If everything takes longer than we expect – even when we allow for delays – how can writers hit their deadlines? Here’s an evidence-based approach to overcoming the planning fallacy. Going public with my best laid plans.
Writing productivity tips
Some people equate being highly prolific writers and researchers with producing dross. They prefer to constantly refine and perfect The One Idea they have. Perhaps because they think their idea is so special. Perhaps because they think they’ll never have another idea again. Either way, we believe that the best way to improve is to be unashamedly and un-apologetically productive – writing lots, failing lots, picking yourself up, writing more and improving. [click to continue…]
The path to excellence in any field comes through hard graft – that’s true. But research finds that scholars at the very top of their game are also highly prolific, deeply curious, with multiple, unrelated (and often quite bonkers) creative hobbies. So, if you want to be superstar scholar, focus your mind – but never close it. Keep researching, go off on tangents, experiment and play – hundreds of Nobel prize laureates can’t be wrong. [click to continue…]
At the time of writing, the top two trending articles on Buzzfeed are: ‘15 Struggles You’ll Only Understand If You’re Obsessed With Cereal’ and ‘The 15 Emotional Stages of Mobile Phone Ownership’. It’s safe to say that Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, hasn’t read either. [click to continue…]
What’s the secret to writing productivity? That’s the question Kelton Reid, host of The Writer Files podcast, asks guests each week. He spoke to Bec Evans, co-founder of Prolifiko about writing productivity, creativity and neuroscience. Here’s 7 things she told him. Listen to part one and part two of the podcast or read the full transcript.
The Writer Files is a weekly podcast that explores writing, productivity, creativity, and neuroscience. Host Kelton Reid studies the habits, habitats, and brains of a wide spectrum of renowned writers to learn their secrets. He interviewed Bec Evans, co-founder of Prolifiko in March 2018 – read the transcript here.
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How do you become a productive academic writer, scholar or researcher? At Prolifiko, we’ve been working with The London School of Economics’ Impact blog to explain the findings of our user research into academic writing. This is what we found. [click to continue…]
Writers’ block hits – you’re overwhelmed and paralysed by the fear you’ll never write again, let alone be productive and build a regular writing routine. Do you give up or take action? Find out how novelist Jenn Ashworth created #100daysofwriting to overcome writers’ block and fall back in love with her book with a gentle productivity challenge. [click to continue…]
So, you’re determined to finally finish (or maybe start) that writing project. Great news – but how do you kick off your writing goal in a way that means you’ll continue? Here’s an infographic that can really help:
Visualising your writing goals can be a first step towards making them a reality. Neuroscience shows that when you visualise something you stimulate the same parts of the brain as when you actually do it. We asked visual thinker Cara Holland how to visualise your writing future – read her step-by-step guide to drawing your dream. [click to continue…]