Tag: productivity

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The Intentional Writer

How to Optimize Your Writing Sessions

The intentional writer

Do you feel guilty because you can’t crank out two thousand words every morning like your writer friends? Have you ever been frustrated when you tried a writing expert’s sure-fire method to write faster, only to find you’re writing time was worse than ever?  

Me, too.

The fact is, each of us needs to figure out what writing process works best for the way our brain works, and our unique writing personality. That being said, most writers fall into one of two general categories, those who work best in small spurts and those who work best in longer, more focused writing sessions.  We all have a sweet spot that represents the optimum number of words our particular writer brain likes to handle in one sitting.

Optimizing writing sessions for small spurt writers

Are you a multitasking pro? Do you enjoy writing in coffee shops or the local park, and you often squeeze little spurts of writing into your life when you can, you are probably a short spurt writer. If so, your optimum writing session is probably in the 400 – 600 words range. If you’re a small spurt writer, you can productively use small pockets of time to work on your project. However, when you force yourself to keep working until you’ve reached 1,500 words in one sitting, you’ll struggle. You’ll find it tough to keep focused, so your productivity will drop, and you’ll feel frustrated.  

Good news! You can reach that 1,500 word goal, but you’ll be more successful when you do it in two or three smaller sessions rather than one continuous stretch. Also, you’ll probably write better at each session if you switch tasks and work on something else in between your writing sessions.

Optimizing writing sessions for deep focus writers

If you need silence and solitude to do your best work, you are probably a long session writer. Your optimum writing sessions are more like 1,000 – 2,000 words. You write best when you can go deep into your story world. It may take some time to get into the flow, and once you find it you don’t want to be dragged away until you’ve finished the whole scene.

Like all humans, you eventually need to come up for air and give your brain a brief rest, but you may find that you can utilize your time most productively when you allow yourself to focus on several writing sessions in a row, rather than switching from writing to other tasks and then back to writing.

Which is best?

The one that works for you!

Neither style is any better or worse. The key to becoming a more productive writer is to figure out your optimum writing session scenario and then plan your writing accordingly.

Do you need to stop beating yourself up because you can’t concentrate on writing while waiting for your kids to at soccer practice? Do you need to give yourself permission to quit forcing yourself to complete marathon writing sessions?

If you’re not sure which style works best for you, experiment. Try setting a variety of goals from short 300-word sessions to longer ones of 1,000-words or more. See how long you can work before your brain starts to lose focus.

This isn’t rocket science, so don’t get hung up on finding your exact ideal word count. The goal is to determine the approximate number of words or length of writing sessions that works best for your brain, and then do what you can to create writing times around that length.

A note on editing: Editing is not the same kind of thinking as composing. Therefore, most writers have a different ideal writing session length when it comes to editing their ms.  Once again, you can experiment to find your optimum editing session length.

Learn more

If you want to learn more about optimizing your writing sessions, I recommend you read The Chunky Method Handbook by Allie Pleiter.

I hope this post has encouraged you in your writing journey this week.

Lisa E Betz

An engineer-turned-mystery-writer, Lisa E. Betz infuses her novels with authentic characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her debut novel, Death and a Crocodile, won several awards, including Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021). Her second mystery, Fountains and Secrets, released in January, 2022.

Lisa combines her love of research with her quirky imagination to bring the world of the early church to life. She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in the Livia Aemilia Mysteries. Lisa directs church dramas, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes. Visit her at lisaebetz.com or her Facebook page, LisaEBetzWriter.

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Guest Posts

9 Writing Tools to Become More Productive as a Writer

Do you want to become a successful writer? Be ready to work hard and keep your productivity high.

Yep, writing talent is not the only thing you need to succeed in today’s world. You also need to be able to work effectively and deliver results fast.

Luckily, we live in the technology age, where productivity tools are widely available.

If you want to become a more productive writer, use the following tools and apps.

Grammarly

How much time do you spend fixing typos and correcting small grammar mistakes? Fifteen minutes a day or maybe a few hours? Try to install Grammarly and proofread your writings automatically.

Grammarly is an AI-powered grammar checker – it defines common mistakes and suggests fixes. If you start using it today, you will significantly speed up the writing process and get a chance to release your book sooner.

Evernote

The most brilliant ideas always come to mind unexpectedly. And if you don’t want these ideas to fade away, you should be ready to write them down immediately.

Evernote is an app that allows you to take notes and manage your tasks in a smooth and convenient way. You can use it to create textual notes or save drawings, photographs, audio, or web content that inspires you.

The best thing about Evernote is that it allows you to sync your notes across multiple devices. It means that you can access your saved files using your phone, tablet, and laptop no matter what device you have used to create that file.

Scrivener 

Scrivener is a popular writing app used by best-selling novelists, professional screenwriters, and non-fiction writers. If you want to take your writing to the next level, consider using this tool for crafting your next draft.

Use Scrivener to write down your ideas, edit your manuscript, and add background materials. Compile everything into a single document for printing and share your book with the first readers and publishers.

Thesaurus

Good writing is all about choosing the right words to describe characters, settings, and items. If you want to expand your vocabulary and improve the quality of your texts – use Thesaurus. This tool will help you to find relevant synonyms for overused words and enrich your language.

Thesaurus is an excellent solution for elevating and improving writing and vocabulary for both newbies and pro writers.

Novel Factory

If you are a newbie in novel writing, Novel Factory will be a great tool for you. It works like an integrated step-by-step guide that helps you to craft a story one idea at a time.

Novel Factory interface includes dedicated sections for characters, locations, and items. It means you can describe the main hero of your story and the settings first and then move to crafting a plot.

Besides, Novel Factory offers plot outlines for popular genres like romance and thriller. If you want to write a novel but don’t know how to start, you can use these outlines for inspiration and as an example to follow.

Essay Guard

Nothing and no one is perfect. So if you feel like you need expert help to improve your writing, don’t feel ashamed to ask for it.

The best way to find a reliable writing service is to check websites ratings and read reviews on Essay Guard. Choose a qualified writer wisely, and you will get adequate editorial assistance.

Writing Prompts

Do you want to become a part of the online writing community? Install Writing Prompts, a mobile app, and create your own writing prompts and stories. Share it with other writers and get valuable feedback.

Writing Prompts allows you to check stories written by other authors. It means you can evaluate the quality of other authors’ works and learn the lesson from their mistakes and successes.

FocusMe

Do you find it challenging to focus on writing? Do you get distracted by social media notifications? If you want to finish your book due to the deadline, you should fight your social media addiction.

Install FocusMe and block access to social media websites. If you don’t have the strong willpower to stop checking your phone – this tool is just a perfect solution for you. It will limit the distractions so that you will be able to immerse yourself in writing.

Freedom

Freedom is another app for blocking distracting websites and apps. If you use it daily, you will improve your productivity and will get able to generate more brilliant ideas. You can set a work schedule, so Freedom will block access to distracting media automatically at hours when you are busy with writing.

In conclusion

All these nine tools are available for free or offer free trials, so you don’t have to pay money to understand whether they suit you or not.

We highly recommend you to test productivity tools one tool at a time to find a solution that works for you the best.

Daniela McVicker is a well-known writer, a contributor to EssayAssistant. She enjoys reading classic literature and doing research on internet marketing. Her favorite pastimes are to write, listen to jazz tracks and take quiet walks.

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The Intentional Writer

The Importance of Taking Breaks

The intentional writer

Writing is hard work. It may not look like writers expend much energy, but we are. Writing saps our mental, emotional, and spiritual energy reserves. If you’ve ever felt drained after a writing session you know what I mean.

In order to be effective in our writing career, we need to intentional about taking breaks to restore our creative energy. We need time to rest, refuel, and find new inspiration. Here are some ideas:

Five types of breaks to boost writing success

Give your project a rest

Sometimes the best thing we can do with a writing project is set it aside for a time. When we get deep into a story we lose the ability to look at it objectively, plus we tend to get stuck on certain details, scenes, or sentences. When we set the project aside and work on a different piece of writing for a time, we allow our brains to do a reset.

Taking a break between one draft and the next enables our conscious and unconscious brains to return to the project with clearer thinking. We can more easily spot problems and think up more creative solutions for solving them. If you feel stuck with a piece of writing, try locking it in a drawer (real or virtual) for at least a week, or perhaps a few months.

Take short breaks to enhance efficiency

When we’re in the middle of a busy day, taking a break may feel highly unproductive, but productivity experts have shown that taking short breaks actually enhances our ability to think and perform. They suggest stopping every two hours or so to take a short break.

All breaks are not created equally, however. To make the most of short breaks, walk away from your desk, turn your brain to a completely unrelated subject, and connect with either nature or other humans. Limit the break to about fifteen minutes. Above all, resist the temptation to check social media or email! Those activities are not restorative.

Refill your empty tank

When we push ourselves to keep going after our inner energy tank is on empty, our creativity suffers. If we want to do our best work, we must be intentional about taking refueling breaks. What refreshes and restores your heart and soul? Taking a walk along the seashore? Paining a picture? Gardening? Reading? Talking with a friend over coffee? Do yourself and your future readers a favor by making a point to refuel yourself regularly by spending time in activities that restore your body and psyche.

Seek out inspiration

Along with refueling our inner energy tank, we occasionally need to resupply our stock of inspiration. Now and then we need to take a break from writing to seek other kinds of experiences that will fill our store of ideas and spark creativity. The more varied the activities, the better. Vacations, nature walks, art classes, dancing lessons, or a visit to an art museum are all great ways to refill our cache of inspiration. So is reading a book outside our preferred genres or watching a TED talk on something we know nothing about. It may feel like wasted time, but all positive input is fodder for out subconscious. What new things can you learn or experience this week?

Meditate and pray

Our words reflect the state of our spirit. If we hope to communicate truth and hope to our readers we need to remain connected to our Lord. He is the one who gifted us with imagination and called us to write. He is the one who can inspire, guide, and clarify our thoughts. He is the one who enables us to write with efficiency and purpose. Taking spiritual breaks to pray and meditate will help us stay true to our calling and enable us to communicate the truths in our hearts.

I hope these tips help you avoid burnout and enhance your creative output.

Happy writing!

Award-winning writer Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a unique story to tell the world. She loves inspiring fellow writers to be more intentional about developing their craft and courageous in sharing their words. Lisa shares her words through speaking, leading Bible studies, writing historical mysteries, and blogging about living intentionally.

You can find her on Facebook LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.

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Book Proposals

The Covid Affair

Well, here we are. Or … here I am, and there you are. We’re social distancing. This is new for many folks. For everyone if truth be told. It’s new, exhilarating, exciting, exhausting. Draining!

For most of us, as writers, this isn’t a burden whatsoever. We’re used to being holed up in our offices, working by ourselves (if we’re lucky and get the peace and quiet we crave).  In fact, we’ve been training for moments like this as long as we’ve been writing.

So how is it affecting us? A couple folks have said, “Just knowing I can’t go out, if I wanted to, is somehow interrupting my ability to write!” “I can’t get enough of this! It’s awesome!” And others tell me about how difficult it is to know massive work is expected of them during the shutdown. As if writers just turn on a switch and wrote.

I’ll be honest, while I thought it would be just another day at the office, my office, my in-home office, instead, I’ve found it really difficult to work. Oh, I get it done, but I find myself tuning in to much more news than before, being drawn to the outside (where absolutely nothing is happening) through my two office windows, and wanting to get up and move around more than before. Maybe it’s the sourdough starter tempting me to bake for the fifth time this week, and it’s only Wednesday. Sigh. My good intentions of getting a lot more writing done, reading of submissions completed, working on edits for clients, have gone by the wayside, along with that last batch of cinnamon rolls which haven’t gone by the wayside, but directly to my hips.

So what do we do? We can whine, complain, bake another batch of … who knows what, or we can plunk our behinds in our seats and get to work. There will always be distractions. We will have deaths, divorces, births, school papers due, problematic relationships, deadlines with “other” writing, and even friends asking us when we’re finally going to be published. We can freeze under the pressure, or we can press on. Press through. Press beyond what is expected of us. We can persevere and get the job done.

Life is filled with … well … life getting in the way. And in that will come excuses. Excuses to wait till the next day, wait till the virus clears the country, wait till we have more ideas … wait, wait, wait. And the writing never gets done.

As artsy folks, writers have, if you’ll pardon the play on words, “unimaginable” imaginations. Our minds work like the fastest core processors available. While we’re supposed to be writing, we’re already thinking of the sequel, prequel, and possible novellas to give away free for promotion. We’re picking out the publisher that we KNOW will want our novel, the actors who will play the lead rolls in the movie version, and even what to wear while attending the Oscar to see our made-into-movie novel win the best picture award.

Okay, so here I sit. There you sit. Yes, we are. We’re social distancing. I’m writing about what we might do to help during this Covid-19 thing, and you’re reading about it. Neither of us is writing.

C’mon. Let’s get on the shtick and do what we’re supposed to be doing: writing. Doing our best to make life a little better for the folks stuck at home, reading! Just waiting for our next great American novel that might tell … the unbelievable story of an entire world brought to its knees by a tiny virus. Why not? Somebody’s got to write it.

Linda S. Glaz is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency, and also the author of eight novels and two novellas, so she “gets” writers. She represents authors in both the Christian and secular communities. She speaks at numerous conferences and workshops around the country each year. Married with three grown children and four grands, she lives in a small town where everyone is family.

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Kids Lit

While You Wait…

Kids Lit

We’ve all said it before. You know, the old, “I’m just waiting on God to make this publishing thing happen.” The truth is, most of the time, God is waiting on us!

You see, waiting on God isn’t like waiting in a long line at an amusement park. We’re not supposed to wait around doing nothing until our desires are finally met. Rather, we should be like the high-class waiter who watches for the needs of the people at the table she serves. We must actively serve God and attune ourselves to Him while we patiently wait for Him to accomplish His plans. We do all that we can. In other words, we do the natural stuff and he adds the “super” to our natural.

Here are a few “natural” things you can do to be more productive while waiting upon the Lord for your publishing dreams to come true.

Split your Time 50/50

Spend 50 percent of your time writing and the other 50 percent marketing for future work. This may sound extreme, but it keeps assignments coming in and your writing going out to magazines, newspapers, websites, and book publishers. Try to contact five to 10 editors/publishers/publications each week. That may seem like a lofty goal, but it is not that difficult if you have already crafted a standard pitch letter to use when applying for freelance gigs or a generic query letter that you can hone for each different publication or children’s book publisher.

Then, spend a couple of hours each week doing “follow-up” work. Maybe it’s sending a thank-you note to an editor who took time to write you a personal note on a rejection letter. Or maybe it’s reaching out to editors you’ve already established a relationship with to ask if they’re in need of a writer to tackle any work-for-hire projects in the near future.  Or it might be pitching another story to a publication that recently purchased one of your articles—why not strike while the iron is hot?

Apply the “Ten-In” Rule

This rule means you should have at least 10 query letters/pitch letters/proposals (or a combination of the three) circulating at all times. So, if you get a rejection letter back from Clubhouse Magazine on Monday, sit down right then, grab your Writer’s Market guides and find another magazine to query. Write a query to that publication and send it out on Tuesday! I’ve found that if I don’t do it right away, I won’t do it. So, like the classic Nike ad says, “JUST DO IT!”  

Recycle, Rework and Reap!

If you’ve been writing for a while, you probably have lots of published articles under your belt. If that’s true, then you have a gold mine of untapped resources. I have sold one of my articles 13 times in the past twelve years! (“Every Dog Has its Day”) The key is this: never sell all rights to your article. If you only sell first rights, then you can sell second serial rights/reprint rights after that. Then, you can resell the exact same article numerous times as long as the magazines you’re querying accept reprints. The various writers market guides will have that information for you.   

You can also rework a piece enough that it will be sellable in different markets than the one you originally intended it for. (To sell first rights again, the piece must be reworked 50 percent or more.) For example, I once wrote a hair-care article for a wedding e-zine, telling brides different ways to achieve great hair on their wedding day. Well, with a few tweaks and a funny poem about bad hair days, I sold that same “tweaked” article to Brio.  And that’s not all. Part of that Brio version is now a sidebar in my devotional book for tweens.

With these three tips, you can increase your productivity and build your platform while waiting on those other publishing doors to open. Now, go forth and be productive!

Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author of over 90 books with close to 4 million sold. Her many journalism and book awards include top honors from the Associated Press, AWSA’s Golden Scroll for Best Children’s Book, and the Selah Award for Best Children’s Book. Michelle currently serves as President of Platinum Literary Services, a premier full-service literary firm; Chairman of the Board of Advisors for Serious Writer, Inc.; and a much sought-after speaker at writers conferences and women’s retreats all over the United States.  

When not writing or teaching writing, Michelle enjoys bass fishing and cheering on the Indiana University Basketball team, the Chicago Cubbies, and the LA Kings.

 Michelle is celebrating the recent release of her books, Get Your Spirit On!, Fabulous & Focused, Dinosaur Devotions, and C Is for Christmas, and she’s anticipating the upcoming release of What Is America? (Worthy Kids) and They Call Me Mom (Kregel), a devotional book she co-authored with Bethany Jett.

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Guest Posts

10 Super-Productive Time Management Tips for Authors

As an author or freelance writer, working for yourself means you have so much more freedom than the average worker, but this means you need to be disciplined and controlled with what you do in your life. In order to be a success and make a profit, one of the most important aspects you’ll need to master is time management.

This can be extremely difficult when you’re stressed out or find yourself reaching deadlines or trying to tackle the million other things on your list, so we’re here to help. Today, we’re going to talk about ten of the best time management tips all freelance writers need to know about.

#1 – Get Up Early

It’s common knowledge that our most productive times of the day, whether we agree with it or not, is the morning. This is because we’re fully refreshed and have more energy here than we do at any other point in the day.

“Get up around 7-8 am and start work not long after. Really knuckle down and try to get as much work completed here as possible and you’ll soon find your workloads a lot less stressful,” shares Tina Page, a freelance writer for WriteMYX and Brit Student.

#2 – Research a System

There are plenty of self-help books and articles out there that can help you create habits and a system in your daily life that can help you manage and optimize the time in your day. However, with so many out there, don’t be afraid to research them and see if there’s any that work for you.

Then, simply implement them into your daily life!

#3 – Schedule Your Emails for Certain Times

As a freelance writer, it’s understandable you want to keep up to date with your emails and keep your clients happy. However, nobody expects instant replies, and nor do you need to reply instantly. In fact, keeping on top of your emails at all hours of the day is very counter-productive to your productivity.

Instead, learn to check your emails once in the morning and once at night during set hours. This way, you can keep on top of everything, and there’s no need to keeping cutting up your focus on certain tasks.

#4 – Optimise Relaxation

Not all forms of relaxing mean you’re actually relaxing. If you’re sat in front of a computer all day, you’re not going to want to watch a film or TV or play computer games to unwind. Sometimes, even reading a book may not be a good idea.

“Find a balance between doing the things you love, working, spending time on your own and seeing friends. Have set relaxation hours with work times to maximize productivity and know when you’re going to have your breaks,” shares Sarah Manby, a writing trainer at Nextcoursework and 1Day2Write.

#5 – Minimise Distractions

No matter what you’re thinking about in your life, make sure you’re minimizing the number of distractions you have. This means turning your phone off and putting it in a drawer or another room. It’s amazing how much time you’ll waste if you chop and change between the things you’re doing. Always work on one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is counter-productive.

#6 – Plan Your Days in Advance

One of the best ways to manage your time is to take the time to plan your days. You can do this either planning for the week ahead or planning your next day the day before. Plan how long you’re going to work on each task and how you ’re going to organize your day.

#7 – Use Set Working Hours

Don’t try and work 24 hours of the day every day. This is counter-productive to how focused you are on each task, how effective you’ll be, and just generally for your health and well-being. Instead, work set hours of the day.

If you say you’re going to work nine hours a day, five days a week like a typical working day, you then have time to solidly grind at work and time to do the things you want to do. Your health and productivity depend on this.

#8 – Set Goals

Another great way to manage your time and to keep you dedicated and on focus is to set yourself goals. You can do this hourly or weekly, depending on the tasks you have, but ideally, you’re going to want to set them daily.

Setting daily goals means you know exactly what you want to accomplish in a day, meaning you won’t overwork yourself and there’s no need to waste time thinking about what you want to do next.

#9 – Do Hard Work First

Hand in hand with the point of working early in the morning, it’s also best to get your hardest tasks out the way. This is because you can get the main bulk of work done in the morning, and then start to relax, unwind and slow down towards the end before then entering your free time.

#10 – Be Discipline

You can follow every single rule or time management tip you want, but if you don’t have the discipline to keep you going, they’re not going to work in the long-term. Stay disciplined and focused, and you’ll soon be able to manage your time like a pro.

Katrina Hatchett is Academic Brits lifestyle blogger and a writer for Origin Writings. She is keenly involved in a variety of business ventures. Her key skills involve problem identification, along with solving these problems, which she achieves through focusing on her goal of improving effectiveness of communication. She also writes for Phd Kingdom blog.

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Guest Posts

How Writing 3 Pages a Day Can Change Your Productivity

My story of a productivity struggle began when I started as a blog writer several years ago. At that time I had an immense motivation to become a better content writer, but the more I worked on perfecting my skill, the more I felt a kind of a psychological obstacle that didn’t allow me to focus and remain productive for longer periods of time.

At one point I understood that every idea that comes to my head doesn’t inspire me to continue working, I felt trapped. I realized that I needed to keep writing to maintain my skill level, but I felt unproductive, and, as the result, no ideas came to my head.

During that period of time, I already started working as a blog writer and I was afraid that my lack of productivity would start affecting the quality of my work. But instead of seeking help on the never-ending pages of the Internet, I decided to ask for help from people who were in this profession for a long time.

Now, here’s the most interesting part: I thought that I was experiencing a professional burnout and, consequently, all I needed to do is have some rest. But my good friend Dina Indelicato, a blog writer at PickWriters, told me: “Only practicing writing can get you out of this situation”.

It turned out that when she started her career as a writer, she experienced the same thing. The way that got her through this productivity drought was writing 3 pages every morning. Simple as that. It didn’t have to be work-related tasks, just creative writing or journaling.

Why 3 pages, you may ask? Why not one or whatever the amount you like?

  • If you keep writing 3 pages every day, it will allow you to maintain your writing skill within the same level. Normally, writers have to create 3 and more pages a day. To achieve productivity, 3 pages a day is a perfect amount to train your writing skill.
  • It’s a perfect amount of pages to let all your thoughts and ideas out. Besides, when you start writing, you may even notice that 3 pages are not enough.

This simple strategy is an easy productivity booster.

Here are 3 main rules to follow:

1) Don’t plan what you’re going to write. Just let the ideas, thoughts, and emotions flow.

2) There’s no structure. This method is aimed at generating ideas and increasing creativity.

3) This method is aimed at on-the-spot writing. Simply start writing to launch the creative process.

To be honest, right after I started practicing this method, I realized that it requires a great deal of discipline, which I didn’t have due to the lack of productivity. For the first couple of weeks, I had to force myself to open my laptop and start writing. However, soon I started noticing that it became a new habit of mine, and I couldn’t continue my day without writing these 3 pages. There were some other great changes in productivity, which I observed, like:

  • I had a clearer mind, and, as a result, I became more focused.
  • My working process became more consistent. Despite the fact that writing 3 pages a day doesn’t require a structure, my writing for work became more organized.
  • I became an idea generator. This method became a creative outlet for me, letting me take a look at the ideas I had in my head but never got a chance to voice them.

I keep following this method ’til today. Thanks to doing these 3 pages every day, I became a better, more organized writer. I feel that this method fuels my productivity every day, allowing me to accomplish all my task for the day and not feel mentally and physically exhausted.

Kristin Savage nourishes, sparks and empowers using the magic of a word. She is practicing regularly while reviewing new translation services at Pick Writers and constantly contributing to other educational platforms. Along with pursuing her degree in Creative Writing, Kristin has gained experience in the publishing industry, with expertise in marketing strategy for publishers and authors. You can find her on Facebook.

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The Intentional Writer

Boost Productivity by Taking Effective Breaks

The intentional writer

What? How can I be more productive if I work less?

It may not make sense, but it’s true. Studies show that taking intentional breaks will make you more productive and will lead to better overall success than pushing through the doldrums. For example: Studies have shown that those who take a lunch break and fully disconnect with their work are more productive afterward than those who don’t.

Why? Because those who power through, hour after hour, thinking they are operating just fine are actually working in a state of mental exhaustion. Without breaks they become prone to an increase in bad judgment and a decrease in creativity and quality of work.

Taking effective breaks is one of the best methods to give your brain a rest so it can function at optimum form.

However, not all breaks are equal.

Effective breaks are intentional. You should be in control of when and how you take them.

They are not random “Squirrel!” moments where you lose focus due to distractions. They are not excuses to check social media or to eat that donut you ignored earlier. Effective breaks are designed to give your weary brain a rest, but not to sidetrack you into starting a whole new priject.

How to take effective short breaks

  • Aim for breaks of fifteen minutes or less.
  • Get away from the desk or work space.
  • Allow your brain to think about something other than work. Resist the temptation to problem-solve that scene during break time. The goal is to fully disconnect with work and give you brain a chance to relax and regroup.
  • Stand up and move. Get the blood flowing and stretch out those places where you store tension.
  • If you can go outside, great. If not, seek out a window with a view or even a shelf of plants.
  • When possible, connect with fellow humans and talk about something other than work.
  • Go tech-free. Checking email, social media, or other tech distractions will not provide the best break for your brain.
  • You may need to set a timer so you don’t dally too long before getting back to work.

In addition, be aware of your daily slump time.

All humans experience a midday slump in energy and alertness. This is true across ages and cultures, from publishing executives to would-be writers.

My slump usually hits midafternoon. During my slump my brain feels sluggish and I have less energy, less motivation, and less self-control. Slogging on without taking a break results in little worthwhile output. I have come to terms with my slump time and have adjusted my expectations and schedule to accommodate it.

For me, short breaks are even more vital during midafternoon. Instead of beating myself up over my sluggishness I listen to my body and take frequent short breaks.

In addition, I suggest scheduling appointments and important decisions in the morning when you and others typically function at their best. Reserve midday for more mundane tasks that don’t require high-level thinking.

Have you discovered the power of short breaks? What strategies help you make the most of your breaks?

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about intentional living. You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz

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The Intentional Writer

Are You Taking Productive Breaks?

The intentional writer

It may seem counterintuitive, but we can actually improve our productivity by taking breaks. God invented the concept of rest right back in Genesis chapter one, and we haven’t outgrown our need for it. We do not operate at peak efficiency hour after hour. We do better when we take periodic breaks.

All breaks are not created equal, however.

Some breaks restore our energy and boost creativity. Others simply waste time.

To make your breaks worthwhile, start with the right mindset

Don’t give in to guilt. Ignore those voices that whisper you are lazy or weak if you stop before the job is finished. When you take breaks with intention and intelligence, you are being smart and efficient. Remind yourself of that as often as you need to.

Be honest with yourself and your limitations. You might not be able to sit and concentrate as long as other writers. That’s OK. Find a balance between work and rest that makes sense for you.

Here are some tips for taking productive breaks.

  • Be in control of when you take them. Don’t let distractions like a Facebook notification drag you away from your work at less-than-ideal moments. Find a logical stopping place. Even if you set a timer, finish the sentence or the thought before you quit.
  • Take them regularly. Many of us are in the habit of sitting at the computer for hours at a time, hunched over our keyboards, wrestling with uncooperative prose. Studies say sitting for long periods isn’t good for us. Neither is forgetting to drink enough water. Develop a habit of taking a short break every two hours or so.
  • Be intentional about unplugging. Writers know the benefits of setting a piece of writing aside for a few days, because it allows us to look at it with new eyes. A similar truth applies to breaks. Resist the temptation to keep working in your head while you stretch or refill your water bottle. Give your brain a break too. For best results, get away from your desk completely.
  • Know what restores. The best breaks restore you mentally, emotionally, and physically.
    • Get your body moving. (Do office yoga, take a ten-minute walk…)
    • If possible, go outside. Nature has very effective restorative powers.
    • Connect with other humans. (But not someone who will suck you into a half-hour chat.)
    • Find solitude. If you work in a busy environment or interact with people all day, the best antidote may be a few minutes of solitude and silence.
  • Avoid the gripe zone. Griping about work might vent a little steam but it isn’t going to boost your motivation or enhance productivity. Avoid people or situations that tempt you to waste your break time complaining.
  • Avoid mindless screen time. Surfing social media will not restore your energy as effectively as moving your body and focusing your brain on something else.
  • Keep them short. Aim for ten to fifteen minutes and then get right back to work. No dilly dallying.

And, finally…

  • Stay focused between breaks. Modern society has become addicted to distractions. Learn to resist the siren call of email notifications or incoming text messages. Be in control of when you check devices rather than letting the devices control you.

Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a story to tell the world. She loves to encourage fellow writers to be intentional about their craft and courageous in sharing their words with others. Lisa shares her words through dramas, Bible studies, historical mysteries, and her blog about  intentional living. You can find her on Facebook  LisaEBetzWriter and Twitter @LisaEBetz