Productivity Hacks for Writers – Tip #3

Productivity Hack #3: Keep a List

I know I know… this isn’t a unique productivity hack, you say. Everyone talks about lists. And lists are too restrictive! Yes, I can hear you face palming from here. You are right, everyone talks about lists and they do so for a reason. You are also right in that they can become restrictive and overwhelming. But they are also an invaluable to way hold onto ideas, keep track of goals, stay on top of what you need to do on a given day, and most importantly, to help you track progress toward your goal.

Lists can certainly be demotivating. If you pile stuff onto your list with aggressive schedules and impossible deadlines you are not doing yourself any favors. Properly used though, lists can be quite freeing.

I’ll use myself as an example. I am an idea person. Plot nuggets fall into my lap by the handfuls and they pop into my mind at all times of the day. I might have a dream that spins off into an idea for a book, or a line in a movie might trigger something I want to do for my current work in progress. This is a good problem to have, I’m not complaining, but trying to remember all of these things becomes a stressor for me. Also, having so many things ‘to-do’ can easily become paralyzing for me. I begin frantically working on all of them, wanting to give them care and feeding so they don’t wither away into nothing, but really doing none of them proper service. In the end this is a trap. I spin my wheels, burn rubber, smoke up the neighborhood, but I get no where. I get nothing done. I’m like a hamster on an exercise wheel. Not a good place to be if your not a hamster.

This is where lists come in to save the day. When a plot nugget, character, or nonfiction book idea pops into my mind I write it down and it goes into an idea file (a list) where I promptly, and with intention, forget about it. I feel no stress about this because I know its been documented and I can come back to it later. I forget about it with intention so I can focus on the project it is I am working on right now and work it until it is complete. Once I’ve completed the current project I go back to my idea list and pick the next project – one that has the most promise of moving me forward toward my goal – and get working on it.

Not only does this process allow me to focus on select projects until they are complete, it also allows me to easily see how much progress I have made. I can look back at the day, the week, the month or the year and easily see what I’ve done. For many people this is incredibly motivating. The list allows you to focus on the rewarding view of what you’ve accomplished. That is a great feeling.