If You Want To Focus On Writing Fast — Do These.
These are my tips for 1-take start-to-finish
To write FAST, we have to be able to focus. Our focus can be controlled. Unlike motivation — which wobbles through the day as our emotional state fluctuates with the stock market — we can control our environment to create singular focus.
I am going to share my secret for a 1-take, start-to-finish draft cut in this story.
I hope the easily distracted could attain higher levels of writing productivity with this method.
My first tip. Don’t type using a laptop or desktop. It is a portal of distraction, especially so when we are stuck with writing the next sentence. We might open another tab for writing research only to find ourselves on YouTube or Amazon.
I recommend using the notepad application on the smartphone. When we are typing away on the notepad application, we just type away. This is the screenshot of this story’s draft version on Notepad.
Next, neutralize all potential notifications before they hijack your attention. I use to go on “Airplane” mode to ensure that my phone does not bring me the next hot stock tip. When I write, I write. This is the screenshot of “Airplane” mode on an iPhone that I carry with me at all times.
(An advice — Remember to flip it back to normal mode when you are done or you will not be reachable for the entire day till someone storms at your desk angrily.)
Those are the phone advisories. The environment is next.
I don’t recommend going to cafes if we have issues with focus. Of course, go to cafes and write by all means if the issue is with ideation.
I recommend heading to the toilet cubicle. This prevents all human distractions. This is a simple idea. No one can disturb us, and no one can disrupt our train of thought. We just keep typing and typing.
Of course. Please. Choose a toilet cubicle that is clean and with air-condition. It will put us in the mood to write. I have no issues if you might choose to take a dump in between. Hey, doing what works matters.
That’s it! That is my simple idea of writing with focus. In fact, this story that is produced in this exact fashion took me a total of 12 minutes from start to finish.
Naturally, the post-production work such as running through Grammarly, searching for images in Unsplash, checking headline analyzers will incur further time expense.
The important thing is that the heavy-lifting is performed. The remaining is easier to attend to, even when we are in meetings.
Give it a try.
You might be pleasantly surprised by your potential speed of writing.
Execute on Great Ideas!
Aldric
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