Editor’s Choice — Top 10: Your Writing Energy Is Key to Better Productivity

Try reading our top 10 high energy writers today

Many things in our lives are energy vampires. A busy day at the office, an offended spouse, or an emergency can drain our energy. When we sit to write, our writing energy is zero.

When you begin to write, you should have energy. Your energy shows in your words — whether you believe it or not. Writing requires your intense focus and most creative self.

But — it seems — there is a better way to manage our writing energy.

Joli Jensen, in her book, Write No Matter What suggests tackling the issue of writing energy by matching your energy to the task you are going to perform. She says you can divide your daily tasks into three types:

1. A tasks — require your intense focus and creative energy
2. B tasks — need focus
3. C tasks — need no special energy

“Just as you optimize your other writing conditions, learn to identify the best times for your writing.” ~Eviatar Zerubavel in The Clockwork Muse

Joli Jenson says that for a writer, his or her writing should be an A task. You should do your A tasks when you are mentally and physically fresh — like in the morning. But Eviatar Zerubavel suggests in his book, The Clockwork Muse, that you should identify your best time for writing by observing the hour when you write at your best.

If you do your best work after a nap in the evening or at night when everybody is asleep — devote this time to your writing.

When your writing energy hits zero, Joli Jenson proposes to re-energize yourself. She says we can go for a walk, or talk with a friend, or spend some time with the kids. A yoga class or an aerobic workout session can also fill your energy tank.

But whenever you reach your highest energy during the day, try to schedule your writing at that time. If you cannot complete your story in one sitting, move your work to the next time window when you expect to see your creative energy be at its fullest.

When your writing energy is at zero, don’t try to write. You are only going to exhaust yourself. Since we have been conditioned to think we have a limited supply of energy, we never try to refuel our writing energy tank.

When you are writing, your energy goes down with time. You can check your emails or social media accounts at that time.

Sometimes, if you are enjoying your writing process, your energy goes up. If you reach flow, then keep writing.

Here is the list of our top 10 writers who managed to handle their writing energy today:

10. Why Everyone Should Learn Chess

Sam Starkman is a cybersecurity engineer by day, chess player by night. In his free time, he likes to study body language, write code, and play poker.

He is a fine writer as well. His writing style is simple, direct, and engaging. Try to read this story without skipping and skimming. Do check his other work.

I have been playing chess for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, my father signed me up for chess lessons in Queens, NY, where I was taught by Grandmaster Susan Polgar. I still own her book, A World Champion’s Guide to Chess, which she was kind enough to autograph for me.

Under her training, along with the lessons and tactics learned from her book, I participated in several tournaments as a kid. While I am by no means a grandmaster, or even considered at the “advanced” level, my many years of playing the game has helped me grow considerably — both in the game and out in real life.

9. Garden Leave 101: A Quick and Easy Guide

Alexander Boswell is an aspiring polymath. He is an excellent writer. His writing style is informative and highly engaging. Follow him and read his other work as well.

A little while ago, before I decided to leave the corporate world in favour of freelance writing and studying, I left a job that had an interesting offboarding process. Normally, at least here in the UK, you provide your employer with a ‘notice’ and then you work through that notice until your last day, walking off into the sunset.

However, at this job, I was given what I now know as PILON (pay in lieu of notice) where instead of working through a notice period, they just paid me instead of having me work.

8. Gut Microbes Could Provide Protection Against Radiation Damage

Eshan Samaranayake is passionate about the synergy between science and technology to provide better care.

He is an excellent writer. His writing voice is informative, direct, and engaging. Gut microbes help us digest food — but in this story, he is telling us about a new discovery. Don’t miss this one.

A study has shown that specific types of bacteria protect mice from harmful radiation. The bacteria mitigated radiation exposure and enhanced the recovery of blood cell production as well as repair of the gastrointestinal tract.

7. How to Know You Didn’t Do a Good Job Explaining Your Startup

Leo Guinan is a polymath who is trying to solve time by solving money. He is an excellent writer as well. His writing voice is frank, direct, and engaging. If you like this story, do check his other work.

I quit my corporate job a couple of weeks ago in order to pursue my dream of launching a startup. The night I decided that I needed to quit in order to pursue my dream, I had a conversation with my dad.

He tried to talk me out of it. He is risk-averse. He thought that I should be safe. I shouldn’t risk my stability.

6. How To Speak Up with Confidence

Naouress Akrouti is a language and communication coach. She is an outstanding writer as well. Her writing voice is pleasant, candid, and highly engaging.

If you start reading this story, it’ll take just a minute to read. It is a very well-written story. Also, you must check her past work.

With the rise of social media platforms and online communication, the in-person communication has dwindled. The real human interaction that we used to engage in is becoming less appreciated. People freak out when they receive a call. They prefer to get a message instead.

Less friction, babe. You got it!

5. You Have Knowledge People Need — Why Aren’t You Sharing It?

Brandon B. Keith writes for creatives with big ideas and even bigger inner-critics. He is an exceptional writer. His writing style is absolutely engaging. From start to end, he does not let his reader to click away. Don’t miss this one.

A few months ago, I started my Jeep and the dashboard was a slot machine.

Lights galore.

I had a few options:

Search for the car manual I hadn’t seen in YEARS

Ask a mechanic who was sure to “find” $3,000 worth of problems

or Google it

So, I took the easiest route, picked up my phone, and almost immediately a YouTube video appeared in the search results.

4. Most People Fail Because They Do This First (Big Mistake)

Isaiah McCall is a USA Today Reporter and Ultramarathoner. He writes about cryptocurrency, fitness hacks, and Greek philosophy.

He is a superb writer. If you have not seen the past Top 10 lists, he is in most of them. Do check his other work.

When looking at someone who has achieved much in life, we often compare ourselves to the final version:

Kobe Bryant was simply a gifted basketball player that relied on his genetics.

Stephen King was born to write; he came into the world pen in hand, ready to give us “Carrie.”

In reality, these individuals were talented, yes, but it was the unglamorous, rarely seen hard work that created the legends they became.

3. Innovate Your Business Out of a Recession

Paul Myers MBA is a top writer in Business, Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Startups & Innovation.

He is somebody you should follow if you like to learn about business and leadership. I have selected many of his stories in the Top 10. Do check his other work.

The best approach to a recession is to innovate your way out of it.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Brene Brown

Many companies cut back, slashing costs, curtailing the very essence of creative thought. Free spending, as if there was no recession, is a risk too as you could run out of cash. So focused investment guided by innovative data-led opportunities is the best approach.

2. Why Negative Thinking is the Worst Form of Self-Sabotage

Dawn Bevier is a teacher, thinker, and lifelong learner. She is a great writer as well. Her writing voice is very engaging and thought-provoking in this story. If you want to learn to write well, you must follow her and wait for her future stories.

There’s a game going on in my brain, and right now, I’m on my way to a crushing defeat. It’s my self-esteem versus my inner voice, and my inner voice is a bitch. She’s ruthless and she doesn’t play fair. And before I even hop on the playing field to work towards my dreams, she’s convinced me I need to save my time and forfeit the game. Her secret? She gets into my head and whispers wickedly:

“You’re a loser”

“Who are you to think you can (fill in the blank)”

“Why waste your energy on something you know you can’t achieve?”

“You’re stupid to think you can be a success like (fill in the blank)”

“You just don’t have have it takes”

1. Waiting For Your Big Break is The Worst Way to Succeed

At number one today, it’s Thomas Oppong. He is one of the established superstars of Medium. His stories have been featured at Forbes, Business Insider, and other top publications.

Read his stories to learn to write and to live. His writing style is almost perfect — a writer who has already achieved what most of us wish to reach.

Most people are waiting for a big break — the day, week, month or year everything falls into place. They live with the stubborn illusion that one day they will make it big without embracing the real work.

It’s the worst way to live or aim for success. Waiting for the next big break in your career is probably holding you back.

The best way to succeed is to embrace the work ahead and proactively plan the steps and actions you need to get closer to the life you want.

Napoleon Hill once said, “Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.”

Final Thoughts

If your story was selected as one of the Top 10, please share another one of your stories in the comments with a brief introduction and a short review that can convince a reader to read your piece. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. Dr Mehmet Yildiz, the Chief Editor and Founder of Illumination and Illumination-Curated, read, highlighted, and applauded every good story when he started his publications. He still reads almost all of the good ones. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the masterpieces.

Dr Mehmet Yildiz has kindly allowed our top 10 series a full shelf on the front page of Illumination-Curated and Illumination:

So, help me. Help me to find and rank the best work of the writers of Illumination and Illumination-Curated.

Happy reading.

To improve your odds of success as a writer, read these curation guidelines.

You can read my curated stories here.