Create Your Optimal Writing Place: 1000 Words a Day

I’m lucky in that I can write just about anywhere. I travel a lot which means I spend a lot of time in different places with different surroundings, and in most cases, I can make it work if I need to get something written. Even though I can write in most conditions, I have learned over the years that I write much more effectively when I have a specific surrounding that’s most conducive for my writing productivity. That’s what I try to create as my writing space at home. Having a quality writing space can help immensely when you’re trying to write 1000 words a day.

If you have read anything on productivity, and especially writing productivity, one of the suggestions often given is to find a quiet place in the time you set aside to write. This is essentially a good point, but what “quiet” means will depend a lot on your own personal preferences. What you really want to do is find a space which allows you to write at an optimal level, and the chances are you are going to need to experiment a good amount to find what this exactly means for you.

It would be great to make a list of the perfect writing space, but the truth is what works for one writer may not work for the next. For example, I write much better while have the background noise of music playing, but I have writer friends who can’t imagine having that distraction while trying to write. In the end, you will have to create your space for you, and that space will likely be different from other writers you know. That being said, I can list some of the choices I made when creating my space which you can use to consider what would be the best writing space for your needs. These are a few of the things I determined I needed for my space:

• A restricted area where people can’t regularly interrupt
• No TV (I learned early that if there was a TV in the room, it would eventually get turned on and my writing would end)
• Non-commercial music (I write better with background noise, but only with music. I can’t listen to radio where DJs speak as that ruins my writing rhythm)
• No phones (and cell phones turned off)
• A good chair (this is something I didn’t realize how important it was until I purchased a good chair)
• A notepad with paper (I like to jot down notes about other possible articles when I write)
• A timer (I set my writing for 20 minutes and then take a break)
• A drink, but no food (A large glass of iced tea is essential, but any food is a distrction

Those above are some of the things I have found make me more productive when I write. They may or may not be important for your writing productivity. There also may very well be other things that are important for you as a writer which I didn’t even mention. The important step to take is to begin to think about what is important for you to be in a space which is the most conducive for you to write at your optimal level, and begin creating it. (550 words)

(Photo courtesy of Jeremy Segrott)