BECOME AN UNSTOPPABLE BLOG CONTENT WRITING MACHINE AR EA R N .C O M THE CONTENT RULEBOOK ED O LL 21 Rules and Secrets To Write Dazzling Blog Content https://wsodownloads.online ED N R EA AR O LL .C M O 1 Copyright And Disclaimers Copyright © 2020 by Ankit Singla. All rights reserved. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M The author assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this ebook, or for any injury, damage and/or financial loss sustained to persons or property as a direct or indirect result of using this ebook. We cannot guarantee your future results and/or success, as there are some unknown risks in business and on the Internet that we cannot foresee. The use of our information should be based on your own due diligence, and you agree that the author is not liable for any success or failure of your business that is directly or indirectly related to the download and use of our information. Please do not copy, reproduce or distribute without written permission from the author. 1 O LL AR EA R N .C O M About The Author ED Hey! I am Ankit Singla, the author of this book, professional blogger and affiliate marketer. Want to know more? Check out my About Page. 2 M ED O LL AR EA R N .C O THE CONTENT RULEBOOK 1 Introduction .................................................................................05 Writing Faster: The Good Stuff ............................................... 07 AR EA R N .C O M Rule 1: Stop Overthinking .............................................................. 08 Rule 2: Practice Free Flow Writing ................................................ 10 Rule 3: Learn To Type Faster......................................................... 12 Rule 4: Write Only 20-Word Sentences Tops ............................... 16 Rule 5: Share Examples Whenever They Make Sense ................ 20 Rule 6: Add Images Later ............................................................... 22 Rule 7: Keep A Swipe File of English Expressions ..................... 25 Rule 8: Read Online Until You Can Write An Outline Offline ..... 28 Rule 9: Flesh It Out With The R.U.E. Method ............................... 34 Rule 10: Try Some White Noise ..................................................... 43 Rule 11: Set Deadlines ....................................................................46 Managing Your Daily Tasks ......................................................48 ED O LL Rule 12: Build Your Weekly Schedule ...........................................49 Rule 13: Start At The Right Time .................................................... 53 Rule 14: Spend Your Breaks Wisely ..............................................55 Rule 15: Clock Your Writing Speed ............................................... 59 Rule 16: Create A To-Do List ..........................................................62 Rule 17: Organize Your Digital Space ........................................... 65 Workspace Organisation Tips .................................................68 Rule 18: Designate An Official Workspace At Home.................. 69 Rule 19: De-clutter Often ............................................................... 71 Rule 20: Invest In An Indoor Plant................................................ 74 Rule 21: Try Co-Working ............................................................... 77 Final Note .................................................................................. 80 1 Introduction: How Fast Do I Write? So, you want to learn how to write fast, huh? As a professional blogger for 10 years, I’ve trained myself to consistently write a minimum of 1,500 words a day. M Since I take most weekends off, I average a grand total of around 31,500 words per month. AR EA R N .C O That output is distributed among a variety of writing tasks, like: Blog posts Newsletters Online course scripts Outlines for future articles Web copy O LL Before you say, “I can definitely write more words in one day,” hear me out. ED In the past, I used to churn out a solid 2,500 words per day. On a good day, I can still push my production to 3,500 words if extremely necessary. The only problem is, that word-per-day rate really burned me out. The more I tried to keep up with that pace, the worse my writing got. My overall productivity, in turn, suffered since I spent more time editing and resting. 5 For me, 1,500 words per day is the perfect sweet spot. It lets me maintain quality work, get things done on time, and still go on family trips on some weekends... ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M ...and below are the tips, strategies, and habits that will help you do the same: 6 .C O M WRITING FASTER: THE GOOD STUFF ED O LL AR EA R N Before we aim to make drastic changes in your writing lifestyle, let’s just get to the good stuff: Rule 1 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M STOP OVERTHINKING Sometimes, a slow writing day isn’t because of the writer’s block. The problem is, a lot of writers — from bloggers to freelancers — tend to overthink everything they type. Before a sentence is even completed, they ‘re already having doubts. Should I really say this? Can I make it sound better by rephrasing it? O M Without realizing, you’ve probably pressed “backspace” more than you’ve pressed any other key. EA R N .C Always remember that you’ll have plenty of opportunities to improve your draft later. The proofreading process exists for that reason — use it to iron out the creases and polish your work. O LL AR In the meantime, just let your ideas flow out of your mind, through your fingers, and into the keyboard. ED Grammar and spelling mistakes? You can easily correct those later with the right tools. 9 Rule 2 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M PRACTICE FREE-FLOW WRITING Free-flow writing is the practice of simply writing without rules and limitations. You boot up your computer, launch any writing app, and just type away. What should you write about? M One word: anything. N .C O Just take any thought in your mind at the moment and translate it into writing. It can be about your day, the emotions you’re feeling, your plans for the future, and so on. AR EA R To give you an idea, here’s an excerpt from one of my free-flow writing sessions: O LL “What does it take to be a great blogger? I think it’s more than just your ability to write and expertise in a niche. ED As a blogger, your goal should be to bridge the gap between useful information and the people who need them. Master this skill." Free-flow writing is a great creative outlet that reduces stress and sharpens your focus. It will also enable you to be in touch with your inner writing voice. 11 Rule 3 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M LEARN TO TYPE FASTER It’s not rocket science: the more words you can type per minute, the faster you’ll finish blog posts. Learning to type faster requires a number of things. First and foremost, you need to learn the proper, comfortable typing position. This will help you increase your overall writing speed and while reducing the likelihood of hand and wrist pains. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M When resting, see to it that each finger is resting on the corresponding key: 13 O M Left Pinky: A Left Ring Finger: S Left Middle Finger: D Left Index Finger: F Left Thumb: Space Right Thumb: Space Right Index Finger: J Right Middle Finger: K Right Ring Finger: L Right Pinky: Semicolon (;) key (or whatever key is next to “L”) R N .C Take all the time you need to adjust to the proper typing position. You may end up writing slower at first, but it’ll be worth it in the end. AR EA To speed up the adjustment process, spend some time using online typing speed tests. One of my favorites is Typing Test @ AOEU. ED O LL You don’t have to create an account or navigate a maze of menus to use it. Just start typing the words and see how many words you can get accurately in one minute. 14 15 ED N R EA AR O LL .C M O Rule 4 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M WRITE ONLY 20-WORD SENTENCES TOPS Ever felt like the sentence you’ve been writing drags on for too long? It probably does. Writing long and complicated sentences is not only a slower process, but also bad for the reading experience. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M SEO tools like Yoast may also nag you if your content has a considerable number of long sentences. 17 If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been committed to keeping every sentence I write within 20 words or less. Paragraphs are also limited to only two sentences each. I didn’t always write like this, but when I got into the habit, writing became more natural to me. M Furthermore, it became a whole lot easier to maintain the flow of my content. .C O You make a point with one sentence, explain it with another, and then move on to your next idea. EA R N I call it the “PEN” writing flow: Point, Explain, and Next AR Look at the following paragraphs, for example: ED O LL I like to keep my sentences nice and concise. Just 20 words or less each should be enough. Also, I like to keep each paragraph within two sentences only. See what I did there? Here’s a simple graphic that breaks down how the PEN writing flow works: 18 M O .C EA R N After the first two sentences (point and explanation), I’m ready to move on and share my next idea. That’s fine. O LL AR More often than not, you may need more than one sentence to explain more in-depth concepts to your readers. ED You can always insert additional sentences as long as you keep them within 20 words only — that’s my golden rule. I hope my explanation and example made the point crystal-clear to you. Speaking of examples, let’s talk about another writing technique I always use. 19 Rule 5 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M SHARE EXAMPLES WHENEVER THEY MAKE SENSE If you want your writing to be engaging and actionable, you’ll give readers concrete examples to convey your points. This is something I try to do in every Master Blogging post. It’s not that hard — just open with a statement like “for example” and “for instance” and elaborate. .C O M Again, just use short and to-the-point sentences to avoid derailing the focus of readers. You may also utilize various forms of visual content to present your example without using too many words. ED O LL AR EA R N For the most part, I use screenshots and, occasionally, simple infographics to visually explain certain things. But if you can’t provide visual examples in your content, paint a picture with your words instead. 21 Rule 6 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M ADD IMAGES LATER The writing mojo can be a fragile thing. You turn your attention away for a second and suddenly you forgot about the point you were making. If visual elements like images and screenshots play a big role in your content strategy, then listen up. M Stop adding them to your draft while you’re still writing. N .C O Instead, insert a simple placeholder to help you remember where screenshots should be. ED O LL AR EA R As for me, I only enter the word “Screenshot” — center-aligned and bold-faced — as a placeholder. Sometimes, I even add visible comments to make them easier to spot when proofreading. 23 Rule 7 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M KEEP A SWIPE FILE OF YOUR GO-TO ENGLISH EXPRESSIONS As you can probably tell, I’m not a native English speaker. I had to write millions of words to achieve the level of fluidity and fluency I have now. Admittedly, I still have a ton of improvements to make, especially when it comes to my vocabulary. O M Pay close attention now — I’m about to reveal something I’ve never told anyone. R N .C When writing, I never run out of words because I keep a swipe file of English phrases. O LL AR EA Swipe files are commonly used in advertising to supply copywriters with proven sales letters, emails, ad copies, and so forth. As for me, I use a swipe file to collect English phrases and even entire paragraphs for inspiration. ED In it, you’ll find hundreds of interesting and versatile phrases like “get the ball rolling” and “run like clockwork.” I also include example sentences to make sure I remember how to use them. Of course, not every word I use when writing can be found in that swipe file. I just add catchy phrases that can be used as starting points for unique and well-written sentences. 25 You can easily build your own swipe file using any note-taking or spreadsheet app. Google Sheets is a good option since it’s free and accessible from any device. With your swipe file ready, be on the lookout for English phrases that you see yourself using in the future. You can find them everywhere — from other people’s blog posts to the next movie you’ll watch. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M Need help putting together your writing swipe file? How about some phrases to set you off to a running start? 26 M O .C N R ED O LL AR EA Get the ball running Off to a running start Run buttery-smooth A golden rule/opportunity is to… Let’s face it· With any luck… I kid you not… The problem is… Filled to the brim with… It’s not rocket science At the end of the day Before you know it A chock-full of… Back to square one From a clean slate From the ground up There’s no room for… You can’t afford to… For the sake of this post One of the things that… While you’re at it You can also add alternatives to common phrases and words like “for example” and “however,” like: For instance For one In particular On the other hand Despite this 27 Rule 8 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M READ ONLINE UNTIL YOU CAN WRITE AN OUTLINE OFFLINE The best articles are written by those who fully understand what they’re talking about. These are writers who are capable of completing entire posts while offline. Don’t get me wrong — it’s perfectly fine to have a couple of browser tabs open for research while you write. You could even look at your competitors’ content to borrow ideas and inspiration. .C O M However, you can write significantly faster and better if you’re not looking anywhere else but your writing app. EA R N You don’t have to do it the whole time you’re writing an article. You just need to do it until, at least, you’re done building an outline. ED O LL AR To do this, check out the steps below: 29 Step 1: Start with 30-60 minutes of solid research Spend 30-60 minutes doing research on the topic you want to write about. Check out blog posts, YouTube tutorials, Quora posts — anything that can provide you with quality and updated information. O M This is a crucial step that will surely affect your performance in the following steps. So, don’t skimp on research and learn well. N .C Step 2: Create a rough outline based on your own understanding of the topic AR EA R Next, write a rough outline of your post by creating subheadings for each topic you’ve learned. ED O LL Don’t look at any online resource while you perform this step. Trust me, you can build article outlines a lot faster if you already have a solid understanding of the subject. To give you an example, I wanted to write an in-depth Grammarly review — a tool that I use regularly. Relying on my own knowledge, this is what my rough outline looked like: 30 M O .C N AR EA R To help you focus on your outline, you can try distraction-free writers like Calmly Writer. O LL It’s a simple, free online writing tool without excessive visual elements that could distract you. ED The only thing you can see on the editor is the Calmly Writer logo, which hides the tool’s main menu. 31 M O .C N AR EA R Other than making outlines, Calmly Writer is also handy for free-flow writing. Give it a try and you might be surprised how fast you write without any distractions. O LL Step 3: Add some details ED The next step is to add some details for each subheading without writing fluff.Since I’m very familiar with the Grammarly app, I wrote the section below in literally less than a minute: 32 M O .C N R EA AR Now — don’t discuss the nitty-gritty yet. ED O LL Proceed to the rest of the subheadings in your outline first. Just explain and briefly describe what each section is about. If you studied and understood the topic well, this process should be a breeze to you. If, however, you’re struggling with this step, chances are you’re not ready to write authoritative, cream-of-the-crop content yet. In which case, you need to go back to step number one and do more research. 33 Rule 9 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M FLESH IT OUT WITH THE R.U.E. METHOD When you’re done adding some details to your outline, you can now focus on adding more “meat.” EA R N .C O M I do this using a three-step process I call “RUE”: Research, Update, and Elaborate. AR Research (More Research) ED O LL The goal: Make sure your outline’s topics match all the needs of your target readers You can never have too much knowledge if you want to write an authoritative and impactful piece. Before I start adding more details to a section, I launch Google and enter any keyword related to the subheading. Sometimes, you can also plug in the subheading itself — Google should still be able to find relevant content for you. 35 M O .C N R EA O LL AR The goal here isn’t just to refresh your knowledge before you start writing. Rather, it’s to figure out if your outline aligns with the pain points of your potential readers. ED If your outline doesn’t address the readers’ concerns, you’ll end up with lots of unsatisfied visitors in the future. Based on the example above, using Grammarly with MS Office is a key concern among users. The topic is already covered in our outline, which means we can now move on to the next step. 36 M O .C N R EA O LL AR Of course, the first Google result is just the beginning. Most of the time, you’ll have to check the entire first page of Google to make sure your outline checks all boxes. ED You can only stop once the results become repetitive, like in the screenshot below: 37 M O .C N R EA AR Update O LL The goal: Get the most up-to-date information for your outline ED The next step is to make sure your outline is backed by the most recent information available. Checking the top pages on Google is a step in the right direction. After all, articles that perform well on Google usually have the most up-to-date and relevant information. 38 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M But to be sure, use Google’s built-in tools to filter out results that are, at most, over a year old. By applying this filter, you can find the latest topics that will maximize the value of your content. If you happen to find new information you didn’t know before, make it a part of your updated outline. 39 Don’t leave out any information your readers will find useful if you want to create top-quality content. AR EA R N .C O M For example, Grammarly recently launched their “tone detector” software that can help determine the emotional impact of an article. ED O LL Since this is new to me, my first course of action is to add it to my outline. Naturally, I’ll also do some research and maybe test the feature myself. Once I get the important, updated information I need, I proceed to the final step in the RUE method. Elaborate The goal: Explain how readers can use the information to solve their problems 40 The elaboration process in the RUE method is where all the work goes in. At this stage, you need to be comprehensive. Discuss everything there is to know about the topic, especially how readers can take advantage of the information they’ll acquire. M A great way to do this is to focus on the problem that readers are having. .C O In the example above, Grammarly’s tone detector is designed to help users avoid giving the wrong impression with their content. EA R N I can focus on this problem by describing a scenario, like: O LL AR As a blogger, you must pay attention to the overall tone of your articles. ED Imagine writing a listicle about the top mistakes that new bloggers make. With poor word choices like “amateur” and “idiotic,” you may come off as condescending rather than helpful. The RUE method works best when combined with the PEN writing flow. You identify the sequence of points to cover with RUE, and then use PEN during the “Elaborate” step. 41 Always remember: RUE (Research, Update, Elaborate): Identify relevant, updated topics in your outline and elaborate on them. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M PEN (Point, Explain, Next): Three sentences to make a point, explain, and transition to the next point. 42 Rule 10 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M TRY SOME WHITE NOISE At first, I didn’t delve into the science behind white noise and how it helps a person’s productivity. I just thought, perhaps it’s comparable to working in a proper, distraction-free environment. White noise, after all, aims to drown out distractions in the form of sound. O LL AR EA R N .C O M In any case, I gave white noise a shot with Noisli — a free online noise generator. ED Long story short, I was able to blitz through a 1,500-word workday in roughly three hours. Impressed? I’m not saying that white noise will work for you. You may have to play around the various noise options on Noisli to find something that can hone your focus. 44 Some of my favorite noise types you can emulate on Noisli include: Fire Café Rain Stream Wind White noise is great and all, but what about music? .C O M Music can spur productivity in some people, but it’s not as reliable as pattern-less noises — at least, not for me. EA R N I, for one, have an on-and-off relationship with music as a productivity tool. Sometimes it speeds up my output, other times it drowns out my internal train of thought. O LL AR There’s only one thing I can guarantee when it comes to music and productivity: ED As long as you enjoy the music you’re listening to, it will definitely enhance your mood. This, in turn, can help you stay motivated throughout a tough workday 45 Rule 11 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M SET DEADLINES In the early days of Master Blogging (called BloggerTipsTricks.com back then), I wasn’t exactly in the fast lane. Sure, I was new to the blogging business and spent most of my time learning the ropes. But aside from that, I also didn’t really feel any sense of urgency back then. I wasn’t even tracking my writing speed at the time. .C O M Things only started to pick up once I began setting deadlines for myself. N Yes, deadlines — something that bosses give their employees. AR EA R The fun part of this habit is that I get to decide my own reward in case I beat a deadline. It can be a movie night, a new book, or a meal at my favorite restaurant. O LL Punishments for missing deadlines? Yeah — I tried doing that as well. ED However, self-imposed punishments often do more harm than good. Staying up late to finish a task, for example, only made it harder to beat the next deadline. At the end of the day, I find positive reinforcement more preferable and sustainable for the long-term. To effectively set deadlines, it’s important to have a solid schedule to work with. This leads us to the next section. 47 Managing Your Daily Tasks ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M To get things done faster as a blogger, you need to learn how to work smart. This means being in total control of your time and your tasks. Task Management Rule 1 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M BUILD YOUR WEEKLY SCHEDULE Whether you like it or not, humans are creatures of habit. It’s significantly easier to consistently perform tasks if you build a schedule around it. For this, I want you to take a note-taking tool like Evernote or any application that lets you insert tables. O LL AR EA R N .C O M Create a table with at least five columns, which will reflect all the days in a workweek. ED If you plan to start at 10 in the morning every Monday, set a 30minute break at 11:30. That will be your first writing sprint. 50 .C O M Research has shown that our bodies undergo a non-stop cycle called the “ultradian rhythm.” I learned about it from a Fast Company article a few years back. AR EA R N In a nutshell, we can only focus on intense work for only 90-120 minutes before our brains need to recharge. Deny yourself that muchneeded break and you’ll only harm your productivity in the long run. O LL Each break can be up to 30 minutes long. If you want, you can dial it down to 20 minutes, but that won’t be necessary for most people. ED After each break, add another sprint until the time you’re usually done writing. Let’s say you typically finish work at 5:00 PM. Here’s what your Monday schedule could look like: 51 M O R N .C Now that you’re familiar with the ultradian rhythm, go ahead and fill up the rest of your schedule. ED O LL AR EA You can start at different times each day. The important thing is, you give yourself ample breaks every 90-120 minutes of uninterrupted work. 52 Task Management Rule 2 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M START AT THE RIGHT TIME What time should you start performing your blogging tasks? If I were you, I’d start as soon as I finish breakfast. As creatives, we bloggers must avoid all forms of distraction early in the morning. If we come across a relevant piece of news or information, we don’t just lose a few minutes reading it. .C O M It may also linger in the back of our minds and distract us for an entire day. ED O LL AR EA R N Paul Graham introduced this concept in his essay called “Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule.” Anything that exposes you to new information, from emails to social media, must be put off until your first break. That ensures you’re in tiptop mental shape during your first 90-120 minutes of work. If possible, try to do other work-related stuff like content promotions and site maintenance at the end of the workday. This will pretty much guarantee that you’ll have laser-sharp focus when writing 54 Task Management Rule 3 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M SPEND YOUR BREAKS WISELY On a busy day, a break well-spent is also a form of productivity. What you do during your breaks is totally up to you. Still, you should avoid certain activities that prevent you from recovering your energy levels — physically and mentally. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M Some of the things you shouldn’t do when you’re on a break are: Responding to Important Emails Reading emails and checking social media are fine when you’re on a break. However, writing elaborate responses to clients or partners is work and must be done during productivity hours. 56 Proofreading Too Early I used to have the bad habit of proofreading as I work — slowing down my writing speed to a crawl. That’s something you should avoid, especially when you’re supposed to be taking your break. Staring at More Screens O M Full-time bloggers and freelancers are particularly prone to eye strain and fatigue. As such, make sure to rest your eyes and limit the time looking at screens, including your phone and TV. ED O LL AR EA R N .C On the other hand, here are the things you should do while on breaks: 57 Eat Writing on an empty stomach is possible, but it could lead to symptoms like lightheadedness and impaired concentration. That’s why you should promptly have lunch and dinner during your afternoon and evening breaks. Take a Coffee Nap R N Perform Light Exercises or Stretches .C O M If you’re feeling sleepy at any point during the workday, don’t be afraid to take a 20-minute nap. Drinking coffee beforehand is scientifically proven to better heighten wakefulness and focus. O LL AR EA To prevent body pains and other side effects of sitting too long, consider going for a quick walk outdoors. Alternatively, you can perform simple stretches that affect your back, legs, arms, and neck. ED Think About What You’ll Write Next If you want to publish convincing pieces in your blog, your content needs your original take on the topic. Take the time to dig deep and think about the next paragraphs you’ll write — without referring to external sources. 58 Task Management Rule 4 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M CLOCK YOUR WRITING SPEED After your writing sprints, make it a habit to measure the number of words you can generate. In my early days as a blogger, I can easily produce around 500 words in 60-90 minutes. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M You should be able to write at the same speed with practice. And for that, it’s important that you keep monitoring your day-to-day performance. 60 How fast should you go? The answer is “it depends.” If you write 500 words per hour, writing 1,500 words per day is more than doable. But since we have 90-minute chunks of productivity throughout the day, a minimum of 250 words per hour will do. O M Following our sample, you can have up to four, 90-minute writing sprints from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM: N .C 4 x 90 minutes = 360 minutes EA R 360 minutes = 6 hours AR 6 hours x 250 words per hour = 1,500 words written ED O LL How about that — you only need 250 words per hour if you use the sample schedule I created above. Feel free to adjust your target writing speed as you see fit. The more words you can output in less time, the better. 61 Task Management Rule 5 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M CREATE A TO-DO LIST I never start working without a clear, to-do list that will help me stay on track. Doing so makes it a whole lot easier to hit our goal of 1,500 words in a day. And for this task, my go-to tool has always been Trello. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M Just take a look at how glorious and rewarding it is to have a busy Trello board: If you don’t feel like relying on third-party software at the moment, try built-in apps like: Sticky Notes for Windows 10 Reminders for Mac OS Notes for iOS and Mac OS 63 You can also use one of the thousands of to-do list apps for mobile devices, even the free ones. But if I were you, I’d use an app on my computer or just write it on a physical notepad. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M Doing so means I don’t have to constantly switch between my devices while I write. 64 Task Management Rule 6 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M ORGANIZE YOUR DIGITAL SPACE There are two types of computer users; those who like to maintain a clean, organized desktop, and those who don’t. Do yourself a favor and don’t be part of the latter. M If you’re like me who inserts a ton of screenshots in your posts, being digitally organized isn’t an option. Just imagine the tediousness of scanning hundreds of image files to find the right screenshot you need to upload. N .C O To prevent this, I make sure to use folders as much as I can while deleting the old ones I no longer need. AR EA R I also reduce the number of items on my computer by saving my files on the cloud whenever possible. For applications like Microsoft Word, the cloud saving feature is baked into the software. ED O LL For other stuff, you can utilize cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox. I do this whenever organizing media assets for my websites, particularly images and visual website elements like logos. 66 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M For other stuff, you can utilize cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox. I do this whenever organizing media assets for my websites, particularly images and visual website elements like logos. 67 Workspace Organization Tips .C O M You can’t achieve peak productivity in a disorganized workspace— that’s a fact. ED O LL AR EA R N Let me help you find a permanent, work environment at home with the following tips: Workspace Organization Rule 1 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M DESIGNATE AN OFFICIAL WORKSPACE AT HOME You probably hear about bloggers who write in their bedrooms, coffee shops, living rooms, and so on. I used to enjoy the same lifestyle. Some days, I even worked in the living room with the TV on full blast. Would you like to know what happened next? M My regular, 5-hour workday extended to 8-10 hours. N .C O I also struggled to maintain the quality of my writing despite working on topics I’m highly familiar with. EA R The bottom line is, you NEED a designated workspace at home that sets you on the mood to write. AR Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a workspace: ED O LL Lighting — Does the room have adequate lighting? Natural lighting is preferable to help stave off drowsiness, but any bright light source will suffice. Distraction Sources — Your workspace must be somewhere with a desk and free of anything distracting — be it your TV or fridge. Temperature — You cannot disregard your own comfort if you want to be productive. It’s hard to focus on work when you’re sweating beads — so, pick a room with windows for ventilation 70 Workspace Organization Rule 2 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M DE-CLUTTER OFTEN Workspace clutter is comparable to a messy email inbox. One moment you’re looking at two or three unread messages, the next your inbox now has over fifty unopened emails. When it comes to workspace clutter, you sometimes don’t notice it until your desk is already an overwhelming mess. O M If you’re constantly annoyed by items falling to the floor, bumping your elbows, or gathering dust, you need to de-clutter. R N .C Better yet, prevent clutter from accumulating in the first place by clearing your desk after every workday. EA Want to get clutter out of your life faster? AR Let me give you a personal challenge. ED O LL From now on, make it your daily goal to do at least one of the following activities: Put all papers in your workspace in a proper storage — or discard them altogether Wipe your desk clean and disinfect Clean your computer and phone Sort the cords of your electronics Designate your own “clutter box” and put something in it daily Tidy up and organize the things in your bag 72 Easy enough, right? ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M If you feel like there’s not enough time to do some general cleaning, practice de-cluttering one habit at a time 73 Workspace Organization Rule 3 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M INVEST IN AN INDOOR PLANT Believe it or not, indoor plants in office spaces are there for a reason. Numerous studies have already proven their psychological benefits to in-office employees, particularly in factors like: ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M Stress Emotional stability Focus Here’s an interesting fact: research has shown that indoor plants in offices can increase productivity by 15%. 75 It doesn’t matter if the indoor plant is on your desk, shelf, or in the corner of your workspace. Some of the most popular indoor plants you can place in your workspace are: ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M Cactus Jade plant Devil’s ivy African violet Aloe 76 Workspace Organization Rule 4 ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M TRY CO-WORKING A co-working space is basically an office that bloggers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, remote employees, and even students can share. These establishments can provide amenities like air-conditioning, free coffee, books, meeting rooms, and clean desks for maximum productivity. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M Co-working can be a last resort if you’re simply not satisfied with the workspace you have at home. But even if you already have a decent working space, you should still consider trying it at least once Interesting fact: a study revealed that 74% of co-workers are more productive. 78 Keep in mind that the workspaces themselves aren’t the only commodities here. Through co-working spaces, you can also meet like-minded individuals, potential partners, and — in some cases — prospective customers. ED O LL AR EA R N .C O M To look for a co-working space near you, I recommend Coworker.com. It’s a free-to-use tool that’s connected to thousands of co-working spaces around the globe. 79 FINAL NOTE Thank you for purchasing and reading this eBook! Writing quickly, time management, and organization all go hand in hand. Hopefully, you can apply all of the strategies above in your everyday blogging life. .C O M Of course, learning all 21 rules in a day can be extremely difficult to do. EA R N Remember, these writing rules encapsulate all the work habits I acquired through the years. You don’t have to push yourself to learn all of them in such a short time. O LL AR Instead, try to learn at your own pace by practicing a set number of strategies per day. ED At a rate of three rules each day, you’ll be done in a week! Again, I thank you for purchasing this eBook and sincerely hope you get the results you deserve. Good luck and feel free to reach out to me for your suggestions, questions, and feedback! Ankit Singla