What is the best time to write?
For some of us, we can crank out posts like farting in the wind, while for others; it might take a little more effort. We all have different situations, time factors and other life issues that determine the time and place to write. But, what is the best time to write?
When you’re the most productive.
When I started writing for this blog, I didn’t know what I was doing, but my goals back then were quite different. When you started, did you notice if writing was much easier back then, verses now? Were you producing content faster than you could say, “run” or do you struggle these days to write at all?
“Writing is like painting a picture on wall. An artist interprets what he or she sees and paints their ideas on canvas, while a writer uses his thoughts to create a conversation on paper. “
Writing hasn’t always been my strongest asset and I don’t claim to be Martha Stewart, but when I write it is from my heart and if it my heart isn’t into it, I don’t post period. Do you agree? Disagree?
For myself, I am up early in the morning before my family wakes up to write what’s on my mind. There are some days when I plan out posts and have ideas jotted down, but no time to write. Sound familiar?
Here are some tips I use to stay productive:
Know Your Time Zone
You have control over your day-to-day routine. Whether its chores, getting kids to school or working a day job, you have to find a time when you can zone everything and everyone out and write. I write from 4:30 am to 6:00 am every other morning to create posts. When I wake up my house is quiet, my mind is clear, focused and I can write with no distractions. Find the time that works for you and just do it.Prepare ahead of time
If you have an idea for a post, do your research ahead of time or the night before to avoid surfing the net for inspiration the day you need to write. You can jot ideas down or bookmark websites to reference at a later date if you need to.Find a Special Place to Write
Carve out space for yourself where you can free your mind and focus. Maybe it’s the bookstore, Library or separate bedroom. Having a separate space will help guide you towards your goals and give you clarity on what needs to get done.Don’t Wander On the Internet
Avoid surfing the net before you write. This will keep you from getting off topic and forgetting your train of thought. It’s so easy to get off topic and wonder from website to website. Before you know it, time has passed and you miss an opportunity to get tasks completed.Avoid Checking Email
Email is a huge distraction and will deplete your time fast. Set an up time each day when you can devote an hour to respond and read email.Set up a time to stop writing
If work or live on a strict time schedule, set a timer to keep you on track. Once that time is up, you stop writing. I have found that this helps me strive harder to get things done because my time is limited. Understand your time limitations and what works best for you or your family. If you work a day job, maybe try working on a post on your lunch hour or work an extra hour after work to finish writing before going home.Ask a Mentor to help you
Maybe it’s a friend, fellow blogger, coach or teacher that has a method that helps them get things done. Asking for a little help never hurts. Question: What other tactics have you used to gain writing time?Subscribe to this blog
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Mayura
Hi Sonia,
I thought you are up to it when you ask it out on Facebook
Well… Well… Nice post about writing and I can agree with what you have been shared for some extent. Not all?
No, I mean somedays I go out and come home very tired. After all I comes to PC and my mother still treats me like a baby so I don’t wanna worry about other things
LOL…
Anyway I just start listening music and read techy news as I have no mood to write. But after 30 mins or more, it comes again. What? My mood
Then I start writing my next post. Usually I write multiple posts and schedule one by one then. Mostly I have data of things I’ve researched earlier and then I need to write about it only.
That’s how it goes with me
Wandering on the internet kills time badly. And mobile nottifications too. I’m used to it and control or some extent. But first I finish my writing.
I can’t select best time to write but it comes naturally when I sit in front of the computer with ROCK MUSIC on
I’ve tried it with mobile, but never worked.
P.S: When I think about my comment at last, seems it agrees with all your facts
Cheers…
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Ben
Hi Sonia
Great job on this post – you really made me listen! 
I know I shouldn’t wander off and check Twitter, read emails, or otherwise get distracted, but it’s easy to do. I especially like your tip on finding a time to stop writing. That’s not a tip you hear everyday and it’s important if you want to “timebox” your post writing. Enjoyed the post, thanks for sharing 
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Sonia
Ben, I can be so bad at this and knew someone else out there felt my pain too. Mornings is just the best time for me and I really can pound the pavement with something so quickly. Other posts where I am doing a tutorial, takes me literally 2hours with editing and such, but I would rather explain everything in detail to get it right. If I am writing with my family around me, I wonder on the internet all the time and I get nothing done. I am getting better with these tactics more each day. Thanks Ben for your comment.
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Adrienne
You get up at 4:30 in the morning and write? Oh Sonia, you’d have to use posts to hold my eyes open. Although I could get up at that time I sure as heck can’t concentrate that early in the morning. I commend you for being able to do that.
I also commend you and everyone else who has a life outside of the online world. As you know for me, this is my work so I don’t have to worry about rushing off to a job or getting any kids ready. Heck, I don’t even have to worry about anyone else accept my dog.
I’m very fortunate in that way although I’d give it up in a minute to have a family. I don’t really have a writing schedule to be honest with you. I’ll usually write my post the day ahead of time but sometimes I will write a few far in advance. It just depends I guess.
Great tips for those that need this assistance. You’ve got it down for sure.
~Adrienne
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Sonia
Hi Adrienne, I hope I get to that position one day too. It’s not easy, but sometimes I will wake up like clock work and boom I have an idea and start writing. The best part is that my house is super quiet and I get so much done with no distractions. At night I am the complete opposite and only entertained by the internet than my writing tasks. How are things with you? Sorry been so quiet lately..>another trade show on the horizon and I am swamped.
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Adrienne
Ah another trade show but they do pay the bills right!
My weeks have been great but off again tomorrow to help my Mom. This time, it’s the big move! Yey!!!
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Sue Price
Hi Sonia
I am with Adrienne – “you get up when?” I like Adrienne now work out of home and it does change things. I used to get up at 4.30 when our daughter was young and we had a brick and mortar business.I used to get up and write assignments as I was studying.
But now I like to get up and exercise to get by brain into gear.
I usually write in the afternoon. I have days I aim to write my post and mostly stick to it.
You have some great tips there. For me especially don’t check email. I am breaking that habit.
A great post Sonia.
Sue
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Sonia
Hi Sue, now exercising is really good because you get your brain focused on some serious tasks and still get to relax and record your thoughts. There are times on my exercise machine when I start thinking about topics and other stuff I want to get done. My office tends to be my living room couch ( I swear I need to clear out the spare room), but that is work in progress to migrate there where I have total quietness. Now my dogs are a different story and tend to barge in, then I feel bad about ignoring them, so I sign off, play with them and write at my ridiculous hour in the morning. It works, but I admit sometimes I am so tired. I wish I could switch with you!
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Lisa
Hi Sonia, you and I write at the same time, just different time zones
I used to arrive to work early – now since blogging just in time by the skin of my teeth.
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I try to turn off all distractions but some mornings I have the email open and Twitter on. Or websites open if I am doing more research.
I’ve been starting to write posts as ideas come to me and then go back and expand upon them. Otherwise I tend to forget. Must strike when the creative iron is hot, right?
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Sonia
Lisa, you know I was going to ask you that because one time you responded when I posted something and I thought is Lisa up as early as me? Hey congrats on your 1yr Anniversary girl. How quickly a year goes by. So happy for you girl!
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Sylviane Nuccio
Hi Sonia,
I’m not sure I can write a post as fast as I can fart in the wind
but I can and I have to because of my occupation write rather rapidly. The more I write the easier it is for me.
Writing is like exercise, the more you do it the easier it becomes.
All your advice here are very good and hope it can help a lot of people reading this blog.
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Sonia
Sylviane, I bet you can pump out tons of posts in 1 day. You just have a great work ethic and focus. I admire that big time.
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Donna Merrill
Hi Sonia, I commend you waking up so early. But on the other hand, I stay up until 2 or 3 am writing. I think it is our passion that gets us going no matter what the time is.
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The examples you gave above are excellent for time management. Writing is important and we cannot get lost wandering on the internet.
I always have ideas running through my head. I use Evernote to jot them down, then later post about them. I even keep a pad and pen in my purse when I’m out because something may inspire me. I just jot ideas down, and when my time to write is set, I can knock out a post.
Thanks Sonia for the tips,
Donna
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Sonia
Donna, you got me beat. Sometimes I say up till midnight, but then wake up grumpy, so I stopped that. Not sure how me waking up is any better (LOL), but it works for me. How many websites do you have?
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Danijela
Hi, Sonia
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these are really good tips. Even though, waking up at 4.30 is too much for me. My biggest problem is probably number four. But, I have to say that RescueTime has been very helpful so far.
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Sonia
Danijela, my friend Lisa recommended that Rescue program to me too. I swear I have to check that out soon. If I don’t write, I head out to the gym to work out. I told Brankica about that and she, “why do you go so early?”. I just love being up early in the morning, plus I fish allot with my man and he has to drag me out of the bed at 2:30 am just to get ready. I am already tired just thinking about that! LOL!
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Jeevan Jacob John
4:30 in the morning huh?
Cool. I just write as I go.
No planning (well, sometimes I do, because like I said, I just go with the flow and my own mood – if I want to plan, I do. If I want to write a lengthy post, I do. If I don’t, I don’t).
As far as distractions go, it is hard to tackle them. But, over time, I have had success with several methods (Right now, I am using Zen writer for writing, good music, great background, clears mind and puts me in the writing mode).
The only thing that stops me from writing now is lack of ideas (Ideas are there, but I don’t have it
). Every idea I find, it is something that I have already written. I have already told what I wanted to say.
I am searching for any opinions. My inner mind.
What do I have to say?
What more do I want to say?
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Sonia
Jeevan, What do you use to get inspiration? I carry a pen and pad with me everywhere so I can jot down ideas and that helps me allot. Even quotes online help kind of get the juices flowing. That’s a good post idea….. hmmmmmmmmmmmm..
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Jeevan Jacob John
Well, several things (it changes every day, because I like change). Take for instance:
As of now, I use my old Art drawing book for writing down tasks and ideas (so, like a journal).
2 weeks ago, I was using Work Flowy for that (Great tool, mind map).
Before that, I was using Printing sheets
I keep on changing the environment and the things I write on (even those things can have an effect upon what we think and how we think).
As far as inspiration goes, these days I get most of them by focusing just on blogging. Thinking about topics (Earlier, when I used to be active with guest posting, I got most ideas by accident and from my own surroundings – taking real life example and like you said, quotes mainly from my school agenda for inspiration).
Yeah, you write about quotes and inspiration
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Jens P. Berget
Great tips Sonia.
I do most of what you’re doing, but I can’t seem to manage to get up as early as you and write in the morning. Now, I do most of my writing before I go to bed. That’s when all my family are sleeping and I keep going. But, I also get up in the morning before they do and write until they get up. But not as early as you
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Sonia
Jens, you have kids, so I know balancing that out must be tough. My dogs will go to bed, but I tend to get really tired towards 10:00 pm and usually fall asleep or just surf the internet. Do you use any special methods to stay focused when you are writing?
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Jens P. Berget
I use tasks and a timer, this way I’ll stay focused on one task for as long as I have set the timer. I use an app called 30/30 for that. It’s awesome (and I use Things as my task manager)
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Carol Lynn
The biggest ones for me are not checking email and not wandering around online. If I can close everything on my computer except my document that I’m working on, then I get things done. I can’t believe you write so early! I’m definitely not a morning person. I actually like to write on weekends on my couch with my laptop in my lap. It makes me feel more creative than sitting in the office. You have a bunch of good tips here for getting in the groove. Whatever tricks we use, the important thing is that we keep writing!
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Sonia
Carol, do you ever just write on paper? Sometimes I do that when I don’t want to open my computer and I write allot, but my “chicken scratch” eventually comes back to haunt me when I can’t read it.
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Carol Lynn
Haha, I do the same thing… I write on ANYTHING. Notebooks, envelopes, the back of bills
Then I look at it and go… what??? And usually forget to pay the bills 
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Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca
Thanks for the kind mention at the end, Sonia!
Pure love
I just had an EPIC interview for Ryan Hanley’s podcast we got into it heavy for 30min on the topic of… INSPIRATIONbut the sound quality was bad, so he’s not releasing it.
If you ask him nice, I bet he’d send it to you
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Sonia
Hi Jason, I don’t know Ryan, but is it going to be on his site or yours? I was happy to include you my friend.
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Jason "J-Ryze" Fonceca
Don’t know Ryan? My goodness, we’re all in the same circles lol
Anyway, it’s a bit scratchy, so he wants to re-do it, if so, it’ll be live on his site probably end of next week.
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JanB
Some pretty darn good tips there. I don’t really schedule blogging, although I try to post two or three times a week.
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I’m one of the old-fashioned bloggers. I jot something down when I think I might use it. But when it’s a post about something ‘that’s in the news’ I need to write it NOW.
The settings I do the actual writing in is always somewhat the same. Cup of hot tea, headphones with some relaxing music and a smoke handy.
This approach works best for me!
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Romy Singh
Hello Sonia,
My best time to write is night. When I see its getting dark I feel like my creativity is rising and It’s time to pick up pen and paper.
Many times I crank out thousands words in just few minutes, because I feel inspired. Whenever you are planning to write something I’d suggest that read few articles on same topic you are planning to write, because there’s nothing more inspiring then reading others people written words.
And if you really want to write without hitting your head to writing desk then practice. Because practice is the only way to boost your creativity and productivity.
And write about what you like, what you are passionate about, what you know then writing will become very easy and you’ll able crank out words very easily.
BTW, Awesome post.
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