How To Be a More Efficient Writer, Publish Consistently, and Make More Money

Forget time. Focus on output.

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Over the last five years, I’ve helped thousands of writers publish their work, attract an audience, and monetize their writing.

Working with so many individuals helped me understand the most common struggles and fears of new writers and one of them is consistency.

I'll be honest: I won't tell you that you have to write every single day to build your audience or business.

I'm not a fan of writing challenges that encourage you to write for several days in a row because, in most cases, that's not a sustainable habit if you still have a full-time job and other responsibilities.

Depending on your lifestyle and circumstances, you might not be able to write every single day. But that's okay because you don't have to.

I'll show you how to still become an efficient writer, publish consistently, and grow your audience plus income—even if you're starting from scratch.

Passion > Profit

If I received $1 every time an aspiring writer tells me, "I don't know what to write about," I'd have a lot of extra dollars.

Jokes aside, I get dozens of messages each week from people who're excited about the opportunity to write online but don't have clarity on their message.

The harsh truth is if you have no idea what to write about, you probably shouldn't be writing.

There's no point in writing for the sake of writing if you don't have a message.

That's like wanting to start a business without knowing what to actually do.

Or like starting a relationship just because you don't want to be alone.

It's the wrong approach.

And sadly, most beginners who don't know what message they want to share end up looking for profitable topics.

But if you force yourself to write about topics you're not interested in, you won't do it for long enough.

A friend of mine wrote dozens of listicles about cryptocurrencies and NFTs because they were trending. Three months in, he hated every post he published.

When he finally started writing about his experience with ADHD, everything changed — readers connected, subscribed, and stayed.

Why?

Because he finally dared to write about a topic he cared about, which means his voice started to sound more natural and unique, and his insights were actually based on real personal experience.

Online writing is a marathon, not a sprint. If you are new to the journey, you might want to make quick progress. But along the way, you have to pause and reflect on whether you are on the right path.

In the long run, you are way better off pivoting and changing your direction quickly instead of wasting more time on the wrong journey.

Quick wins won't help you build a sustainable and long-lasting audience and income. Stamina will. And you won't have the stamina to do something you dislike for years.

Write about topics you genuinely care about.

Write about topics you’d want to study, even if you don’t get rewarded.

Write about topics that make you fall in love with the process of writing.

What are the topics you can’t stop talking about?

What are you really good at?

What have you been interested in in the past?

What are the stories you wish you had read when you were younger?

That's what you should be writing.

If you're serious about writing for a living, you'll write a lot, so you might as well enjoy what you're writing.

Don't get me wrong: I know you want to be rewarded—and paid—for your work.

And you will.

But only if you:

• Stick to your message for long enough

• Stand out from the masses

• Attract an audience of superfans who love you for being you

And that's only possible if you enjoy the work you're doing.

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Design a Routine You’ll Actually Stick to

Most new writers start with big ambitions and fail quickly because they set large goals without validating whether they can actually sustain the daily efforts.

Writing daily, for example, sounds sexy, but it might not be the way to go for you.

And it doesn't matter.

What matters is that you have large blocks of uninterrupted writing time throughout your week.

When you sit down to write, make sure you can work for at least 30 minutes. Anything less isn’t effective. Ideally, block off even more time.

Take a look at your schedule and put writing blocks on your calendar. Treat them like important appointments.

As a new writer, it's easy to say you'll write later. But if you don't prioritize your craft, you'll eventually end up not writing or publishing anything for weeks or even months.

So here's what to do:

#1. Every Sunday, schedule your writing sessions for the upcoming week.

If your weeks usually look similar, great!

If not, no problem: Make a new plan each week.

Sometimes, you might need to get up early. Other times, you might need to stay up a little longer. That's just how it is.

When I started to write, most of my writing was done between 5–7 am or 9–11 pm.

If possible, do your writing when it feels most easy. For me, it's the first thing I do in the morning because I need mental energy and an empty mind to write.

#2. On top of deciding when to write, choose where to write and create a distraction-free environment. Remove clutter and visual distractions. Optimize your working space so it supports your ambitions.

#3. Prepare your writing sessions in advance: When you sit down to write, you want to write. You don't want to think about what to write.

As a writer, you're wearing different hats:

• Idea generation

• Writing

• Editing

• And potentially even marketing your writing

Unfortunately, all these tasks require a different work mode, and you'll do your best work if you keep them separate.

Don't edit while writing.

Don't get stuck looking for ideas when you should be writing.

Ideally, your mind will become an endless idea-generation machine, so you never have to "look for ideas."

#4. And last but not least, set specific goals.

Even though they're popular, I'm not a fan of time-bound writing routines.

You can "write" for an hour without getting much writing done.

Eventually, how much time you've spent writing doesn't matter. What matters is the final output.

So instead of aiming for a specific number of hours, aim for a set number of words.

I fell in love with the WordCounter app years ago: It's a simple tool giving you an overview of how many words you've typed.

It totally satisfies my tracking-obsessed brain by giving me different statistics on my writing productivity.

Here's how much I've written over the last 365 days:

WordCounter

Forget time.

Focus on output.

If you're a brand-new writer and want to write long-form content like blog posts and articles, start with a minimum of 500 words and increase gradually.

Bonus tip: Create triggers that get you into the "writing mood."

I love using my senses to get myself into different (mental) states.

Here's how I activate different senses for maximum writing productivity:

• I've been listening to the same music during my writing sessions for years. It's a 3.5-hour-long video on YouTube.

• I use high-quality headphones.

• I use essential oils and candles to improve my focus.

• And I alternate between different drinks and snacks throughout the day to keep things fun.

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Ditch the D's

Wanna know what your biggest threat as an (aspiring) online writer is?

It's not ChatGPT or other AI writing tools.

It’s distractions—every kind you can imagine.

Distractions like:

• Your phone

• Social media feeds

• Constantly checking out your competition

• Notifications

• Visual distractions around your workplace

• Emails

• New opportunities

• And much, much more

As a beginner, writing is challenging because it's boring. You have to sit down and type words without:

• Feedback

• Recognition

• A tap on the shoulder

• Or a paycheck

You write in silence, without applause or feedback, wondering if anyone’s even reading. And that's why most beginners give up.

Here's how to fix it:

Get clear on why you're writing in the first place.

There's no shame in writing for money.

There's also no shame in writing for fame or recognition.

What matters is that you know what your key driver(s) are. Otherwise, you'll constantly get distracted by shiny objects that drag your attention and sabotage your progress.

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Expect to Fail

Life isn't perfect, and your writing journey won't be either.

Things will get in your way.

You'll have other priorities.

You'll get discouraged.

And you'll want to give up.

That's why you need to expect contingencies and even plan for them.

Expect to slip off your writing habit.

Expect to have a poor internet connection sometimes.

Expect to have a broken computer or headphones at times.

Expect haters and hurtful comments from trolls.

Expect algorithms to change and platforms to disappear.

It all happens.

But those are tiny moments in a long, rewarding journey.

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Keep Yourself Excited

Depending on the exact path you choose, it might take a while until you start to make a significant income through your work.

Until then, you want to keep yourself motivated through small incentives.

Create visual trackers for your progress and reward yourself for hitting milestones.

Schedule a movie night, cook your favorite meal, or treat yourself and your loved ones in other ways.

Don't forget you're on a marathon — building credibility, an audience, and a profitable writing business takes time.

You can speed up the process by outworking your competition, but even if you do, you'll need to continue writing, so you might as well enjoy the journey.