Setting aside a full day for a personal writing project is impossible for most of us.
But one hour a week is doable.Though it sounds like it’s not nearly enough time, a focused writing session yields a surprisingly substantial amount of work.
There are elements of process and product in the approach I set out below. The process involves the individual steps of the routine. The product is the outcome you’re after. For instance, a completed blog or LinkedIn post. Process is more important than product. A consistent process always results in a product. Consistency is key is an overused mantra, but it’s true.
Here’s how to squeeze the most out of an hour writing session.
Step 1: Consume content
Time allocated: 5 minutes
Consuming content is your first step in the process. Time and time again I’ve found that I write more when I read more.
Consuming content fills you with ideas and questions. Few of us take in large amounts of content without feeling some kind of boost in our creative drive.
There are a ton of resources out there, for instance:
- Blog articles
- Podcasts
- Books
- Youtube videos
Choose a platform you prefer. For example, I enjoy scrolling through travel posts on TikTok when I’m working on my travel content.
You might feel like five minutes is far too little time to take in anything meaty, but breaking a larger piece of content into sections works well here too. Many articles are easy to read in five minutes, but a longer video or podcast might take a few days to complete. I’ve managed to work my way through audiobooks with bite-sized listening chunks. (I listen at 2X speed, which helps me cram in more content. This is a practice I reserve for non-fiction content.) Building the habit is essential.
Take notes about things that stand out to you. At one stage, I had a pretty advanced note-taking set up in Obsidian, and, while I’d like to return to that format in the future, for now I simply write out key observations in a Google Doc.
Step 2: Freewrite
Time allocated: 5 minutes
Freewriting changed my writing life.
I first heard about this technique from writing professor Peter Elbow. The premise is as simple as it is effective. All you need to do is write non-stop for a specific time period. For this exercise, we’ll cap that time at five minutes.
Much of the anxiety around writing is tied to finding the perfect words. So we sit and stare at the blank page hoping, by some miracle, our brains will generate the exact sentences required to present our ideas coherently. But our brains don’t always cooperate. Freewriting removes that barrier because you simply write whatever comes to mind, without worrying about whether the words are right or not.
I find it helpful to start with an idea I want to write about. This concept doesn’t need to be fully formed, and in fact, writing helps clarify your thoughts. Research shows writing helps you come up with new ideas, so freewriting generates a whole range of benefits.
However, you don’t have to focus on a specific topic, and Elbow recommends you write anything without truly thinking, meaning you can write your stream of consciousness. One of the best things about freewriting is that it helps you get into the practice of translating thoughts into words on the screen.
Step 3: Copywork
Time allocated: 5 minutes
Copywork involves rewriting the words of writers you admire word for word.
Then rewrite the same passage in your own words.
Copywork offers two benefits:
- You begin to identify weaknesses in your writing
- You feel inspired by good writing
- You learn the markers of writing you like
During your rewrite, compare your composition against the copied passage. Does the writer you copied have a wider vocabulary? Do they use more varied sentence structures?
Step 4: Write
Time allocation: 45 minutes
Set a timer and start work on a piece of writing.
Maybe it’s a blog post or social media post. Whatever it is, have that writing goal in mind and work for 45 minutes. Split this into two 25-minute writing slots with a 5-minute break in between if that’s better for you.
The only goal here is to write – and only write – for the time you’ve set aside. Resist the natural inclination to check the internet for a fact. Concentrate on writing and leave yourself a note in the text with a reminder to verify a statement.
Repeat this routine as much as your time allows. Sitting down to write every day is ideal, even if you need to reduce the writing slot to 25 minutes. The benefit of a daily writing session is that you can use the next day for editing and revising and have a completed piece by the end of the week.
Aim for a weekly session at a minimum. Choose a time you can consistently block out, e.g, after the kids have gone to bed or before they wake up on a Saturday afternoon.
Even if you only follow this routine once a week, you’ll have a few products by the end of the month. Gradually, the writing will come easier and you’ll soon be able to complete your piece in the allocated time slot.
