Productivity

 

Links marked with a * are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. I only recommend resources I personally use or have tried and believe in. All Amazon book links are affiliate links.

 

Blog Posts


Books

See the index for this section for books I recommend about other author-related topics.

Dear Writer, You Need to Quit

by Becca Syme

I have coached thousands of writers. Six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike. And there are patterns to what writers need to quit, what we need to keep, and what we need to question. Those patterns are why I'm here, writing to you.

Anyone can tell you what worked for them, and of course they can say, "it might not work for you," but they can't tell you why.

Come and join me, and I'll tell you why. 

2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love

by Rachael Aaron

Expanding on her highly successful process for doubling daily word counts, this book—a combination of reworked blog posts and new material—offers practical writing advice for anyone who’s ever longed to increase their daily writing output. In addition to updated information for Rachel’s popular 2k to 10k writing efficiency process, 5 step plotting method, and easy editing tips, this new book includes chapters on creating characters that write their own stories, story structure, and learning to love your daily writing.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

by Greg McKeown

Have you ever found yourself stretched too thin? Do you simultaneously feel overworked and underutilized? Are you often busy but not productive? Do you feel like your time is constantly being hijacked by other people’s agendas? If you answered yes to any of these, the way out is the Way of the Essentialist.

Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life

by Nir Eyal

Empowering and optimistic, Indistractable provides practical, novel techniques to control your time and attention—helping you live the life you really want.

On Being a Dictator: Using Dictation to be a Better Writer

by Kevin J. Anderson and Martin L. Shoemaker

Multiple New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson has written 160 books—nearly fifteen million words!—most of them by dictating into a hand-held recorder while hiking. Award-winning novelist and short story writer Martin L. Shoemaker dictates chapters and stories while driving, turning his daily commute into a productive work session.

These two die-hard “dictators,” share their techniques and insights.


Courses

Better-Faster Academy

Taught by: Becca Syme

https://betterfasteracademy.com/


Podcasts

See podcasts on General Resources page.


Tools

Timely

https://app.timely.com/

A fantastic tool for freelancers to automatically track their time on given activities. (Paid service.)

Asana

https://app.asana.com/

A robust to-do list and project planner capable of handling a huge spectrum of projects. Can be used for teams, or for a freelancer with a lot of different income streams. I use the free version and it does everything I need it to do.

Dragon Naturally Speaking by Nuance

https://www.nuance.com/dragon.html

The dictation software used by me and many other professionals.

Scrivener

https://www.talenawinters.com/scrivener*

The word processor preferred by me and many other professional writers.