I’m coming up on my two year anniversary at C7D. In that time I have learned a lot about myself as a writer. In this blog I want to share a few different things that have helped me focus, stay on task and get into the writing flow.
Mood Music
I work in an active office. There always seems to be a phone chat going on, a Skype call coming in, messenger notifications going off, design files being discussed or project notes being handed off. If I overhear any words being spoken, I start writing those words. So my headphones and my Spotify account have become my best friends. My writing music only has one hard and fast rule: No English words. Which was a massive blow to K-Pop because they always seem to have a random English phrase stuck right in the middle of their songs. But that leaves a whole lot of space for movie scores, opera concertos, atmospheric rock, and some lofi hip-hop. If music by itself isn’t cutting it, I listen to some ASMR. ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. ASMR is a response that your body has to certain sounds that causes deep relaxation. For me, ASMR helps me focus when writing. Never heard of ASMR before? Welcome to a whole new world! The New Yorker wrote an interesting piece on it recently; you can find it here.
Reward Systems
I also like to set up a system for myself to help me push through. It is a similar idea to when you are working out. “If I finish these four sets then I can go sit in the jacuzzi.” For my writing, I’ll set up a reward system so that if I finish a blog in a particular set of time then I get to read an interesting article or take a walk around the block. (Love me some mentalfloss.com or atlasobscura.com) It helps me just get the words out! I can always go back and edit and make it sound better, but the biggest hurdle is to just get the words outside of my head. Rewarding myself for that always feels like a win.
If you have some other tips and tricks that help you write, I’d love to hear them! I’m always looking for new ways to improve my process! Let me know in the comments below! If you enjoyed reading this post check out my last piece and stay tuned for upcoming work from our other team members. They talk about Design Trends, Social Media Integration, and more!