13 Non-writing Tools I Swear Contribute to Success as a Writer

Try not to laugh at number 8

There are plenty of tools we use every day to help us perform our work as writers. We use computers to pitch, research, write, and submit our words. We use online tools that point out our mistakes and help us perfect and polish those precious pearls of wisdom that poured forth from our brains. And some of us use actual pens, pencils, and paper pages to manage the tasks involved in whipping our work into shape.

But what about all the tools we surround ourselves with that we don’t think about? Could you be as effective without your favorite inspirational mug? What about those fuzzy slippers that trigger your brain to begin the creative process? We all have our stuff. I thought I’d share my list of success-makers in case there’s something I use that might be missing in your writing career.

No affiliate links involved, just sharing what I use.

Smartwatch

My phone is on the desk, but face down. I’m not one of those people who can put the phone in the other room while I write. I have other obligations that cannot be set aside while I write. But when interruptions appear in tiny print on my smartwatch, they seem less important, plus I can glance at them without ever taking my fingers from the keyboard. That way I get to choose whether it’s something important enough to stop for or whether I want to ignore the message to keep writing.

The other thing I use the watch for is setting timers and stopwatches. When I blog, I don’t worry too much about how long a story takes to produce, but timing matters on some of my freelance projects. On those, it’s nice to have that stopwatch running so I know exactly how much time I worked for that client or outlet. Knowing the exact time allows me to calculate my earnings per hour (see number 8).

Robotic vacuum

Letting my ro-bitch keep the floors reasonably clean was the best thing I ever did for my career. Seriously. She is worth every penny. I love it so much that I just ordered a combo vacuum and mopping robot. I’ll let you know how that goes. Many successful writers recommend hiring outside help as you scale your writing business. The standard idea is to hire a virtual assistant. My suggestion is to start with a vacuum cleaner.

A 3-ounce container

This is for portion control. I need nibbles or my fingers don’t work. I used to keep entire cans of nuts or boxes of cereal next to my keyboard, but not only did that create more crumbs for the robotic vacuum to clean up, it quickly added a little crumb-catching belly fat that I didn’t need. I now use a tiny ramekin of healthy snacks to manage those urges.

Computer glasses

Where to even begin with this? Unless you have superhuman eyes, staring at a screen all day is exhausting. If you have any vision deficits at all — even if you don’t think you do. Run to the nearest optometrist and request a prescription for computer glasses.

If you have a multifocal vision script already, here’s a nifty trick. Go to Zenni Optical online, pick out some cheap frames (actually, they’re all pretty cheap), and walk through the process of converting your multi-focal script to single-vision computer glasses.

Do I love having two pairs of glasses on the desk and having to swap if I look out the window at my cat chasing a squirrel? No, but I love not having tired eyes at the end of the day. (Plus, it keeps my attention focused where my eyes should be— on the screen, not out the window.)

Lip balm

I’m not sure if you realize it or not, but this writing gig can be dehydrating — at least when you are in that miracle of all miracles — flow state. Avoid a tiny bit of that dehydration by keeping your favorite lip balm close at hand. It also gives you something to do when that inevitable pause hits your fingers.

Butt cushion

If you need an explanation for this one, you aren’t writing enough.

Desk of your own

As a travel writer, I’ve learned to write almost anywhere on a myriad of devices. But there is nothing as comforting as coming home to my desk. It’s cluttered. It’s comfy. It’s my space and nobody else claims it. This one may be a challenge if space is an issue for you.

I know how tempting it is to tell yourself that the desk isn’t important. But look at it this way, it’s an investment in your career and one that comes with a huge reminder of the importance of that career in your life every time you sit down.

And by the way, the chair is far less important than the desk. The desk is mentally empowering. You buy the chair for long-term comfort, so stick with a butt cushion until you find the perfect chair for you. I sat on an exercise ball for years until I found my chair.

Desk calculator (this is #8)

I know you’re wondering just how old I am about now, right? Who actually owns desk calculators? I’ll tell you who — business people. You cannot properly calculate squat on a smartphone calculator. And besides, the minute you pick up the phone to look for the damn calculator app you can fall victim to all those colorful social media icons with bright red circles announcing how many things you’ve missed while you were busy earning a living as a writer.

Put down the phone and buy yourself a big ugly gray calculator to park on your desk. Then use it to learn more about your business.

DVR with lots of memory

Repeat after me: “I don’t have to stop writing when the basketball game starts.”

I personally have the hardest time with football, but whatever floats your boat. If you have shows that you schedule your writing around, get a DVR instead and start scheduling your TV watching around your writing time. I can give an endorsement if anyone is in the market. I swapped from Dish Network to YouTubeTV last year and love it. It’s sports heavy and for six months of the year, I can watch any NFL game I want anytime I want.

Electric kettle

I am not a coffee drinker. I realize it makes me weird, but it is what it is. I use the kettle year-round to keep myself fueled with green tea and hot dark cocoa. You do you, but if you are a tea drinker, get yourself a kettle. It’s one of those things the rest of the world laughs about Americans for going without.

Yoga Mat

Even if you never do yoga, you need a mat for those awful moments when you feel like nothing else will make you feel better than to curl up in a ball on the floor. Even if your ro-bitch just swept up all your crumbs, you’ll feel much better about your floor moments by having them on a mat.

I actually use mine on a regular basis to do my three-minute stretches — remember from the book I told you about last fall to help with all your writing aches and pains?

Animal or garden

Most of my list has been designed to keep you focused and at the keyboard producing your best work. This one is not that. Well, it kind of is, just as an after-effect, not an immediate one. You need a cat, dog, goat, donkey, horse, chicken, peacock, or something that causes you to step outside daily.

You need to breathe outside air. Listen to outside noises. Watch life outside the bubble of your wonderful new desk. It’s a psychological breather that will give you room in your life for writing.

People

And of course, you need people. People are the basis for everything we write. People are both your audience and the source of your stories. If you aren’t around enough of them, you’ll quickly forget who your words are intended for.

Takeaways

There are a lot of factors involved in getting you to the point of success you desire as a writer. To move beyond the basics you need to start considering every possible factor. You need to think like an Olympic athlete and use every tool at your disposal to help you focus on the goal.

What are your favorite non-writing tools?