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Many writers struggle with productivity. No wonder. Distractions come at us from every angle, every hour of the day. If you're searching for productivity secrets to supercharge your day, I understand. At home, children or pets vie for your attention. If you work online, Facebook disguises itself as a chocolate bar--tempting, tempting, tempting. Business coaches have seemingly bred like rabbits, all eager to tell us how to spend our time. Yet the activities they promise will "move our business forward" don't actually get our work done. Writers need to write. Putting pen to paper, so to speak, is what generates income. Posting to social media channels, writing our own blog posts, live streaming on social media, creating freemiums to build our email list, researching markets, while all worthwhile activities, do…

New freelance writers often think of veteran writers as superheroes. I know I did. I would spend months writing a magazine feature and look at those actually making a living writing and wonder how I, too, could get more writing done. Whether you think you're slow, distracted, or just disorganized, there are a lot of things I've learned along the way to up my game. If you want to learn how to get more writing done, read on for some top tips. How to Get More Writing Done Stop trying to learn everything Are you a webinar junkie? Do you feel like you need to learn just one more thing before you can transition from journalism to content marketing? Or, maybe, you have a thirst for knowledge that never seems…

  Sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop, I finally hit “print” for the article I’d been struggling with for days. But nothing happened. Then the message appeared: “The printer is out of paper.” “Not again,” I mumbled as I hoofed it to the next room, tripping over my six-year-old sprawled on the floor with crayons and paper spread about. “Like my pictures, Mommy?” "That’s where my paper went, again," I thought. This happened 10 years ago. That little boy, the baby of six children, turned 16 last week. Many moms wait until the day their child gets on the school bus for the first time before they begin a home business. As a homeschooling parent for over 25 years, I never had that option. Consequently, I learned many…

I'm a paper and pencil gal. No two ways about it, I love my paper planner, colored file folders, and 4-color pen. I even have a collection of Flair markers that I use for color-coding or just...coloring. But, when it comes to staying organized in my business, I use what works best--paper or not. As a matter of fact, I've found four digital tools for writers that have revolutionized my productivity and helped me to be better at what I do. Digital Tools for Writers Have you met Trello? O.M.G. I LOVE Trello! I've tried many digital tools for writers like Evernote or OneNote and by the time I figure them out, I'm dropping them like a bad date. But not Trello. Trello's like that beach blonde, blue-eyed dreamboat at…