5 Insanely Simple Ways To Write 30 Articles A Month In 1 Hour/Day

How I became a faster writer

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I don’t have much time to write.

But I publish 30 articles every month. There was a time when I was painfully slow. Struggling to create one article per week. But now I’m a creative juggernaut. Pumping out articles with the energy of a toddler on a sugar rush.

Here’s what I’ve discovered. The quickest way to grow is to write more. Every time I increase my output, my audience expands.

But let’s be honest. Most of us don’t have hours to spare. That’s why you need some powerful tricks to speed up your writing. So let me reveal the exact tactics I use to speed up my writing.

Let’s dive in.

1. Mix deep work with quick wins

Prioritizing is a trap.

Sure, some tasks are more important. But everything needs to get done. If not take it off your list.

The problem is we gravitate toward the easy stuff. But the easy stuff creates the least value. The secret to making progress? It’s about timing. Knowing when to dive deep and when to knock out smaller tasks.

You’ve got to carve out time for the high-impact stuff. The deep work. That’s the stuff that requires all your mental energy. And it deserves your full attention.

Meanwhile, shallow tasks are sneaky. They expand and infiltrate your day if you let them. And we’re complicit in that. So be ruthless. Keep them under control.

Here’s how to do it:

• Check email less (really).

• Batch your admin tasks.

• Archive those never-ending WhatsApp groups.

Book in shallow tasks when your energy is low. Then ignore them until that time. And give your important work the best slots in your calendar.

How I do this:

I do 2 deep work sessions in the morning (with my favourite apps blocked!)

I bundle shallow admin tasks together at 4pm.

2. Use 30 day sprints

Most people work to the wrong timescale.

If your horizon is today or this week. You lose perspective with frantic action. You become reactive and miss your dreams.30-day

But setting yearly goals is a disaster too. When you get to October, January is a distant memory. The New Year dream has lost its power. And become irrelevant — life changes too quickly.

I’ve found 30–60 days is the sweet spot. For setting goals and plans. You can sprint for that long. Then reset your focus and go again. Plus it keeps you adaptable to your changing life.

How I do this:

I hold a personal review session every month. Review progress. Set 1–3 new goals. Identify the key actions. Then go for it. I go to a nice coffee shop. To make it feel like a treat.

You don’t become a speed king overnight. You need to add a series of practices over months. Start today. Pick one tip. Be relentless in using it.

You’re 3 months away from becoming a prolific writer.

3. Start strong

This is non-negotiable.

Do the hardest/most important task first. Ideally in the first two hours after waking. Or at the first opportunity. Whenever I break this rule. Check my phone first. Or do some easy tasks first. My effectiveness takes a nosedive.

Here’s why this is essential.

Each day you start with a willpower bucket that’s full to the brim. But every decision drains it. The longer the day goes on the odds of doing what matters plummets. (This is why you can’t resist chocolate mid-afternoon or late-night snacking).

When you do the best stuff first. Something else magical happens.

The glow effect

Doing what matters boosts your productivity. Because you’re rewarded with the glow effect.

You feel good. This energy overflows into your other tasks. This lasts for the day. But evaporates when you sleep. Assume you go to bed at 10pm. Doing a key task at 8am gives you 14 hours of the glow. This supercharges your performance. You’re a fast-flowing river. Effortless moving from task to task. But do the key task at 8pm. And the reward only last 2 hours.

Unfortunately, this works in reverse too.

Putting a key task off until 8pm. Gives you 12 hours of draining negativity. You’re weighted down by the task you’re avoiding.

How I do this:

Everything changed for me when I made writing my first task in the day. This is my morning routine:

• shower

• coffee

• pray

• write

This took a while to become automatic. But it’s been a powerful productivity booster.

4. Do less to achieve more

Play the long game.

Deep productivity is not how much you get done today. But how much you get done this year. So don’t burn yourself out. Do what’s sustainable. Doing too much today causes you to be unproductive (“hungover”) tomorrow.

Play hard. Rest hard.

Switch off

Have no work time zones.

Set mini-breaks through the day. When making coffee allow your brain to wander. Scrolling doesn’t rest your brain. It batters it with exhausting dopamine hits.

Protect the start and end of your day. Have a list of meaningful tasks you do before turning your phone on in the morning. Don’t fall for the ‘I’ll turn my phone on for a minute’ trap. It’ll suck you in like quicksand.

Have a cut-off time in the evening and stick to it. Don’t check your notifications. Your brain needs dopamine recovery time. This will make you supercharge your performance.

I’ve taken up Archery to get outside more. And engage my brain away from work. (I’m even getting quite good).

How I do this:

I keep my phone in a separate room in the evening. Otherwise, I’m checking my stats all day.

I get outside for a phone-free session once a day (run/walk/archery)

5. Is this task worth your time?

Get clear on your purpose. And be ruthless in assessing your tasks against this goal.

Let’s be honest. So much of our ‘jumping on calls’ and social media commenting contributes little value. And can be eliminated. I recently started on Substack. A newsletter platform with its own social media function (‘notes’). Similar to Twitter or LinkedIn. It’s very active.

I quickly got writing notes. And engaging in comments. But it was soon taking 1–2 hours a day. After a week I thought. 10 hours a week!!! Is this the best use of my time?

No. So I cut everything out but the high-value tasks. When I open Substack I restrict myself to 4 actions:

• Post a note

• Like all comments

• Reply to comments on my stuff only

• Then get out

This takes 15 minutes. And it deepens my connection with those who comment on my content. Because they are the ones that matter.

Assess everything you do. And ask 2 questions:

• How much time does this take?

• How much value does this add?

Then be brave in eradicating what doesn’t matter.

Derek

P.S. The faster you write, the more you publish. The more you publish, the sooner people start paying attention. The Resource Bank’s here if you need a little help to get there. Grab it here.