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I have been a big fan of the Pomodoro Technique for a long time. The short version is that you do your best work when you are refreshed, usually in the first 15 – 30 minutes of a task. So by scheduling short breaks, you give your brain a rest and then can come back to your task with renewed energy. John Lee Dumas uses this technique to help him with his writing. Head over to Goins, Writer to learn more.
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How to Just Start When it Comes to Writing
There’s nothing more frustrating than the bright, white glow of an empty screen and the constant, blinking reminder from your cursor that you’re not making any progress.
Writing a strong piece – one that’s valuable to your readers and that you feel great about – isn’t easy.
But what if I told you there’s a simple formula you can follow to get more writing done in a single day than you did all last week?
A simple formula for real progress
You already know the toughest part about writing is getting started. If you can get the first sentence down, then the rest will follow.
Of course you’ll do re-writes, have edits to make, and you might even go back and add a thing or two. But doesn’t it feel incredible to just start?
Just starting the writing process is progress in and of itself, not to mention what follows: strong momentum, or what some refer to as “the flow”.
This simple formula for real progress is made up of two parts and will help you just start every time you use it.
The two parts are: “Focus Time” and “Refresh Time”.
If you’re familiar with the Pomodoro Technique, then you probably know where I’m headed with this. The idea is that you give yourself a specific amount of time to accomplish X, start a timer to hold yourself accountable, and FOCUS on X until your timer runs out.