Better at the Bench

Developing a great writing routine that works for you requires a lot of trial and error. In the recent “Developing Writing Rituals and Routines for Academic Success” workshop, we collectively came up with this long list of practices that we do to maximize our writing productivity. I highly encourage you to try to incorporate some of these strategies into your personal writing routine!

25 Writing Routine Strategies

1. Define a writing time. For most people, writing in the early morning works best, as this is when they feel awake and fresh. However, evening writing works best for other people, as this is when the kids are asleep, and the work emails have subsided.

2. Tidying up your writing area. For some people, the first step to writing is cleaning up their writing area. Obviously, don’t let the cleaning process itself be a distraction, but set yourself up for writing success by creating an environment that allows you to write productively.

3. Eradicate distractions. Major distractions shared during the workshop include cell phones and the internet (some people start reading papers and never stop). Among workshop participants, techniques to minimize distractions varied widely. Among the techniques shared: put down your cell phone, turn off your cell phone, save and then close all of the windows in your internet browser, and the most extreme… turn off your WiFi router.

4. Music vs silence. Some people require absolute silence when writing. Other people write best while listening to music. For me, I listen to Final Fantasy battle music… It sounds ridiculous, and I haven’t played Final Fantasy in years, but something about the music's pace keeps me awake, and the lack of words keeps me from getting distracted. I know other people that write best while listening to EDM.

5. When you are stuck, go for a walk. Again, don’t let the exercise distract you from the actual writing... don’t go for a walk and abandon your writing! However, sometimes getting up and moving around (i.e., taking a break) can help your come up with new good ideas or break up long writing sessions.

6. Exercise! For many people, exercise and writing go hand in hand. Some people come up with their best ideas while jogging. Try it out!

7. Treat yourself! After you write a substantial amount text or write for a substantial amount of time, reward yourself with a snack, a drink, or some fun internet time (my personal internet treat is Buzzfeed or Facebook).

8. Gamify your writing. Keep track of how many words you write each day and try to write as much or more each subsequent day. Gamify the situation by challenging yourself to match or beat your daily writing score. An alternative is to use a program/app like Habitica, which tries to encourage good habits and increase productivity using a role-player game format.

9. Use productivity apps. When writing my own grant, one thing that really helped me was a Pomodoro Timer App. The Pomodoro Technique promotes the idea of focused, uninterrupted writing for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break, and then an additional 25 minutes of writing, followed by an additional 5-minute break, and onward… until you are done with your writing task. Some apps allow you to adjust the time for work if you feel like you cannot focus for the full 25 minutes or alternatively want to extend your focus time for more than 25 minutes.

10. Non-science writing before science writing. One workshop participant “warmed up” by writing about non-science topics before writing about science. I’m personally going to try this since I love writing for this blog but dread writing my paper.

11. Read to inspire. Other workshop participants noted that they like to read an inspiring paper or grant before starting their writing. I love this idea too! Just don’t get stuck in an endless cycle of reading papers that prevents you from writing.

12. Write now, edit later. Write freely and then edit (or add citations) later.

13. Form a Ulysses Pact/Contract. I learned about the concept of a Ulysses Pact from a workshop participant. The mythic tale: Ulysses wanted to hear the song of the Sirens, so while the rest of his crew stuffed their ears with wax, Ulysses had his crew tie him to the mast of the ship and promise not to release him. A Ulysses pact is a strategy that acknowledges we are human and thus likely cave to temptation. In preparation for failing, we create a condition that encourages us to “stay the course.” This could be as simple as telling friends that we are starting a writing routine and then ask these friends to ask us about the writing routine in the future to make sure we stick with it.

14. Write with others. Similarly, you can form a writing team. Commit to a time and place to write together. Alternatively, check-in with each other to ensure everyone is adhering to weekly writing practices. Encourage each other to “stay the course.”

15. Force yourself to write by creating artificial deadlines. Promise to send a draft to a friend or your PI and adhere to this promise. This is very similar to forming a Ulysses Pact. By promising you will send a draft to others, you are more likely to complete the writing task.

16. Quiet that inner negative voice. Don’t get discouraged and toss out what you just wrote after you write. First, acknowledge that you are writing the first draft and that it won’t be perfect from the very beginning. Second, figure out exactly what you don’t like about it and work to make it better. Third, seek feedback from others if you cannot figure out what you don’t like about what you wrote (sometimes you need a set of fresh eyes).

17. Coffee? Tea? Sparkling water? Wine? To write sometimes, people need a stimulant. Caffeine in the form of coffee and tea can help. The ritual of preparing a cup of coffee or tea can also function as a trigger to start the writing process. One workshop participant writes while drinking sparkling water in a wine glass. While you probably shouldn’t drink too much while writing, some participants also noted that a little wine helped them write freely (especially when starting a new writing project).

18. Break it down. Break up your large (seemingly impossible) writing task into smaller accomplishable pieces.

19. Build writing bridges. At the end of your writing time, note down what you want to write next. This will help you get started writing again and excite you to continue.

20. Tie yourself to your desk. While not literal, make yourself sit there and write. If you are having a bad writing day, try to write something that you find easier to approach… like your materials and methods (for a paper) or your personal statement (for a grant).

21. Get out of the lab. On par with avoiding distractions, I must get out of the lab when I write. Between people asking me stuff and the desire to do small tasks (like running a PCR) while writing, I cannot get any productive writing accomplished in the lab.

22. Snack writing. Acknowledge that you cannot set aside large swaths of time for writing and begin writing in small snack-like pieces. Write while eating lunch. Write down notes while waiting for a spin or a reaction to occur.

23. Outline it! If you don’t know where to start, begin with a rough outline and gradually expand on areas until you have a coherent first draft.

24. Awake writing vs. sleepy writing. Acknowledge that some days you are just tired and unable to write your best. On these days, focus on easier writing tasks like preparing outlines or writing documents that require less mental energy like figure legends or the equipment document of your NIH grant.

25. Adapt your writing routine as needed. On average, it takes 66 days for a daily practice to become a habit. Be kind and honest to yourself. If your writing routine is not working for you, feel free to adjust it to fit your needs.