Determining what kinds of spaces enhance your productivity is part of the picture, but in terms of writing environment, you also need to play with when you use those spaces and when you tackle certain activities. We'll explore the question of time as it relates to your day, your writing session lengths, and your week.
Night owls, early birds, and...typical terns?Often, so-called 'early birds' are viewed as superior to 'night owls'—the former are painted as productive go-getters, whereas the latter are labelled lazy. So first off, let's dispel the myth that the times we go to bed, wake up, and get things done on an average day have anything to do with how hardworking or diligent we are.
As long as you're getting enough sleep and fulfilling your commitments, there is nothing 'better' about writing at 7am vs. 9pm. (Ahem...can you tell this guide was written by a lifelong night owl?)
That said, try a few experiments with what time of day you write: the results may surprise you, and the ideal time might vary based on the writing activity.
There's no right or wrong in terms of productivity 'sweet spots'—there's only what works best for you.
Prioritise more cognitively demanding writing tasks during your high-productivity 'sweet spots' by shuffling around other activities in your daily routine (i.e., grocery shop in the morning so you can write in the evening, or work out in the afternoon so you can write in the morning, and so on).
Many people entertain the myth that they can only write if they have X amount of time, i.e., 'I can only write if I have at least three solid hours to work.' But given how tough time management can be when balancing a packed schedule, it's important to consider what writing activities you might be willing and able to do in a small pocket of time rather than a big bucket of time.
Jotting down your daily activities in a planner or mapping them in an app will let you spot pockets of time—20 minutes here, 45 minutes there—when you can take small 'bites' of writing work to move you closer to a final goal. For example, you might...
In a sense, this approach is about letting the full span of your day become a potential 'writing environment'—no, you shouldn't write nonstop from dawn to dusk, but progressing tasks outside of those big, obvious buckets of time can make a difference to both your workload and your mindset.
Finally, regarding the temporal element of your writing environment, consider not only when writing occurs within a day, but across your average week. Because your obligations and schedule aren't the same every day of the week, you shouldn't expect to achieve identical amounts of writing work on a daily basis.
Top tip: Use goal setting techniques for writing to strategically plan out the when, where, and what of your writing activities.
It's a good idea to stake out and take advantage of your favourite writing settings on the days when you have a bucket of time in which to engage in deeper, more meaningful work.
