16 Nov How to Write Faster and Become More Productive in Science
The higher the productivity of a writer, the more projects he can complete and the more he earns. Working rationally, you can greatly reduce the time required to perform a single task. So how do you increase your writing efficiency and become more productive?
It turns out that scientists around the world are keenly interested in this issue and even conducted a number of studies. Let’s see what they’ve got together with Lucy Adams, a blogger from Buzz Essay writers website.
#1 Stick to the Proper Working Rhythm
How long can you focus on a single task? Well, studies showed that no longer than 90 consecutive minutes. Therefore, why not take small breaks in order to maximize your productivity?
There’s also a Pomodoro technique that suggests 5–10 minutes of rest after every 20-30 minutes of hardworking. Believe it or not, it really works! Make a working schedule and reach new productivity heights!
#2 Do less to Get Better Results
Is there a man on the planet that doesn’t want to do less and get more? Obviously, there’s not. There are a lot of theories that describe how much efforts and time you should devote to work to get the best results. One of these theories is stated in Mark Loesser’s work named “Achieving more by doing less,” which is based on Zen Buddhism.
When we perform fewer tasks, we can enjoy these achievements. Meditate a few minutes per working day to relieve stress and increase concentration.
Try to go to bed early and extract from it the maximum benefit. According to the research conducted by Harvard University, the lack of or inefficient sleep is the main reason for the decrease in productivity. Employees that sleep poorly tend to make mistakes and break the working plan. Lack of sleep slows down thinking processes.
Experienced writers say that instead of extending the working day, they prefer to start working early in the morning. At the same time, peace and quietness that often accompany the early morning hours increase concentration.
#3 Do Physical Exercises
A person feels better from two to four hours after physical exercises. To help freelancers efficiently balance between work, breaks and sports, The New York Times has made them a seven-minute academic selection for everyday exercises.
#4 Listen to Your Favorite Music
Scientists from the University of Ottawa researched the effect of listening to music on productivity. Participants who listened to music during work were in a better mood and coped better with the task. Moreover, they were much more creative.
#5 Let Deadlines Work for You
According to the findings of Dan Ariely and his association, deadlines do not necessarily lead to a rush. On the contrast, deadlines push you to work better. Yes, better and faster. Being able to solve more tasks in a limited period of time, you take your skills to the next level. A good practice is setting personal milestones.
#6 Get Rid of Excessive Information
Irrelevant information will likely spoil the perception of what is really important. Moreover, it may lead to sleep disorders, reduced attention span, and delayed reaction. Stop listening to the news or replace daily news with business news. Cover information that is at least somehow related to your business.
Do you really need to spend so much time browsing the Internet in attempts to find something that you will never use?
#7 Try to Type as Fast as You Can
On the Internet, there are many tests on speed typing. The principle of speed typing is as follows: you have to remember the correspondence between the fingers and the buttons of the keyboard. By mastering speed typing, you’ll be able to save a significant amount of time when working on a PC.
#8 Get Inspired but Don’t Waste too much Time on It
Scientists know what you spend most of your working time on. You google cats! Cute and funny cats that are everywhere. Well, cats do help! When you are watching furry cuties, you get positive emotions that are subsequently transformed into increased focus and concentration.
#9 Stick to 20/80 Law
Did you know that 20% effort gives 80% of the results while the remaining 80% gives the rest 20%? Pareto Principle is applicable to almost everything, including writing.
How to apply it to writing?
When I feel strong, I try to complete the most challenging tasks. That is, to write on the most controversial and difficult topics or those topics that require a lot of creativity. It brings awesome results! Try to aim at least 20% of your efforts to the things you really need, and you’ll see how they move on. At the same time, 80% of your doings must be rechecked. Make sure your daily routine is organized well and you really move to the previously set goals.
Well, sometimes our productivity is low. When it’s so, try to do something that doesn’t require great focus. I bet you have something that could be done automatically and almost without any efforts; things that just require time. Use your productivity nadir to complete these easy routines.
#10 Set Reasonable Goals
Every morning is a new day, and every morning is a good place to start. Well, you have to have a plan. Otherwise, you may use your daily energy in a wrong way. Don’t let it get dispersed! So how do you set your daily goals?
One of the best advice is to allocate some time to plan the future day. Think of a few things that are really important to you and write them down. Take this plan with you and check it from time to time, especially when you feel you’re wasting your time. Then focus all your daily efforts to complete these challenges.
This is much better than making a huge list of tasks that you would never be able to complete. We often have no time to complete even three tasks, let alone the rest of the list. Focus on these three main objectives, and if you complete them ahead of the schedule, take up something else.
#11 Don’t Try to be Napoleon
In fact, when we focus on many tasks at the same time, we perform each one much slower and with more mistakes.
No matter how well you adapt to work on several tasks at once, your performance is worse than when you focus on a single challenge. The only exception is if you are doing one task automatically (for example, walking and talking simultaneously).
