Writing in My First and Last Hour

bydoctorg

367 followers

Updated 5 years ago

Introduction

I have settled into a nice rhythm of writing content in the FIRST and LAST hour of my day. These are my "online business" hours quite apart from my day job.

I'm shooting for 500 to 750 words per session.

Starting the day this way is critical to progress on my sites. Otherwise, it's easy to get overrun with the demands of full-time work and my normal family responsibilites.

Ending the day on content is also my symbolic way of saying that this online pursuit matters to me. It's not just a side hobby, but something that needs my time and attention.

Organization is Key

Being organized is the key to making this work for me.

I am not an organized person by habit, and this has been my biggest progress killer since I tended to bounce around on writing about different topics.

A great resources is the One Hour Content Plan (available on Kindle Unlimited) which will give you a year's worth of ideas for creating content relevant to your niche. The book also walks you through creating an editorial calendar.

Any resource like this will set you on a marked path which is what you need to stay focused.

My Process

Once I decide on a post, I start creating right inside of Wordpress.

Early on I was using WA's site content creator, which I think is a great resource to help with writing. However, I have found that keeping my draft inside of WP is simply easier as I can add images and formatting as I go.

Even better, the little information icon on the top left of the editor provides a running tally of my word count and subject headings:

Use Productivity Tools

I use a timer on a productivity app on my phone to keep me on track.

I set it to 55 minutes and stop when the bell rings. I don't surf the web, check e-mail, or do anything else but focus on getting down as much content as I can.

I take a 5 minute break, then continue with regular work. (I actually use the 55 min on, 5 min off method throughout the day as it creates natural periods of focus and rest).

Are You Motivated Enough?

Finally, let me say a word about motivation.

I do not find this "routine" tedious, heavy or difficult in any way. It's actually something I look forward to every day.

So this is the key.

If you are not absolutely excited about your topic or working on your online business then there are deeper things going on. I've talked about this in other articles so I won't belabor the points.

You can read about them here:

1. What Do You Mean It's Difficult?
2. How Badly Do You Want This?
3. You Need to Focus
4. The Importance of Mindset

Find That Motivation

What I will say is that you must find that inner drive and excitement about your topic and your online business so that this becomes a labor of joy and not drudgery.

For some of you, it may be doing video or audio instead of writing content (as much as that hurts me to say). For others, it may be changing your niche to something that you can't stop talking about.

Whatever it is, make that change so that motivation is no longer a problem for you!

Here's to your success!

P.S. Reach out to me if I can help you in any way. I'm not at the top yet, but I know a thing or two about the online world and pushing through the difficulties.