Research findings

Being a highly prolific writer is sneered at in some circles. Some people think there’s a trade-off between quality and quantity. To do truly ‘great work’ – you can’t do very much of it. Science disagrees. Most of the world’s best writers, creatives and innovators – are also hugely prolific, productive people.

You’ve made it — you’re a paid writer! Maybe you write advertising copy, video sales letters, memos and presentations, or greetings cards. You’re in this line of work because you love language and you were that child who always hung around the library: there was always a novel in you.

I don’t have an infectious disease but if I did, I imagine telling people you have one garners much the same reaction as telling people you’ve written a short comedy film. There’s normally some initial interest – even enthusiasm – but then a yawning chasm of social awkwardness opens as people think I might expect them to like the film or even worse – find it funny.

At the time of writing, the top two trending articles on Buzzfeed are: ‘15 Struggles You’ll Only Understand If You’re Obsessed With Cereal’ and ‘The 15 Emotional Stages of Mobile Phone Ownership’. It’s safe to say that Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, hasn’t read either.

“I hate writing, I love having written,” goes the highly relatable quote by novelist Dorothy Parker. Whilst the creative turmoil of the writer is legendary – even necessary – tinkering with your motivational mindset can make your daily dose of writing torture more bearable. You might even have some fun…

Psychologist and author of the bestselling book Flow, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, thinks that highly creative people aren’t like us. But he doesn’t buy into the idea of the creative genius either. People who are highly creative don’t have special minds, but they do have more complicated personalities based around a series of 10 opposing character traits.

What you do first thing can make or break your day. As well as making you feel super smug about getting stuff done before work, having a morning ritual can help you meet your creative goals. Tap into the science and psychology of daybreak to build your winning routine.

The thought that it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill is enough to put you off trying. Bec Evans urges you to forget about perfectionism and instead focus on starting small and starting now.

Over at Write-Track towers we’ve launched head long into trying to tell the world about our start-up. Part of this involves engaging with the scary world of pitching for funding and whilst that doesn’t come too easily to introverted types like us it’s been useful in ordering our thoughts and telling our story. With this in mind, we thought we’d share a bit of background on where Write-Track’s come from – and where we’re heading.

The increase in smart phone usage has led to an explosion in self-monitoring. But what exactly is tracking and can it help writers?