Let’s face it. Writing is sometimes a joy. Especially after the fact, when you’ve finished something. Your three hundred words for the day. A particularly troublesome paragraph. Or, that holy of holies: a manuscript, newly proofread and, through the magic of the interweb, now sitting in the inbox of some unsuspecting editor. Huzzah.

But starting work on those three hundred words, that paragraph, that manuscript, is tough for all of us. I have an almost cartoonish capacity to dither before launching into writing. All the little OCD’ish behaviors–straightening out my desk, aligning the keyboard and monitors, checking my email, adjusting the chair, checking my email, scratching my…beard, writing blogposts, checking my…OK…you get the picture–that inevitably precede any writing assignment. But once I get to work, I can usually make some progress. Here’s my recipe for getting some serious writing done.

Wake up in the morning to this Sony ICFC1TBLACK AM/FM dual-alarm clock radio that features a gradual wake alarm to gently bring you out of sleep. The large, easy-to-read LCD ensures you can view the time.

1. Close email. Don’t just close the window. Close the program.
2. Open up your software: MS Word, Google Scholar (only that window), any digital notes, and my Endnote bibliography. Array them so that the written page (typically in Word Outline mode) is at eye level, everything else is a click away. This is your last chance for OCD-ish dawdling; don’t blow it.
3. Print out your latest figures and tables. I keep figures/tables/appendices in a document separate from the manuscript even though they will all be bound together eventually. This improves the performance of MS Word and avoids those aggravating spinning beach balls just when I’ve begun to make progress. It also removes the need to flip back and forth (or worse, scroll) when I should be typing.
4. Set your timer to 25 minutes. This will take a bit of explaining. There is a something out in the blogosphere called the Pomodoro technique , which is just embarrassing enough that I hesitated before embedding the link. It’s named after a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (I knoowwww!) and is used to merchandize a bunch of stuff. That said, its singular principle– that you divide your work into 25 minute races of pure concentration, broken up by 5 minute intervals when you goof off, relax, tidy up the office–just seems to work. For many, including myself, 25 minutes is a nice block of time to get into the flow of writing. Moreover, because you are using a little alarm app like TinyAlarm, if you steal a look up to your menu bar, you can see how much time you have remaining in this little writing sprint. And, for some reason, if I have only three minutes to go before the alarm goes off, I work harder. I race the alarm clock. Yes. I know.
5. Write. Write damn you! Write like your life depends on it! The wolves are chasing the sled! The T-Rex is in your rear-view mirror! TinyAlarm is watching!
6. Take a 5 minute break. Twenty five minutes of uninterrupted work will have generated at least a few sentences. Or some serious editing. And when the alarm goes off, you may need a break (especially, if, like me, you tend to sit like a contorted gargoyle in front of the computer). Finish the sentence, stand up, and stretch. Sometimes, you may not even hear the alarm. That means you are in the zone. Shhhh TinyAlarm! I’m busy!
7. Go to 5.

Tiny Alarm Clock

Remember Rule Number 1 here at GTDA: Whatever works.

Tiny Alarm Mac App

TinyAlarm is a an alarm clock for your menu bar. Create customizable alarms in the menubar that will play a chosen sound (system sound, spoken by siri or recorded by you). Simple, no manual needed. TinyAlarm is a an alarm clock for your menu bar. Create customizable alarms in the menubar that will play a chosen sound (system sound, spoken by siri or recorded by you). Simple, no manual needed. Good for gaming, programming, not missing an appointment or timing the cooking of dinner so it doesn't burn. MacOS 10.9 or later 64-bit. TinyAlarm – Alarm Clock Mac App. A tiny but powerful alarm for your menubar. Play a chosen sound (system sound, spoken by siri or recorded by you) some time in the future. Simple, no manual needed. Good for gaming, programming, not missing an appointment or timing the cooking of. TinyAlarm 1.9.6 TinyAlarm is, as the name suggests, a tiny alarm clock for your menubar. It will play your chosen alert at some time in the near future. All of the configuration is done using the status menu item. Clicking around should reveal all there is to know about TinyAlarm. License: Shareware, $7 Developer/Publisher: Plum Amazing.

So, what are your writing rituals? O365 for mac download.