I’m currently in the process of writing an ebook that I plan to be releasing very soon, which I want to be the ultimate guide when it comes to writing online, and I share some of the top tools that make me super productive. Below are 14 tools I use as a writer, and that I think a lot of other writers can benefit from.
I’ll be adding a few more tools as I discover them, and the ebook is loaded with a lot more tips for writers so make sure you stay tuned for when I will be releasing the ebook. It will be available for free, albeit to subscribers only, and it should be released sometimes next week, so stay tuned!
14 Tools that Make me Super-Productive as a Writer
You need tools to succeed as a writer, and your knowledge of which tools to use and how to use them can have a huge impact on your writing career. Below are some of the top tools that can help your online writing career; not all of these tools will be applicable to you, but make sure to go through all of them to ensure you don’t miss the right tools.
Getting clients has always been the number one challenge most freelance writers face and surviving today as an online writer requires you not only to find clients, but to find the right clients. Trying to look for clients on online freelance writing portals like Elance.com and Guru.com can sometimes be unproductive, and if you happen to find a gig that suits you the fees might be very low. The Problogger jobs board is a job board that features advertising mostly for bloggers, and also from people who require various forms of content written, and you will often get better writing job offers by making use of it.
The quality of the jobs found on the Problogger Jobs board is significant when compared to other online portals for one major reason; the jobs listed are heavily moderated to ensure they are “suitable”, and the advertiser has to pay a $50 fee to list a job for 30 days. Those two measures will ensure only people with quality offers are able to contribute (not clients who don’t value you as a writer).
The second resource on this list is the Blogging Pro jobs board, and it works exactly like the Problogger jobs board.
We’re faced with various challenges as writers; the biggest one being distraction. Before working on improving your productivity, you need to realize that there are two kinds of distractions; external distractions and internal distractions.
External distractions are distractions from things and people around you (the kids, TV, the noise etc.) while internal distractions are distractions from inside your computer (Twitter, that new Gmail message popping up, the latest Facebook/chat notifications etc.). While you can easily overcome the external distractions by having an office, or by dedicating an office to your writing, how do you deal with the distractions coming from within your computer? While going offline might be a solution, you will sometimes need to research some facts, and have to waste time getting online again.
The solution is to use software that helps you block out every other view except for your writing software, and that is exactly what the Darkroom software (for windows), and Writeroom software (for Mac), does.
Being super productive as a writer can do a lot to help improve your earnings, and one great way to ensure your productivity is to improve your typing speed. On all accounts, someone with a typing speed of 75WPM (75 words per minute) will be able to turn out more work than someone with a 30WPM, all things being equal.
Typingtests.com is a website that offers various typing tests to help ensure your typing accuracy and your familiarity with the keyboard. To get the best results, I’ll recommend that you use it every day to be more effective with the keyword.
5. A Standing Desk
While I don’t use a standing desk as much as I used to, it is one thing I want to improve on, and it is also one of my most effective tool when I wrote this article with productivity tips for writers.
There have been studies on the dangers of sitting, and there have also been reports on it contributing to obesity and ineffectiveness in those who spend the most of their day sitting. The solution, in this case, is to look for a way to balance your every day sitting and standing, and using a standing desk for the most part of your day can have a huge impact.
To be more specific, working with a standing desk has been observed to increase my productivity more than 100%.
Before determining not to use a standing desk, it is also important that you realize that exercising regularly cannot even help you prevent the dangers that comes with sitting, so make sure to consider this section again (and read the above linked study) before determining what to do.
6. An Additional Computer
A new computer costs less than $1,000 (I’m referring to a Windows laptop here), but if you are someone who has a good database of clients but find it difficult to work, it can end up adding ten times the amount of your purchase to your pocket in no time.
The new computer will be dedicated to your writing and nothing else. In other words the internet won’t even be installed on it. Whenever you want to write it is this new computer you will use, and when you need to use the internet you can use your other computer.
You might be wondering why I will recommend having 2 computers, but considering the fact that the majority of the distractions online writers face is as a result of the internet (Twitter, Facebook, Email etc.), having multiple computers can go a long way to save you time and money.
7. An idea notepad
Some of my best ideas as a writer were gotten when I was away from my computer, and this has made me realize that preparing to get ideas whenever you are “out there” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If you’re not that technology savvy you might want to have a notebook and a pen that can be used to jot down your ideas, but if you’re more technology focused you might want to try using a digital notepad, a tablet computer, or your mobile phone to jot down ideas whenever you are on the go. Personally, my Blackberry bold 9700 is my own notepad, and I use it to jot down new ideas whenever I’m on the go, or whenever I’m not around my computer.
8. Eye Defender
This is one software application I recommend you have installed on your computer, especially if you spend more than 2 hours in front of your computer screen every day. What the Eye Defender software does is that it helps prevent you from straining your eyes in front of the computer by introducing a screensaver at intervals. By default, a screensaver will be introduced after every 45 minutes to signal that you need a break, and the screensaver will last for just 2 minutes, after which you can continue your work. Of course, you can adjust the settings in the software settings once you download it (I set mine to introduce a 2-minute screensaver after every 30 minutes).
9. F.lux
Like Eye Defender above, F.lux is another software application that helps protect you from the dangers that comes with spending a lot of time in front of the computer screen. What f.lux does is that it helps adjust your computer screen resolution based on the time of the day wherever you are, in a way that ensures you don’t have eye problems if you spend a lot of time in front of your computer.
10. Mozy Backup
Protecting your work should be a priority as a writer, and I wouldn’t recommend letting your creativity waste due to carelessness on your part. Backing up your files should be a must, and automatically backing it up is even better. Mozy Backup software is software you can install on your computer to automatically back up your files every day in case your laptop is stolen, or in the case of a computer crash. You can configure how many times a day you want your files to be backed up, and you can also configure which folders you want Mozy to backup automatically so as to save time and bandwidth compared to backing up the whole computer.
Your files will be backed up to your Mozy account online, and they can be accessed from any computer in the world. Mozy also costs around $5 a month, but I can guarantee it is going to be one of your best investments.
11. Free Mind
There is always a clear difference between the ideas we get and how developed those ideas are. Sometimes, you only get the title for a blog post, and sometimes you get a whole article idea and the points you need, you might also want to include resources you need when you want to write your articles. Free Mind is a mind mapping software that makes this easy for you, and it makes it extremely easy for you to break down your points in a way that is easy to use and remember in the nearest future.
12. TIPP10
TIPP10 is a touch typing tool like the Typingtest.com website above, but in this case it is an application that can be installed on your computer. It has various lessons, words, and symbols that you can use to practice so as to improve your touch typing skills.
The Freelance Writers Den is a premium membership site for freelance writers that I’m an affiliate for. It costs $25 a month, and is a good membership site you should try if you really want to improve your skills/knowledge as a freelance writer. As a member of the Freelance Writers Den you will get free access to courses and guides on freelance writing, interview with expert writers and a support forum where you can ask questions that bother you and get expert answers.
Plus in case I’m yet to say this, I’m a member myself!
14. OutstandingSETUP
I believe you should only focus on things that matter, and leave the technical aspects to the experts. OutstandingSETUP provides quality hosting and support for anyone interested in having a website, without you having to go through the hassles. It only costs $19 a month, or $190 a year, and they will help you install your domain name, they will help you install your wordpress theme, and they will also ensure you get the best service.
I’m a proud affiliate for OutstandingSETUP, which is why I recommend you use them for your hosting needs.
What are Your Favorite Writing Tools?
What are your favorite writing tools? Which other tools do you think writers will benefit from? Kindly add your 2 cents below! Also, take a minute to spread the word with your writer friends, the tools listed below can make a difference in their lives!
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2 Pings on "14 Tools that Make me Super-Productive as a Writer"
65 Comments on "14 Tools that Make me Super-Productive as a Writer"
thanks for this post, I have been trying to build up my writing skills especially now that I own a blog of my own and I find some of tools listed above helpful especially the idea notepad.
Thanks
Kelvin Igbinigie
Hey Kelvin,
That’s great to hear…I’m glad this post could be of help!
Regards,
Bamidele
This is a wonderful list and I must say a very well compiled. I am always looking for freelance jobs and problogger job board is a wonderful place to find it
Hi Onibalusi,
Thanks for sharing this resourceful article for a new writer like me. I have been reading and enjoying your seven part newsletter course, and they are far better what i have read from other bloggers. Besides, my native language is not English, however, I love to write in English. This article is yet another great resource for me and I have been using Dark Room to write articles. And yes, I do have a separate laptop for writing purpose only. I am thankful that you have recommended us to visit ‘pro blogger job board’ and I might find few clients over there. Anyways, thanks for the post and articles, and your insights. Keep up the good work to empower new writers like me. Thank you again!
Hi Abishek,
I’m glad you found this article resourceful! I’m also glad you’re enjoying my 7 series newsletter…I can’t wait to release what I have in the works next!
Having a separate laptop definitely works and it’s cool to see you’re getting great results with Darkroom.
Feel free to share any other tools you think we might be missing anytime!
hi Oni,
thanks for the quick response !
I would recommend using a thesaurus, such as Wordweb would be a great tool to find synonyms and antonyms for common words. Thanks!
That’s a great list of resources. I’ve just started the month’s trial of Scrivener (which is available on both Mac and PC). It might be overkill for shorter articles but when you are writing larger research-based pieces it can be invaluable. It includes the fullscreen mode a la Writeroom/Darkroom, but also lets you add notes and media to your document. do word counts and word frequency counts, and a lot more. It’s fairly pricey but I am already considering the ~$30 for it, as I can already see its benefits.
On the Mac, MindNode is quite a cool, and free, mind mapping tool. Sometimes it’s just worth doing this with paper and pen, as it’s quicker, but if you’re chopping and changing stuff around and want to get a load of related ideas for topics and such like quickly, it’s a great piece of software.
I must say, I’ve not been over-impressed with the ProBlogger Job Board. Yes, advertisers have to pay for a listing, but there are still some fairly unappealing items on there. Nevertheless, sometimes the gems do come up.
I would say that if you can’t invest in a second computer, even having a second monitor attached to the single computer can boost productivity, as it gives you more screen real estate and lets you split applications across monitors without having to switch between them. Great if you’re writing from research material, or to keep your email or communications software open and accessible, but not dominant.
Thanks so much for the awesome comment, Andy! I really appreciate it.
I’m just hearing about Scrivener for the first time and I think it is an advanced version of both Writeroom and Darkroom, and yes, I’ll be getting this one! Based on what I’ve seen on the web page, it’s just what I need.
Thanks also for recommending Mindnode for Mac, I’m sure a lot of Mac users will benefit from it!
You’re right about the Problogger jobs board. There are some slip-ups every once in a while, and I personally haven’t gotten any jobs from it, but I have friends and a brother who have gotten great jobs on it so I guess good offers can be found there every once in a while.
Another approach you might also want to take in regards to the multiple computer is to create another user account…one which isn’t allowed to use the internet and is focused on your writing alone. I think that will be of great help!
P.S. For those interested in checking out Scrivener here’s a link to check it out http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php
Great toolss. I find the standing desk quite ingenious. I will have one made for me as soon as possible.
I write for hours every day and obesity has been a source of constant concern for me.
Thumbs up, Bamidele.
Awesome, can’t wait to see the angle you take with the standing desk!
This has been very informative! I always wonder about the resources available and you just made it so much more easier!
You are one busy man!
Yes Hajra you are right. He is Informative Busy Man(IBM):).
Thanks, Hajra! I’m glad you found the tools helpful
It great and much informative for a new blogger like me thanks for this great post.
I’m glad to hear that
Thanks Oni for this post, I want to improve my writing skils bcz i got today PR-3 for my site and i want to improve it more and more and your all post boost me really. These tools listed above helpful for me. Thanks for sharing with us.
Congrats on the new PR, Amit! Can’t wait to see how you use these tools!
this list is quite a new for me, I never read about these tools however some few others i know are also best like them. will check them tomorrow with full concentration.
Cool, kindly let me know what you think about them!
I am thinking that these tools will give me a great edge to change my mind and use best latest inventions in IT.
Great tips..I will definitely adopt some of them.
Cool, let me know how things go with them!
Great list. It’s always interesting to see what others writers find helpful. Thanks for sharing your list.
I have been reading your blog for a while and noticed, as others have, how much you seem to get accomplished. And I have a quick question for you. How do you structure a typical day?
Anytime Deirdre! Glad you found the tools helpful.
I think that’s a great question and something I might base a future article on…I’ll keep it in mind
Nice list of tools Oni, my favorite writing tool is my BlackBerry smartphone.
Awesome, Jamie! My Blackberry is also quickly becoming one of my favorite tools now…I guess I have to start making use of it more effectively
You have described here about standing chair. How it helps? I think to avoid obesity it should be used?
Hey Reetika,
It helps exercise your body a little bit and ensures you’re not too relaxed.
Great tools!
Also recommend a goal setting and tracking tool for tracking and reaching your writing goals: http://www.GoalsOnTrack.com
Thanks, Harry!
Can you give us an insight into how “Goals on Track” works?
Sure, Bamidele.
GoalsOnTrack is designed to make accomplishing your goals easier and less intimidating. The application makes it easy to set SMART goals and forces you to define what the goal is, why it is important to you and how you will know when it is completed. Big goals can be broken down into smaller “sub-goals,” which can then be broken down into tasks. To help you visualize your goals, you can choose a picture to represent each one from a selection of motivational stock photos (or upload your own.) GoalsOnTrack will then create a slideshow of the pictures associated with your goals that you can play any time you like. GoalsOnTrack claims that this will help you take advantage of the Law of Attraction.
Let me know if you have more questions.
Nice tips to learn new things about writing which can become good part of life specially when you want to become a successful person in life with new ideas.
Hi, Oni.
Another great post. I hope you’ll write one that provides free/no-charge job boards for freelancers. Also, a post on red flags when it comes to writing clients, as this will help freelance writers decide which opportunities they should grab because the possible employer isn’t exploiting or deceiving them. I know there are writers who also dupe their clients, but for those who have made online freelance writing a career, it’d be to their disadvantage if they don’t deliver quality articles or blogs.
I find it disheartening, by the way, to see writing opportunities that pay writers – especially ESL ones – US$1.00 or less/100 words. Some people would even require more than 40-80 articles a week or so for a measly pay – as if writing an original work is as easy as paying or sending money.
Anyway, pardon my online writing angst.
Keep up with the good work.
Rightfully said, Leann!
There are a lot of crap job offers being posted online these days and I hope a lot of writers can take the necessary actions against these offers. This is one of the reasons I’ll be releasing a new ebook soon to help create awareness and give people practical advice on what to do.
Glad to know that Oni.
Will that ebook be an additional freebie of your site? I hope it’ll be for your subscribers. 
Thanks for all the useful insights. I won’t be surprised if you’re having the time of your life now – finance-wise. You’re helping others through your site.
Like bad news, good things go around.
May your tribe increase (and more wealth and good health as well).
Godspeed (Whether or not you believe in one).
Aha, thanks Leann!
Yep, the ebook will be an additional freebie and for subscribers only
Aha, good things really go around, and amen to your prayers!
There you go again with all this fantastic and free information. I am so glad about the eye-protection applications. Since I began spending so much time in front of the computer, I now have to wear reading glasses and my last prescription is just for working in front of a computer. I just love that such websites like EyeDefender and F.lux do exist! I am uploading them stat! Thanks for sharing.
Aha, thanks!
You really should download those two software as they work.
thanks for this exposition, i really appreciate your efforts, you are a plus to the blogging industry in our days.
Thanks! I’m glad to hear that
I use Scrivener for Mac and I also use a standing desk. I also have an Apple Time Capsule for automatically backing up my iMac. It lets me sleep easy at night.
I also just downloaded Scrivener and it looks really cool. Can’t wait to start using it!
Really awesome article and very use full as a writer for me..
I’m glad I can be of help
Great tools, Oni. I’d like to ask what Outstanding Setup does. Do they install plugins, deal with SEO etc? Would they be able to fix a problem if you had one with your site? What’s their level of involvement?
Hi Anne,
Thanks! Concerning the Outstanding Setup question, yes, they install everything and setup your blog for you and they also make sure it is SEO-optimized and search engine friendly. If you have any problems with your site they will also be more than happy to help you fix it. The main idea is to help you optimize your site and take care of it so you can only focus on writing.
Thanks for sharing the comprehensive list, Bamidele.
There are some great tools that I haven’t heard about before, so I had to bookmark this page for future reference. I just know about the blogging pro job board and eye defender. Besides, the tool I use to write down ideas and create mind maps is my 5.3 inch smartphone, its stylus works really great to write and draw ideas.
Definitely feel free to come back to check these tools anytime!
Concerning mindmapping, it is something I also recently discovered and I really love the idea of it.
Hi,
this is a very nice post, but I wonder why you don’t practically use “high-back ergonomic” chair. I also checked your office snaps on facebook and you are using just a normal chair. So, 15th one should be a high-back ergonomic chair to give frequent rests to your neck.
Hi Mudassir,
My reason for using the kind of chair I use in my office is because I don’t want to be too comfortable. My main aim is productivity so I try to eliminate anything that makes me too comfortable from my office.
hmmm
I’m not into writing but after reading this .. perhaps I will indulge my self to write from now on. I can only do 4 sentences. Thanks for the tips and tools.
Cool, can’t wait to see what you come up with!
My girlfriend also working as a freelance content writer from home. All these tips prove to be very helpful for her. Thanks to author for sharing such nice tips.
Great, I hope this article is of help to hear!
Brilliant – just received my first ever 6 writing jobs! Thanks for the pointers of where to look for work – most helpful.
That’s so cool to hear Linda, congrats on the success
I love that you mentioned having a second computer! When I was working on a long writing project the last couple of months, I had to remove myself from my desktop and go use my parents’ laptop. There were no distractions, and I was able to be incredibly productive. I second your recommendation wholeheartedly!
Hi, these 15 tools are great.
Notepad is good software I think everyone uses to write for blog post. I’m recently try with new method of write post is to write it on a book, it’s getting me a lot of ideas than writing on the computer or Notepad.
Thanks – Ferb
I like your suggestion of having a second computer dedicated just for writing. I think I’m going to take my Windows laptop and wipe out everything that I have installed on there. That will definitely minimize the distractions.
Hi thank you for the great tips. One thing I would like to add is that I find that of all the freelance sites to source work, I like Odesk the best.
I sit at my desk most of the day and yes my posture is now way off. A standing desk is brilliant and I don’t know why I haven’t thought about it before. Brilliant.
Thanks for the great tools! I really need more time on my hands because I am a slow writer.
God bless,
William Veasley
There are also different ways and strategies that can help you improve productivity. One of the best ways to improve productivity is to overcome procrastination this way you can get more things done. We tend to be unproductive when we let time control us instead of we control time. Another is before to start you need also to plan things first by creating a to-do list you will be aware on what tasks you need to do first and save more time to do tasks. You can also set an estimated amount of time when working on each task this way you can limit wasted time and stay focus on tasks. There are different tools that can help you improve productivity. It is just depends on what you needed most. Evernote is a great tool that can help you improve productivity. Using this tool it can help you remind things you need to remember like events, meetings, ideas, deadlines, and etc. Feel free to check this tool that can help you track time. ( http://www.timedoctor.com/blog/2010/07/25/how-is-time-doctor-different-than-rescue-time ) I hope this can also help you improve productivity.
Hey Mars,
Thanks for the link to Timedoctor; it seems like a great tool and something I’ll be checking out!