me focus on the
positives that I'm hoping to get out of this
experience. And to shed away some of the anxious
feelings and stress and self-doubt that sometimes
anyone, including myself, can encounter when
they're writing.
My second tip is to Block Potential Distractions.
Take note of where you are. Are you somewhere
where people can interrupt you and if so,
is it possible to change that? If not, is
there something you can do to let people know
that you're focusing? One of the things that
I do in my shared office at the university
is my office mates know that if my noise-cancelling
headphones are on, that means I'm really trying
to focus. And they know to try not to interrupt
me. Speaking of noise-cancelling headphones,
I can't recommend these enough. They really
help to remove some of the environmental conversations
and other things that are happening around
you, and allow you to focus in on your work.
I typically will listen to some instrumental
music or soundscapes from Spotify, iTunes,
or YouTube while working on my writing. One
of my favourite resources is an app that not
too many people know about, and that's called
"Pure Nature". It's created by a man named
Lang Elliott who has created so many 3-D natural
soundscapes that just are incredible to listen
to. I really can't recommend this app enough.
Another thing that I sometimes have on in
the background is Slow TV. And what Slow TV
is is it is a program that is filmed over
many hours in real-time of something- it might
be a train ride, it might be a canal ride,
it might be migration of reindeer... there's
a tv station in Norway that's filmed a number
of these. And because they are slow moving
and there's not a lot of action, I find them
very calming and it's something nice to have
on in the background. It helps me feel like
I'm not sitting at my desk all day, but at
the same time doesn't distract me from my
writing.
Another thing that I highly recommend using
is a customizable internet blocker. I use
an app called Focus Me to block websites that
I've selected that I don't want to be distracted
by while working on my writing. And that is
typically Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and
sometimes YouTube depending on whether or
not I'm using it as background music. Last
but not least, I use a timer- in this case,
Forest app, to time my study sessions which
are in increments of 25 minutes usually. And
basically, what this does is it allows me
to know when I'm done and in the meantime,
I'm able to sort of track my progress by watching
trees get planted in a fictitious plot. If
you leave the app, the tree dies. And so you
have some motivation to keep going and not
get distracted by your phone. As well, if
you collect enough trees, you're able to donate
a real live tree to be planted somewhere in
the world where they are needed. It's a super
fun app, I love how they have gamified studying,
focusing, and concentrating.
The next thing is to create a cosy, comfortable
writing space. Ideally, you have a desk space
that relatively clear of clutter- if it doesn't
need to be there, it may help for you to move
it. Of course, it helps to dress comfortably.
You might consider a warm candle or diffusing
some essential oils to help support your focus.
Plants can help to brighten and bring some
life to your desk space. And really consider
your lighting. I don't have a desk lamp on
my desk right now because I'm actually using
it to help light this video, but I recommend
having a couple of different lights around
your space and creating that cosy atmosphere.
A really quick tip to drink lots of water.
I know that many of you know this, but it's
always good to have that friendly reminder
that staying hydrated helps our brain to stay
mentally focused and alert.
My next bigger tip is to connect your daily
writing goals to a larger goal. So what I've
been challenging myself to do of late is to
try and accomplish eight pomodoros per day.
And what a pomodoro is is a 25-minute fully
focused on my writing. So that's about four
hours of solid, very focused writing per day.
And while it doesn't sound like a lot, if
you think about how four hours of solid writing
adds up over the course of a week, that's
a lot of writing. The reason for this strategy
is to not tire myself out. If I write too
much on a given day, then I know I'm going
to pay for it the following day. So if I find
it makes more sense to try and a consistent
amount every single day, knowing that I'm
writing an amount that doesn't compromise
my ability to feel refreshed and ready to
go the following day. I also find that by
setting a goal of eight pomodoros or something
along that lines, it gives me a greater sense
of permission to know that I'm done for the
day. And that it's ok to take a step back
after that's completed and do something else
that I really enjoy.
So what do I do in the actual writing sessions
to make them productive? Well, the first thing
that Iike to do is a brain dump. So rather
than, you know, spending my time finessing
individual sentences right away, what I like
to do is- I just like to put everything down
that I can think of that I might write about.
So I call that a brain dump. And basically,
I will somewhat time myself and just start
putting everything down on paper... every
idea, every possible argument, and I'll just
start typing them out. The next step is to
create some organization to that. Start to
move the ideas around, finesse them into points,
build out an outline in point form, and from
there, finesse that into sentences. And keep
working that into an initial draft. The goal
is to not play into perfectionistic tendencies.
What I don't want to do is to be spending
time... lots of time... trying to perfect
sentences right away. Focus on getting your
ideas down and organizing these. You can add
and finesse later. It's also important to
recognize that your goal is to hand in something
that is great for this stage in the game.
You know, if you're handing in a manuscript
to a journal- like an academic journal- and
it's going to be reviewed by some reviewers,
most definitely- they're likely going to have
some feedback for you. So don't worry about
aiming to try and hand in something that is
virtually perfect. Hand in something that
is just again, really great for this stage
in the game.
My next tip is to take regular breaks. I like
to take five to ten minute breaks in between
my 25 minute pomodoros. I will also use a
time sometimes to help me time my breaks so
that I'm not going overly overtime and getting
sort of enveloped in whatever I've picked
for my break activity. That way, I stay on
task with the main event- the writing. Pick
a task that helps your brain to refresh and
rejuvenate. I like to read paper books, or
my Kindle... sort of get my eyes away from
the screen. I might go for a quick walk around
my academic department or go for a walk outside.
I might stretch, I might do a Zumba dance
from YouTube. I might also watch an inspiring
video. Bascially, pick something that will
give you energy for your next pomodoro.
So a few odds and ends. First thing is to
learn what time of day is going to help you
be most productive with your writing. For
me, nowadays, that seems to be the afternoons.
Earlier, it used to be the mornings. At one
point, it was the evenings. But right now,
afternoons are prime time and so I really
try to respect that time and dedicate it to
my writing however I can. The next thing is
that your writing productivity is likely to
increase over time as you implement your writing
routines over and over again. It's just one
of those things that gets easier over time.
As well, if you really want to increase your
productivity writing-wise, I suggest that
you evaluate your productivity on a day to
day basis in something as simple as your journal.
Just asking yourself, you know, how did you
feel about today's productivity? What went
well? What might you be able to improve upon?
If things didn't go quite as well as expected
and you didn't get quite as much done as you
hoped, don't be hard on yourself. You know-
there's usually a reason for it, and what's
most important is to sort of explain that
to yourself and realize what it was. Make
note of any things that you'd like to differently
the following day when you sit down to write,
as well as make a note of what you think your
writing goal for the next day should be.
The last thing is to celebrate your accomplishments
on a daily basis and especially as you hit
those writing milestones. You might not accomplish
all that you hoped to accomplish in a given
day, but that's still progress. And progress
is important. So at the end of the day, make
sure you do something to acknowledge that
progress and treat yourself.
So if you've learned something in this video
that you think might be helpful to you as
a writer, please give this video a thumbs
up so that others who share our interests
will know that it's a good video and they
might learn something from it too. If you
have any questions about this video's topic
which is "How to have productive writing sessions",
feel free to pose those in the comments section
down below. As well as share any suggestions
you have on how to have really productive
writing sessions. I encourage you to consider
sharing this video and this channel with others
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click the Subscribe and notifications bell
buttons down below. Until my next video, please
feel free to stay in touch via Instagram and
Twitter. My Twitter handle is @jacquiebeaulieu.
And my Instagram handle is @phdessentials.
Until next time, wishing you all the success
with you writing projects, and also wishing
you a beautiful and productive week. Bye friends!
