How To Make Writing More Fun and Less Stressful

My tips on how I wrote 20+ articles in one month

I started blogging in early 2012. My process was chaotic and in one word, ‘unplanned.’ I’d frantically be writing a post, editing it, searching for images, and working on SEO, all at once.

The result was that I only created content sporadically, and typically found the whole process frustrating and stressful.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered a better way. Now I’m able to write 4X as much as I used to, and find that I can do it with ease and actually enjoy myself.

Here are 4 tips for making writing more fun and less stressful:

Always Plan Ahead

Whether it’s writing on Medium, your personal blog, or freelance writing, you need to have a plan. This is especially true if you are writing more than 1–2 articles a week. Without an organizational system, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and for all of your ideas to run together.

Your plan should include:

• Your writing deadline
• The heading of each article for the week
• An outline or bullet points of each article

Rather than trying to do everything at once, try separating your tasks. For example, spend 30 minutes or an hour and come up with headline ideas for the entire week or month. This way, you are never floundering for a topic idea.

I also find that creating a short outline for tomorrow’s post is a helpful way to give myself a head start. Rather than starting from scratch every single day, I always have my headline and main points in front of me.

In terms of systems, I typically use both Trello and Google Docs for planning and organization.

Action Step: Take 30 minutes or an hour and create as many headline ideas as you can. You can always tweak them later on if you need to, for now, you just want to brainstorm.

Create a Consistent Writing and Posting Schedule

Once you have your plan in place, you want to think about the logistics of when you’re planning to write and post.

In my case, I planned to write 20 articles this month. Knowing this, I decided to write 1 article a day, Monday through Friday.

I also decided that I would write first thing in the morning when I woke up. This meant that I knew I could have my article finished by 9 or 10 AM each morning, and could then move onto my other work.

Having this consistent schedule has been immensely helpful. Otherwise, I’d probably put it off, and it would just never get done.

Action Step: Decide when you will write, (time and place) and how often? For example: “I will write 1 article every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 8 AM.”

Write About What You Love Not Just What’s Popular

If you don’t really care about a topic, it often comes through in your writing. We can tell when we’re reading something if the writer is REALLY excited about their topic, the energy is contagious.

You want to write about what you love, not just because it’s more fun and genuine, but also because writing is often a long game.

It’s likely that most of us will not be overnight successes. In fact, for many of us, it took us at least a few months to even make $100 in one month on Medium.

When you write about things that you love, it’s easier to stay committed for the long term, to invest months or even years into a craft not only for the money but because you love it and enjoy the process of growth along the way.

Action Step: Make a list of 3–5 topics that you LOVE writing about. They can be strange or niche, it doesn’t matter.

Keep Your End Goal in Mind

Always know what you are working towards. If you currently write on Medium, why are you doing it?

Are you trying to….

• Build your portfolio of writing work
• Earn a side income to pay off your debt
• Grow your online business so you can quit your 9–5 job
• Find potential clients or customers
• Connect with other writers or business owners

In today’s world, we each have a multitude of distractions and choices, which makes having an end goal more important than ever.

Without a clear reason or purpose to keep going, most people eventually give up. But, if you chose to read this article, I know that you’re not average, you want to grow and keep learning.

Action Step: What is your end goal for writing?

Remember, the successes and rewards are often brief, so enjoy the process as much as you can, and consider how much you’re learning along the way.

Let’s Recap:

1. Always Plan Ahead
2. Create a Consistent Writing and Posting Schedule
3. Write About What You Love
4. Keep Your End Goal in Mind

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