Tips for a great writing session

A few weeks ago, my dear friend Judy Reeves was telling me about one of her amazing workshops, in which they worked in 90-minute intervals, then took a break, and then got back to work, and so on. It sounded so wonderfully efficient and productive — and in fact it was.

Then I came across this New York Times piece on the benefits of taking breaks — and while the article’s main focus is on the benefits of naps and vacations (of which I am also a big fan, though I never seem to take them), it also reveals the benefits of working in 90-minute intervals, which studies have shown lead to maximum productivity. Florida State University’s K. Anders Ericsson has studied elite performers (including musicians, athletes, actors, and chess players) and has learned that they do best when practicing in 90-minute sessions, with breaks in between.

I have noticed, very unscientifically, that when I have more than two hours of writing time, I start to flag as I approach the second hour (I never take breaks because this is, after all, precious writing time). In fact, my waning energy always made me worry that, since that sort of uninterrupted time is such a luxury, I’d never get anything done if I couldn’t use my time well when I have it. But this article offers evidence that we need to apportion our time to our advantage — and include the necessary breaks we often don’t allow ourselves.

So, here’s a call to action for all you writers out there … or rather, here’s several:

Schedule your next writing session at exactly 90 minutes (if you can).
If you’ve got more than 90 minutes of time, take a break … or several.
When you’re feeling uninspired, take a nap — even if it uses up your writing time.
Take a notebook with you on your next vacation, and write for pleasure (not out of guilt or obligation — just jot down anything you’d like, for the fun of it).

I’m looking forward to trying this (especially the napping part). Happy writing!