5 Quiet Habits That Created 170,000 Words In 12 Months (With a 9–5)

How I write 20,000 words a month despite working full-time

It used to take forever to write one article.

I could only manage 1 post a week. It was painfully slow. But Eve Arnold told me volume was key. Writing more means you learn more. And quickly discover what readers want. I work full-time so my time is limited.

But I started experimenting. I noticed what slowed me down. And made tweaks. I’d read the tactics of top writers. And try out their tips. I kept what worked for me. Gradually I wrote faster. My motivation rose.

Now I publish 20,000 words every month.

1. Ignore your goals

Foolishly I used to set goals:

• earn $100/month by July
• 1000 followers by December

But these are lag indicators and shouldn’t be your focus. A lag indicator is a by-product of your efforts. But not something you can directly control. So it’s pointless to give attention to it. It’ll damage your motivation and drain your energy. Lag indicators are too far in the future to affect our behaviour today.

Instead, focus on lead indicators. These are the actions that affect lag indicators. You can control them so they are worth focusing on. They are immediate so motivate your behaviour.

For me these are:

• amount of time on my phone
• number of books I read
• writing sessions

I measure my reading, writing and avoidance of my phone.

Another way of thinking about this is to compare systems and goals. If you have the right system the goal will happen. But dreaming about the goal is a distraction.

Focus on your action today, not your destination tomorrow.

2. Go deep

You’re capable of so much more.

I thought I was doing quite well until I read Deep Work by Cal Newport. He exposes how small our ambition is. And how much time we surrender to trivial activities. If we engage in deep work sessions we’d be shocked at the greatness we can produce.

Deep work is long, uninterrupted time doing what matters.

I committed to 2 deep work sessions lasting 1 hour in the morning before starting my full-time job. I used a web blocker to stop me from wasting time searching my favourite sites. I was shocked at how often I paused to browse! I set a 1-hour timer and played my favourite energising music.

I was shocked by how much I got done.

“Human beings are at their best when immersed deeply in something challenging.” Cal Newport, Deep Work

I’m at my best in the morning. But used to waste this precious resource. Find your golden hour and use it to create. You want the sweet spot:

• when you have the most energy
• when you’re least in demand

No point writing at 8am if you need to cajole 3 kids into getting ready for school. Similarly, no point pushing yourself to write at 8pm. If you have nothing left.

Quality work sessions will produce more than you can imagine.

3. Change what you measure

There’s one danger that derails my writing.

I’ll have a healthy rhythm. Churning out 4 articles a week. But then one day I’ll wonder if this post will do well. I’ll start checking the stats throughout the day. This ruins my focus. And drains my motivation.

I make around $750/month. And this is my typical success rate:

• 70% of my articles fail
• 15% do reasonably ok
• 15% are winners

I publish 16 articles/month. So only 2 go big. So it’s pointless checking if today’s post does well. Or even this week’s. Look at your favourite creator. You’ll be shocked to see most of their article get limited results.

Measure how much you produce. Celebrate this as success. Don’t obsess over the results. They will come.

4. Keep the ideas flowing

My energy comes from my ideas.

When I’m excited to write about a topic. The words flow. There’s an energy in my fingers. But when I’m stuck or think I should write about topic y. Every word feels like giving birth. It’s agony to get out.

This is why my ideas system is crucial to my writing. Every time I get an idea I dump it in Evernote. Each week I extract the best ideas I want to use for writing that week.

But sometimes I go with the shower effect. When getting washed an article outline or title will appear freshly formed. The energy is buzzing so rather than delay. I change my plans and write what is fresh.

Ideas give energy. So have a simple system to keep them flowing. If you don’t have one steal mine.

5. Be nimble

You need to be disciplined but not rigid.

If I wrote only when I was inspired or felt like it I’d write 200 words a month not 20,000. Inspiration comes after action not before. So have a ritual when you write. Time and place matter.

But keep nimble.

I used to write 1 post at a time. When it got stuck I had no option but to keep going. Sometimes I was barely moving. Everything changed when I started rotating pieces. I have 4 posts on the go at the same time. I take 3/4 days to complete each. I separate outline from writing from editing. This gives my brain time to process the content between sessions.

But it also means I can go where the energy is. I do what I feel like doing. Editing or ideas generation. It doesn’t matter. This helps me be more productive. And I don’t waste time procrastinating.

The easiest way to find success is write more. But this can be tough. Use these 5 tactics and you’ll be amazed at how much you can create.

If you want the writing system that took me from 500–5000 followers in 6 months. Join 976 writers and get it here: