My Favorite Productivity Tools for Writing
As a former BigLaw partner who transitioned to writing in 2023, I've learned something counterintuitive: too much creative freedom without structure is paralyzing!
At first, I thought a life of writing would be easy breezy. Sleep in. Drink lots of tea. Follow the muse. Each morning, I haphazardly wrote for an hour then didn’t know what to do. The muse had already departed!
Once I figured out so much of writing is not actual writing (it is mostly thinking, brainstorming, researching, reading, learning, etc.), I felt more productive in my overall workday but still lost motivation after lunch. Instead I puzzled. I napped. I lounged. (I needed this as part of my burnout recovery, and feel so lucky I was able to completely rest and restore during this time).
Then I heard the very prolific author Margaret Atwood say (on a podcast) she wrote every day from 10-4 no matter what. She doesn’t wait for the muse or create elaborate rituals. She just sits down and writes. Hallelujah, my brain said! Let’s do this!
Both the sitting part and the staying part were hard for me at first, so I started researching and experimenting with how to optimize for productivity. Over the last two years, I have tried so many things and wanted to share some of my favorite tools for igniting my motivation to write/work.
1. Digital Task Organizers and Paper Agendas: The Triple Dopamine System
I organize all my writing ideas, goals, and tasks in Todoist and block time on my Google Calendar for novel work, nonfiction work and “CEO” time - i.e., emails, responding to comments, social media, etc. I have ToDoIst on my phone and my computers, so it’s very easy to see everything in one place. It also emails me reminders which I love because it is impossible for me to ignore an email, but very possible for me to ignore an app.
I also write down my daily tasks by priority in my paper agenda. One might suggest a more streamlined approach, but I need both paper and digital. This system not only allows me to justify my stationery hoarding, but also gives me a triple dopamine hit when I click the little circle in the Todoist app, delete it from Gmail, THEN cross it off my paper list. Boom!
Missoni Moleskines for the win!
2. Pomodoro Timers: The Countdown Effect
Give me a deadline, a countdown, a ticking clock telling me I'm running out of time! Luckily, Pomodoro timers exist for this very reason.
The Pomodoro technique uses a countdown timer (traditionally 25 minutes) for focused work followed by 5 minutes of rest (you can adjust these periods - I like 45 minutes on, 15 minute breaks).
There are countless free Pomodoro timer apps and websites. I currently love Flocus with its beautiful design. There are several backgrounds and lots of ways to customize. I use the free version but am toying with the idea of the paid because you can connect 5 spotify playlists to it. The only thing I cannot figure out is how to keep it floating on my desktop, which would be ideal.
Perfect vibes: countdown and beauty all in one.
3. Toggl Track: The Lawyer in Me
As a former lawyer, billing my time is embedded in my DNA. It took me a long time to understand what my “minimum” billable hour requirement should be as a writer; I was wired to believe anything less than a 10-12 hour day 7 days/week = laziness.
Then I learned most humans can only sustain about 4 hours of truly deep, focused creative work per day. I know this to be true. My brain melts after four hours of focused writing, sometimes only two, and whatever I write after the melting-point is usually garbage.
So I try to hit 4 hours of deep focus every writing day and do 1-2 hours of research, reading, platform-building, creative cross-training after my brain melts. I also “bill” my exercise, life tasks (like groceries) and my new hobby of playing the piano. And I measure it all with Toggl Track as I’ve written about before.
4. Music for Focus, Inspo and Blocking Out Leaf Blowers
When I'm drafting, I need silence. However, my HOA absolutely loves to hire tree trimmers and leaf blowers year-round, so I've become quite reliant on sound machines and soothing piano music for focus.
When I'm not in deep concentration mode, I listen to Spotify playlists I've made for each of my novels. In case you are ever in need of 2015-2020 ambition/motivation/feminism/female friendship hits (and a little Biggie and Bieber, for good measure), here is the playlist I made for my female founder novel. Warning: Explicit language abounds.
5. Internet Blocking: For When Willpower Fails
I don't use this often because I'm in revision phase right now and need to do spot research constantly, but when my brain is particularly distracted and I find myself checking email or Vogue.com instead of writing, I need a heavy hitter like the Freedom app.
This app blocks off your access to the internet for a set period of time. It also includes a countdown timer and music options (lo-fi, etc.) and you can set-it up to still enable access to certain sites.
6. All the Soda: The Mini-Fridge Solution
Installing a mini-fridge in my upstairs home office, fully stocked with Zero Sugar options, changed my WFH lawyer life: in between interminable zooms, I rarely had time to go downstairs to the kitchen to grab a beverage. Turns out, it’s great for writing, too!
I like to rotate my sodas throughout the day, saving the coveted Shirley Temple 7Up Zero Sugar for a fancy moment. (Note: The A&W Ice Cream Sundae looked so promising but alas, I did not love it.)
7. The Star Reward System
When I'm drafting, I count my daily word count and give myself stars for each day I hit 1,000 words. In revision mode, it's about time spent—I aim for three hours every day, and I get a star. For social media, I get a happy face every time I post on Instagram and Facebook (I still have so much resistance to social media—it’s so cringey!—but I want to connect with family, friends, readers and other writers so it is what it is).
My November Rewards Chart - as you can see from the ratio of writing stars to social media happy faces, I greatly prefer working on my novel!
I’ve tried many different rewards systems to help me hit my stars and smiley faces. Sometimes it is a lunch date or a massage. Sometimes it is a 12-pack of soda (see #6). Sometimes, to counteract all the soda, it is a super sparkly Stanley so I can drink ice water in style.
My reward for finishing Draft 2 of my Wisconsin novel!
8. Writing Zooms: Virtual Coworking
I went through a huge phase of joining writing Zooms to "work" alongside other writers and this really helped me keep my butt in the chair.
London Writers Salon offers free one-hour writing sessions per day that anyone can join once you sign up with the group. The format is simple: most people keep their cameras on, you write down in the Zoom chat your goals, hear an inspirational quote read by the host, mute yourself and write for 45 minutes, then optionally share what you accomplished at the end via chat.
It's a wonderful tool when I feel lonely and need to see other human beings who also want to see other human beings. The mirroring of others writing really works. It also motivates me to put on real clothes and makeup.
Zoom filters are the best! Nary a wrinkle in sight.
What I'm Still Looking For: A Boss!
Until I get an agent and a publisher (God willing), I crave external accountability. Someone to report to. Someone to give me deadlines like my clients or deal team leads at my firms used to do.
I've tried tech solutions for this need, including hiring a boss through Boss as a Service (which I heard about on a writers podcast). It's a brilliant idea and exactly what I need (you send them your to-dos, send proof of completion and if you don’t hit the task, they gently nag you via email until you get it done.)
Due to the time zone mismatch (they're based in India), their middle-of-the-night emails didn’t really light my fire. Ideally, I’d find someone to boss me around during the US workday. . .but it is such a clever idea for someone like me who longs to people-please and would never, ever miss a deadline if it lets someone else down. I might renew!
