How to write more, better, and faster (in less than 30 minutes a day)

In this issue of Make Mondays Great Again, I’m giving you three actionable steps to write more, better, and faster in less than 30 minutes a day.

If you’re like me, you will spend way too much time procrastinating, thinking about writing. Making yourself go crazy on how little you are writing, and end up not writing anything.

Until the pressure gets too overwhelming and you finally sit down to write.

With the method I outline in this newsletter, you will be able to get some quality writing done in less than 30 minutes.

But before we dive into the actionable steps, I have 5 tips that are practices you must practice often.

5 writing habits you need to develop.

If you develop these five habits, you will not only start to write more in less time. You will have made writing a daily habit, and you will find there’s a shorter distance from your idea to your finished writing piece.

1. Start small.

2. Write regularly.

3. Keep a notebook with you.

4. Experiment with genre and style.

5. Focus on process — not outcome.

If you start to develop these habits, you’re well on your way to making writing less of an effort.

Now, on to the 3 step process that will have you write more in less than 30 minutes a day.

Step 1: Outline what you’re going to write

Outlining will prime you for your writing session.

You will have a list of ideas or headlines that you can start from. This eliminates the blank page and you can start writing from the moment you sit down.

Down below you will see an example of how I outline a short story. This outline helped me write a ten-page story, and I knew everything that was supposed to happen from the moment I sat down to write.

No matter what you’re writing, outlining is an essential skill to practice.

Step 2: Set a timer for 29 minutes

In general, I don’t like the Pomodoro technique.

I like to be locked in and write for as long as I can. Sometimes I can keep my focus on a single task for hours at a time. But for the days when my mind is scattered, my focus is soon on other things, which stops me from writing.

Set a timer for 29 minutes, in which you silence all notifications and possibly turn off your internet connection if you’re seated at a computer.

Below I linked to an example of this technique being used. Apparently, the comedian Jerry Seinfeld sets a timer for 33:33 and that counts as one writing session.

Step 3: Don’t get out of your chair

There’s one golden rule concerning this system: Don’t get out of your chair.

You’re allowed to look out the window. In the words of Neil Gaiman, you’re allowed to do anything, as long as it’s nothing or writing. Once you’ve been sitting in the quiet for some time, writing seems more enjoyable.

If you’re interested in learning more about Neil Gaiman’s writing routine, read this: