Supercharge Your Writing Productivity: Tools and Strategies That Actually Work

Are you a writer juggling deadlines, creative blocks, and the everyday demands of life? Do you ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything on your writing to-do list? You’re not alone. Many writers struggle to balance their passion with practical productivity. In this post, we’re diving deep into a treasure trove of tools and strategies to help you reclaim your time, focus your efforts, and ultimately, create the work you love.

Our Favorite Productivity Tools for Writers

Google Docs

Where do we even begin with the wonders of Google Docs? It’s a living document that updates in real time, allowing for seamless collaboration. The checklist feature is incredibly satisfying – nothing beats ticking off those boxes! Plus, you can access it from your phone and share it with ease. 

Here are some practical ways we regularly use Google Docs: 

  • “The Pull List”: Inspired by Cal Newport’s Slow Productivity, this is a weekly task list at the top of your Google Doc. It focuses on the most crucial tasks–and ONLY those tasks–for that week. 

  • Below your Pull List, keep your Master To-Do list. This is your running task list for ongoing projects like article ideas, podcast episodes and guest appearances, speaking engagements and in-person events, and website updates. Whenever possible, assign a deadline to the items on your master To-Do list so you can easily identify when it’s time to work on them. Then, each week, “pull up” the tasks that need attention, chipping away at everything in a focused manner.

  • To-Do List for Your Virtual Assistant: Create an ongoing task list with checkboxes and deadlines. Link to any training videos or supporting documents your V.A. will need to accomplish the tasks. You can also keep login info for software applications that your V.A. will need to access in this document. Because this is a living document, you can communicate with her through the comments and easily monitor her progress as she checks the items off her list. 
  • Templates for Your Most Used Documents: Whenever you find yourself writing or formatting something more than once- such as newsletters, podcast scripts, interview questions, pitch and query emails- consider creating a Google Doc template that you can copy and customize for similar tasks. 

AI Assistance

Experiment with AI tools like Gemini (Google Docs integration makes this seamless) or ChatGPT to help with brainstorming podcast titles, jumpstarting blog posts from podcast episodes, and refining your writing. These tools can also assist with show notes (scanning transcripts, identifying links and takeaways), marketing emails, and even summarizing meeting minutes and pulling out action items.

Google Sheets

Helpful for tracking podcast episodes and topics, article submissions and pitches, monthly metrics, expenses, and revenue. While complex formulas might seem daunting (just ask Sandy), even basic use for organizing data in “squares” can be incredibly helpful. (Yes, she calculates her totals manually!)

Digital Calendar on iPhone

This is a lifesaver. While paper calendars are great for visualizing dates, a digital calendar lets you schedule on the spot, even when you’re away from your desk. If you love time-blocking, you can also assign times to every task. This is key to managing your time effectively and knowing how much you can realistically take on.

Dry-Erase Calendar

Complement your digital calendar with a large dry-erase calendar for a month-at-a-glance overview. Color-coding can add another layer of organization and fun.

“Do Not Disturb” on iPhone

Use this feature daily. It’s essential to focus on deep work without distractions.

Trello

Ideal for managing large projects with multiple steps and moving parts, like course creation or book writing.

Descript

Simplifies video editing by transcribing audio and allowing you to delete mistakes from the written transcript, which in turn removes the mistakes from the video as well.

Calendly

Streamlines scheduling calls, interviews, and meetings and integrates with your digital calendar, Zoom, and email. 

Riverside

While not a “productivity tool” per se, this is the platform we use for recording high-quality podcast episodes and interviews. It also offers a full transcript, AI-generated summaries, keywords, time stamps, takeaways, and show notes, providing a starting point for your own.

Voxer

Where would Sandy and Mary K. be without Voxer? This app is great for quick and easy voice communication with co-collaborators, clients, assistants, and students of your courses. 

Conclusion:

Boosting your writing productivity doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By implementing these tools and strategies, you can create a more organized, focused, and efficient workflow. Remember, it’s okay to experiment and find what works best for you. Whether it’s utilizing AI assistance, creating a detailed digital calendar, or simply implementing a “Pull List,” every little bit helps. Take these tips, adapt them to your unique needs, and watch as your writing productivity soars. 

This post was adapted from Writing Off Social: The Podcast, Episode 62. You can listen in here!