Tim Bossie.com

I recently twittered that I had finished an article package of 500 different articles. Shortly after that I received a DM (direct message) asking me how I was able to write so many articles in a short period of time.

My answer was that it really wasn’t that short of a time period as I had a month to write them (the real test is going to be in my newest job… writing 1000 articles in a month!) and really took my time at it. But, it got me to thinking about what it is I actually do to write articles quickly.

Here’s a little sneak peak into my writing world.

I spend a day reading, researching, and prepping. A big mistake I see some people make is to sit in front of a computer screen and try to write something on the fly. It doesn’t work that way. Once I get an order to write a batch of articles I spend the first day, maybe two days, just reading on the topic. I try to learn as much as I can so that I can begin creating my own ideas and topics.

Personalize it… Make commitment to research before you write.

I get out a brand new legal pad to brainstorm topics. I’m still not totally immersed into all digital yet. I am a legal pad nut. I have tons of them around the house and they are all full of notes, writings, ideas, and whatever else I want to write down. For writing articles I get out a brand new pad and just begin writing down ideas for the topic I am writing about. I do this for about 30 minutes in a very quiet place. In my house, that’s hard to come by. Three homeschooled kids tend to be everywhere.

I will go outside, go to my church, go to a coffee shop, go to a room in the house and lock the door. My kids have gotten use to the idea so when I need my 30 minutes of focus time they are usually pretty good about it.

The point is I just write down ideas on the topic until the 30 minutes is up.

Personalize it… Find a quiet place and brainstorm ideas and topics. Don’t let up for 30 minutes.

I start writing. Once the preliminaries are done I pick the first idea and start writing about it. Then the next one. Then the next. As I am writing new ideas come to mind and I add them to my list. The actual writing process helps with the idea process.

Personalize it… Just start writing something and build from that.

I write in 3 hour intervals. This might go against the grain of thought for some people but I tried the 15 minute interval thing and it just didn’t work for me. I was all over the place and didn’t really accomplish much. When I switched to three hour work intervals with 30 minute breaks in between I saw an amazing difference in my productivity.

Personalize it… Decide a time interval for you that works and stick to it.

Music makes things go faster. For me, it’s gotta be the rock n roll. I fall asleep to easy listening or classical. Country makes me feel like crying. Pop music is too distracting. Rock, however, gets me to move a little faster. Kind of like the supermarket mentality. They play slow, easy listening music so you will spend more time shopping. I play rock music to keep me moving.

Personalize it…Choose whichever music that will help you continue writing, thinking, and working without distracting you.

I set Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals for each day. Early in my writing career I would just get up and write until I was tired, or I thought I had done enough. The sun was shining, the lake was calling, or I just wanted to do something else. I’ve learned that I won’t do anything productive unless I force myself to do it. So, I set big goals for each day. And I don’t stop until I hit them.

The 3 hour rule helps a lot in hitting this goal.

That doesn’t mean that everyday I set impossible goals. I look to see what my calendar is like for the day and plan accordingly. If I don’t have anything planned I set major goals. If I have several appointments, calls to make, places to go, then I don’t plan as big, but still stretch myself.

Personalize it…Set a bigger than usual goal. You don’t have to go over the top. Take a small step at first and then work yourself up to bigger productivity.

I keep a notebook with me always. You never know when an idea is going to hit you. I’ve been in the middle of the fireworks show during our Fourth of July carnival and have had to write down something. Keeping a notebook handy is invaluable.

But, the value isn’t just in keeping the notebook. It’s in acting on the idea as soon as you can. When I got home from the fireworks show, I immediately sat down and wrote the article (actually it was a blog post for a client).

Personalize it… Get yourself a small, pocket sized notebook. It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as a moleskin. Then jot down your ideas whenever they happen.

I have fun with it. Probably the most effective tips I can give you about my writing strategy is that I have a blast doing it. I’ve always loved writing and am thrilled that I can earn my living doing it. I also have fun learning new things. This helps me write about subjects I don’t currently hold an interest in. I try very hard not to look at my job as work. I know that people say that you must always have a professional outlook, but I’m just not made that way. I believe that when you truly have fun doing what you’re doing things are much easier to accomplish.

Personalize it… Lighten up and have fun!

That’s what works for me. I realize it won’t work for everyone, but I also think that if you put some of the “personalize it” to work for you, you’ll be a little more productive in your writing times.