Dream Discussions

Navigating Writing Productivity: Intensive Sprints vs. a Steady Marathon

For some, January is all about setting goals and wanting to get things done! So in the spirit of the month, we asked our dreamers about their thoughts on what it means to write most productively. Read on to hear what they have to say!

Question posted on January 13th, 2024

Which writing approach is more effective for productivity and in preventing burnout: dedicating intense effort during specific weeks, while taking breaks from life and work, or adopting a steady, consistent pace throughout the entire year without significant interruptions to your life and work?"

*All answers are slightly modified for grammar and structure.*

Winning answer (tied) by DrizzleTheWolf: 

For me, it's a certain mix of both. I think striving to have a consistent writing schedule and setting aside time to write every day or week is absolutely beneficial to keeping the momentum going and setting a good habit for getting writing done.

I also think that on months when you have more free time, absolutely go all-out, push yourself and see what you can get done! Putting pressure on myself to write for a deadline occasionally helps push me to leave editing behind, and get actual drafting done.

That's not to say I could do that all the time. If I treated every month like NaNo, or even put hard deadlines on myself during the whole year, I would completely shut down and get burned out. In all honesty, I support breaks—as long as you need and at any time—to benefit mental health or in times where real life is just too much. I don't force myself to write when I don't feel like it, because it only makes burnout worse, and your writing quality and ideas suffer as well. It's all about finding the perfect mix, because different things work for different people!

Winning answer (tied) by MusicalKehleigh: 

A very difficult question indeed, but I think I would go with intense efforts during specific weeks or a couple of months at a time (eg, ONC. usually takes me 2 months). For me personally, I think it's easier to "ride" the wave of excitement when starting a new project or binge-writing it in a short period of time. Slow and steady efforts don't kick my fingers into gear or boost my productivity like setting a short-term goal with a high word count. Even right now, my current goal is to edit my book a little every day. I haven't touched my manuscript in about a week. I know editing is a whole other beast to tackle compared to a first draft, but I think it just shows that slow and steady doesn't quite work for my brain.

During ONC and NaNoWriMo, I write way more compared to any other time of the year. In contrast, when I aim to write more consistently for a longer period of time, I either don't do it or I become burnt out and reach a point where I just need a break from writing. I feel like in either scenario, I'm going to need a break to refill my creativity well, and I personally find that I can get a lot more done in a shorter time when I write intensely for a specific period.

The benefit is that I have the fun of writing, but quite a bit of time to relax afterwards. By the time the next writing weeks come around, it's been long enough that I can throw myself into it again. Even if I experience a minor "burnout" at the end of writing, it's better than dragging myself through a writing routine day after day, struggling to get an extra hundred to thousand words out as I lose motivation over many months. I feel like the burnout I experience from that is far greater.

Second place answer by WrennaStone: 

It really depends on each person's comfort level, burnout frequency, goals, and other factors in life that could cause extra stress with consistent writing vs bulk writing. And it takes a lot of trial and error to find the sweet spot! A lot of us like to ride the edge of burnout for the sake of productivity and fun and then wonder why we crash when we think we're right on track. Listening to your mind and body is key... even if it means forcing yourself on a break while kicking and screaming.

For myself, managing burnout is tricky because I'm always overloaded with writing projects both professionally and for fun. I have to maintain a consistent pace versus writing in bulk spurts because if I don't, I would miss pertinent deadlines. But breaks are still incredibly vital to the process: without breaks, we break. I give myself mini goals instead, where I'll write consistently until I reach a certain point in a project, or a certain date/weekend/week that I plan to take off for myself. And if I'm having a bad brain day, I let myself slide a little. Having a consistent writing schedule gives me wiggle room for breaks because, instead of writing in spurts and risking not having enough built up, I have a constant backlog of work behind me. (And when I'm doing a professional project for others, communication for breaks is key, and most deadlines have some wiggle room if needed depending on the expectations set in initial meetings.)

Consistent schedules also train your mind. The more you keep that consistency, the more your brain goes: "Okay, this is part of my routine now. This is normal." It's less likely that your brain is going to fight back, slap you across the face, and say: "WHY DO I HAVE TO BE CREATIVE?" You have a routine, and your brain expects it. It takes a lot of time and effort to get there, and sometimes your brain will still try to revolt on occasion, but overall it's worth it to keep up with (at least for me). But with consistent writing, I also do like to have "bulk" times where I go ham and write like wild. I usually plan this over time when I'm off work and have been itching to work more on projects---which means only doing this when my mind and body are in a good place to do so. I get a lot done and feel accomplished at the end. NaNoWriMo is one of these times for me. (Though I also have a horrible tendency to write 30k in a single weekend when pushed with hard deadlines so... we all do it ) This is just what works for me, though! Every situation and person is different because we're all wired differently.

That's all for now! We appreciate that those who participated took a moment out of their lives to do so and again, congratulations to the winners! If you have any addition thoughts (or anything you'd like to add on), feel free to do so in the comments! 

See you guys next round!