Scott Ginsberg often advises that to be successful - no matter what your field - you should write everyday. If you want to become known as an expert in your field: write.

But when?

When is there time in your busy schedule to add one more thing to your ever increasing list of to-dos?

I'm sure you have found that there are times when you can crank out a bunch of great thoughts on paper and then other times when remembering how to spell your name is a struggle.

Michael over at Copyblogger just outlined five key steps to finding the time to write productively.

They are:

#1 - Identify Your Productivity Zone

#2 - When in the Zone, ONLY Write

#3 - How to Stay Focused on Writing

#4 - How to Accomplish More Writing

#5 - Reward Yourself for Getting Writing Done

The last one is my favorite. As a professed list-aholic I love the sensation of checking off or striking through the completed tasks on my list of things to do. Often when there is a task that I find less than pleasurable, I'll bribe myself into completing it by dangling a little incentive in front of myself. (Oh the things we "work alone from home" people do to stay motivated.)

This summer with my kids at home, in particular my 10 year old daughter - I would tell her that if we both completed our list of tasks by 3pm and the weather was nice that we'd go to the pool. It worked great. Not every day was pool day, but when we did manage to sneak away - we went knowing that my customer writing and her reading, writing, chores and piano practicing were completed.

We could enjoy our guilty pleasure, guilt-free.

When do you write? How do you stay motivated?

Deborah Chaddock Brown
Writer