5 Helpful Books to Boost Your Writing Productivity
Many of us are obsessed with productivity. To maximize our productivity, we often focus on time management and optimizing our calendars. But I must agree with Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and best-selling author. According to Grant, productivity is less about time management and more about attention management.
“Attention management is the art of focusing on getting things done for the right reasons, in the right places and at the right moments,” says Grant. In other words, we need to prioritize not only what the task is, but also how we will complete that task.
This idea holds true for writing. We need to manage our attention to maximize our writing productivity.
How can you focus your attention during the writing process? You can create habits and systems that help you manage your attention. Check out the following books to learn how to design processes and fuel motivation to maximize your writing productivity.
Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
In this classic—and funny—book about writing, Lamott gives valuable advice for getting started with writing, overcoming writer’s block, and getting over the idea of writing terrible first drafts. I especially like her advice—and main premise of the book—to focus on writing one short assignment at a time.
Deep Work, by Cal Newport
In this book, Newport describes the value of focusing without distraction, which he calls deep work, and how it can help us produce better results in less time. The concept of deep work is so important in scientific and medical writing. We need to dedicate time and attention to thinking and writing. In this book, Newport discusses the importance of cultivating deep work and shares four “rules” to help you develop this skill.
Switch, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Change is hard. And it’s even harder when you don’t have clear directions for making a particular change. In this book, the Heath brothers discuss the rational and emotional minds, and how we must unite these minds to achieve results. They describe the three things you must do—and give great examples of each—to help you make changes that support your productivity and success.
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
When we seek change, sometimes we feel discouraged when our efforts do not produce immediate results. In this book, Clear suggests that bad habits repeat themselves not because we do not want to change, but because we do not have clear systems to support that change. He highlights four simple steps you can take to build better habits, helping you make tiny changes that give remarkable results.
21 Days to Inbox Zero, by Marshall Hughes
Email is a massive attention-stealer. Our habits around email can rob us of our productivity and ability to do deep work. In this book, Hughes offers a 21-day program that helps you learn to manage your inbox more effectively and efficiently. With his simple steps, you can get control of your email and free up your attention to do deep work.
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