Habits of Highly-Productive Drews

                “Write more, read more” is one of the rare pieces of evergreen wisdom in this profession. It doesn’t matter what happens in genre trends, platforms available, even publishing stability; there is almost no situation where putting more research and practice into your art form is a poor use of time. Everything else, unfortunately, isn’t quite so cut and dry. As someone known for putting out a fair bit of content, I thought it might be helpful to go over some of the habits I’ve picked up through the years that help keep the work coming out at a brisk rate.

                I’ve touched it often in previous blogs, but it always bears repeating: these are my tactics that have worked well for me. They might be terrible ideas to fit into your own work-flow, it’s all about finding the best options for your particular process. Still, this will at least offer a starting point to work from and see what draws the best results out of you. 

Do the Worst, First

                I say “worst” because it rhymes, but really it just means the hardest task facing you. Whatever it is you consider to be the most challenging part in a day/task/activity, tackle it first. Sometimes this is because you don’t want to do the task, or it might be something you enjoy but still represents substantial time and energy to complete. This one might be more me-specific than any of the others on this list. I’m fairly bad at getting stuff out of my head; great for world-building, not so much for worry and anxiety. If I have something to worry about, then worry I will, and even if I don’t start off feeling that way, with hours to worry I can very easily turn something not that terrible into a mental mountain that must be scaled.

                In writing, this manifests as a constant cloud of anxiety until I do my allotted words for the day. I never feel comfortable starting any other piece of my day unless the part I consider most core and vital, advancing my current work-in-progress, had been completed. It’s the drive that keeps me producing regardless of what else is going on in life, and having it be the very first part of my day reduces the chances of anything getting in the way.

                This is definitely one that works outside of just your profession, though. I’ve found myself adopting the philosophy for pretty much every complex task, from moving to errands. Whatever the piece I feel the most dread toward accomplishing, that’s the one I open with. Going from harder tasks to simpler ones can be tough at the start, but after the first three or so obstacles, you’ll realize it’s only getting easier as you go, and that makes pressing on so much more manageable. 

Use Tools You Like

                I have built, no joke, dozens of makeshift databases in Excel. Now those of you more familiar with the suite of Microsoft applications might be wondering why I would do that when Access is an actual database program with options far more suited to the task. So why did I use Excel? Because I was good with it. Good enough that those makeshift databases still worked, producing the output they needed, and I was able to make them ten times faster than if I tried to start by learning a whole new tool and then beginning the work.

                There can be a bit of a hang-up sometimes about tools of the trade, especially in writing implements. Evidently some folks even have pissing contests about the type of word-processor being used. For the record: I use Microsoft Word because it has a file-format I know I can send to any editor, beta-reader, etc, without fear they’ll be unable to interact with the program. If you use something different, that’s totally cool. If you use something different and have strong feelings about what I or others are using, might I recommend putting that energy somewhere a little more… productive.

                This is not a job where anyone can see how the sausage is made, unless you’re like me and post about the behind-the-scenes process. The tools you use, the systems that get the most productivity out of you, those are the best for your purposes. Now this certainly isn’t me saying get stuck in your ways and never learn new options as they appear, but if you give them a fair shake and still prefer your older methods, stick with them. Whatever helps you build your best story is the right tool for the job.

Know Your Limits

                I’ll admit, this might be a strange one to see on a list about productivity, and that right there is part of the problem. Imagine you were exercising, and you wanted to work on biceps. Everyone else is doing a set, resting, doing a set, resting, and so on until they change to another workout. You decide to skip the bullshit and just keep lifting, non-stop, until your arms finally give out completely. Now I know the gym-rats are yelling at the screen that lift-to-failure is a technique, but I’m not done. When you finish, you keep going. Even though the weights aren’t really coming up anymore. You’re not working out or making progress, you’re just hurting yourself and possibly doing damage.

                That example sounds absolutely ludicrous, doesn’t it? Yet apply that same philosophy to non-physical work, and watch how quickly people will toil themselves into illness without a second thought. Look, I get it, I entered the workforce during the recession, I know that constant voice in your head urging you to work, to grind, to make it a few inches further ahead. That is not, in itself, a bad impulse. Ambition and drive will get you far in life. But rest is important too. Look back at our workout example, and be honest, you know when you’ve been that person going past failure. You can feel it, know it isn’t paying off, yet even then it can be so hard to let yourself rest.

                There’s no great trick for this one, it’s something I still struggle with myself. But I’ve gotten it right enough to know the value in time away is there. When I take a week off and just read, relax, take my mind fully off of writing, I come back brimming with energy and ideas, yet time and time again I’ll find reasons not to take those weeks. There’s a phrase I’m fond of: “Penny smart, but dollar foolish.” It refers to when you’re making choices that save money in the short-term but will cost more down the line. When you feel the need for rest really bearing down, try using a modified version of that old saying: “Seconds smart, but years foolish.” Don’t trade three days of productivity for three weeks where you’re burned out afterward.

                Be aware of your limits, and when you’re hitting them. Hard as it is to believe, taking those breaks really will make you far more productive in the long-term, partially because learning when to rest is how you last through the years.