Write More in Less Time. 6 Strategies To Increase Your Output

How I expanded my writing by 400% and earned more cash

I have a full-time job, run a £1m property investment company and write online.

I’m doing too much and needed a way to write faster. I reviewed 100’s of productivity books and picked 6 strategies. This expanded my writing output by 400%. 4 Medium articles a week instead of 1. It increased my earnings and gave me 400+ followers.

This is what powered me to get more done.

1. Batching

I used to write at a snail’s pace.

I took a linear approach to writing. I’d write one article at a time. Start with the idea. Then do research. Write a draft. Edit it. Add a title, photo. Tweak the CTA. Then hit publish.

It took 5 days to go through this process. Super slow.

Then I discovered batching.

Batching is having several articles on the go. Like a conveyor belt. All at different stages of the process. Each day I do one type of task. Such as editing or creating outlines. But on several articles. This makes the brain more efficient.

Batching gets more done.

And maximises my energy.

2. Go where the energy is

You waste energy trying to force a writing session.

If I felt tired or had no energy I used to think I was lazy. Telling myself to be more disciplined. Then I realised my creative cup is empty and I needed to move on.

Each micro skill has a different energy cup. When you can’t edit anymore it’s because your edit energy cup is empty. But try writing some outlines and you’ll be re-energised.

Batching gives flexibility. Do what you feel like doing. I write for 60 minutes each day. If I want to edit I do that. If I’m in the mood for publishing I’ll make some final tweaks & publish.

Sometimes you need to push yourself to complete tasks you don’t want to do. You have favourite tasks. Mine is ideas and outlines. Obviously I can’t produce outlines every day. But most of the time I go where my energy is.

This approach has expanded my output.

3. Utilise your golden hour

The hours in your day are not all equal.

Some hours can produce 10x the output of others. If I write for an hour at 7am, 4pm and 10pm. I will produce massive amounts at 7am, something at 4pm and very little at 10pm.

Your golden hour is the hour when you produce the most. (Without even trying). Mine is early morning after I’ve showered, drank coffee and prayed. But before I start work.

I used to read during my golden hour. Reading is easy for me. I can read after work with no loss of effect. But using my golden hour for reading was a waste. I now write during my golden. The creative process is more demanding and requires me to be at my best.

Identify your golden hour and do your creating then.

4. Timed sprints on input goals

If you want to build an audience, it’s not enough to publish content.

You need to engage by commenting. I used to waste time aimlessly commenting. I didn’t know how much time I spent on this. But it was never enough.

Time sprints have transformed my engagement.

I set a timer for 15 minutes. Put on some energising music. And comment away. When the time is up. I stop. It feels good to have completed it.

15 minutes/day commenting is an input. Something I can control. I’ve found input goals more invigorating than outcome goals (such as followers or views).

I set an input goal of 60 minutes of writing each day. This keeps my motivation high. Because I can achieve this. And have full control over it.

Set input goals and use time sprints to raise your motivation.

5. Reuse your content

You can reuse your content on other platforms to save time.

I repurpose content from Twitter to Medium. Each platform has distinct nuances. Copy & paste won’t work. Take time to understand each platform and adapt your material to suit.

Here’s how I do it:

• my best-performing tweets get turned into Short Form Medium articles
• threads that do well become Medium articles

Using ideas that have already worked increases my chances of success, without taking up extra time.

6. Digital Tools

I’ve deliberately put tools last.

It is misleading to think tech is a quick fix. Working smarter is more effective. Tools have their place though here are the 5 I currently use:

Hemingway has sped up the editing process for me. It spots adverbs and complicated sentences. And suggests changes.

Power thesaurus keeps my language fresh. And gives me alternate options for words I use too often.

Grammarly sorts out my grammar and typos. Without me needing to think about it.

Chat GPT doesn’t work for writing drafts. It takes me too long to change them. But it is brilliant for brainstorming titles and ideas for articles.

Evernote — I love Tiago Forte’s concept of a Second Brain. Evernote is my place for storing and categorising information. It means ideas are not lost. But cataloged in a way I can easily use. When I come to writing the next bunch of articles I don’t need to waste time thinking of what to write about. I have.

The best way to write more in less time is to study yourself. Be aware of what helps. Spot productivity issues early and deal with them. Avoid complicated systems (procrastination in disguise).

Keep it lean & focus on what gets more done.

If this was useful, check out this article for more practical insights: