How to be a Happy and Productive Writer

Dear Real Academics,

Happy writers can be productive writers. Happy productive writers are aware of two important things:

(1) Their time.

(2) Their creative process.

[Note: I provide a ton of resources in this post just because I was so excited to make all these connections and share them with you! Be sure to check out any that look useful to you].

BACKGROUND

I recently watched a fascinating video interview with Dr. Ken Atchity --

author, professor, screenwriter, producer, literary manager --

which affirmed and solidified the above two points for me. His book, A Writer's Time: Making the Time to Write, is on my short list for reading now:

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Ken mentions two types of productive people: the unhappy ones and the happy ones. The unhappy productive person can be the typical Type A workaholic and/or the stereotypical depressed creative.

The happy productive people, according to Ken, -- get this -- are AWARE of their creative process and know how to manage it. I could not agree more!

So, how does one become aware of one's process and how does one manage it? In what follows, I provide a couple of tips gleaned from my years of learning about my own work (specifically writing).

With Respect to Time

(1) First, become AWARE of time and where it is going. 

Most people are not aware of where their time goes. So, a good exercise is to track where all your time is going. Once you do that, you are better able to get motivated to use your time more wisely/productively. I wrote a helpful post on how to do this: The Power of Logging.

(2) Second, compartmentalize your time into protected chunks of focused productivity.

Pretty much every book or video I've watched regarding "time-management" says to do the same thing. I've tried the Pomodoro Method and used my Productivity Planner to help me do this. 

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I've also purchased and used a timer. Note: Ken has a lot of good stuff to say about timers vs. watches in his interview - namely, a timer allows you to function within YOUR time; a watch is about functioning within the world's time.

I've also used Cal Newports method explained in one of my all time favorite books related to the topic of meaningful productivity: Deep Work.

If I'm honest, his method was the one that helped me be the most productive, focused, and creative. Newports' book is on my top 10 list of must read books for anyone who cares about producing meaningful work in their career:

(paid link)

(3) Third, be intentional about what you are doing during your focused time. 

Make goals. Stay focused. And DON'T work for too long. One-hour of focused work can be much more productive than 6 hours of unfocused and unintentional work. In addition, there is substantial research backing up the fact that after 4 hours of focused creative work, a persons' creativity cannot be sustained productively.

With Respect to Process

(1) First, understand everyone has a slightly different creative process.
There is the general writing process, which is very important to know (i.e., the fact that writing starts messy and needs to be shaped). 

Here, I'm talking about your process in writing. Everyone is a little different, as Helen Sword found out in her study on productive academic writers as is beautifully detailed in her book, Air, Light, Space, and Time: How Successful Academics Write:

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But you know what else she found out? Productive academic writers have found joy in their work no matter how hard it was. Yup. They are happy writers. They know their process. Writing is hard because it can be lonely, takes discipline, and takes time to reap rewards (which can decrease motivation). So, being aware of yourself and your process is very important. 

(2) Second, find out what your creative process is and manage it.
For example, Ken asks and suggests, do you get depressed after you finish a big project? Then, immediately start a new project right before finishing your first project! Do you struggle with rejection? Then, immediately begin working on a new project after you've submitted a work for review instead of waiting to hear back from reviewers before moving onto your next piece of writing. 

I would also ask: Do you need absolute quiet to work or do you work best around others? Does it depend on what phase of writing you are in? When do you write best? Ken talks about authors like himself who write early in the morning and authors who write late at night. You need to figure out where and when and how you work best depending on your circumstances.

And, if you want a research-based, time-tested, practical, step-by-step guide for producing academic writing, look no further than the following text, Becoming an Academic Writer by Patricia Goodson:

 

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I personally own about four copies of this book, and I've heard colleagues say it is a must have for themselves and for any graduate student needed to write a dissertation and publish. I could not agree more!

(3) Third, work within your happy productive space. 

In doing this, it is very important that you protect your mind, emotions, time, space, and focus. If there are toxic people in your life, sever those ties in the best way possible and/or minimize the time you have to be around them. If you struggle with negative emotions, learn to manage them well (see second point above). If there are distractions, then shut them off! Focus is important. So is your space. And so is your time, productivity, and ultimate happiness in your writing.

I hope this was helpful, insightful, and useful, Real Academics. We'd love to hear about any happy writing journeys! You can always reach us at our website listed below.

Until next time,

Maggie

www.therealacademics.com

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