Productivity tools every writer should try
Second-day writing,
It feels good. I am used to writing in an academic way when I write essays for my MBA courses. Here I feel free to write with my own style and words, not cite a scholarly article from a “reliable” source. It lefts the pressure off, but it is much more challenging. Writing for a bigger audience, especially that I’m writing about productivity, should make sure that my posts reach the reader quickly and richly.
For those who are reading this, thank you for doing so. I don’t want to disappoint you, but for the next 10–20 posts that I’m going to write, you will probably feel lost, and here’s why.
If you did not see my later post, I’m putting myself through a challenge for writing daily for 90 days each for around 90 minutes. This might sound extreme for a total beginner, but it would improve my writing skills and tap into what I did not know I’m capable of doing.
First things first .. Tools.
Here I will mention the tools that I’m using throughout my writing journey — I will mention the app name and the device:
note: tools are listed randomly. and they are not affiliated.
1. Cold Turkey Writer (Mac app)
I want to be distract-free as much as possible during my writing sessions, and this is the best tool that I found. It turns your computer into a writing jail. All that you can see from launching the app is that you get to choose a goal. A time goal or a word count goal is a third option that just lets you write freely. After setting the goal you want — 90 minutes in my case — you will get a text editor but with no editing tools, just a blank white page. The only noticeable thing is the counter at the top of the screen, where it shows a loading bar that is moving depending on the goal, whether it was a time goal or a word count. Here is the main objective, you can not do anything during your writing session but writing on that blank page. No internet — although I got a notification sound in the background that I had to mute my Mac, no editing tools, and most noticeably, no grammar/spell check during your session. The last one might be annoying to some, but I found this very helpful to keep you distract-free during your writing.
If you want to listen to music or use the app “Calm” and listen to rain sound, you will have to use another device — I use my iPhone with headphones.
2. Forest (iOS app)
This can be a luxury tool, but it helps me know the time. I use “Forest” for two reasons. One is to keep me distract-free from my iPhone, and two, to get a sense of the time passed without having to look at the clock and think about other tasks or whatever. Using an online timer can “do the trick” for time management, but why not use a free app that keeps you accountable to achieve a task while planting virtual trees? Did I mention that leaving the app for whatever reason will kill the tree that you worked hard to grow?
3. Barner’s blue light blocking (eyeglasses)
This is not a writing tool, but it is worth mentioning as a writer tends to look at the screen for a very long time, and whether you wear contact lenses or not, getting a pair of such glasses is a very worthwhile investment. You can write on your computer and look at the screen without worrying about the blue lights or whatnot, but you will also feel relaxed while writing, which is very important for me.
4. Logitech G413 Carbon (mechanical keyboard)
While typing on a Macbook is fine, getting a mechanical keyboard is an upgrade. I believe that I type much better on that keyboard. You might agree or disagree, but I think investing in an excellent mechanical keyboard is worthwhile, especially when you have to write every day. It feels good on the fingers, and the keys’ sound gives you the feel of a typing ninja.
5. Grammarly (spell/grammar checker)
I’ve been using Grammarly for over two years now, and I have to say that it is very helpful. Whenever I want to write an email, I do that in Grammarly first, then copy/paste the text in my email client. Moreover, I use Grammarly for my MBA courses essay writing. As a person that is using English as a secondary language, I find Grammarly supper helpful. When I’m writing, I use Cold Turkey Writer to write my draft, then copy/paste the text in Grammarly to check the typos and grammar issues. Grammarly also gives you suggestions to enhance the message that you’re writing, whether it was a formal email, an academic essay, or a Medium post like this one. It also shows you goals that you can choose from to tailor the suggestions for you.
6. Notion (Mac/web app)
I use Notion for many things, from project management to note-taking. Notion is one of my favorite tools for keeping content in a safe and organized place. I was thinking about using Evernote but did not find the need to use many apps and services, Notion is more than enough.
At the end of the day, one can use other tools, but I wanted to list the tools I’m currently using for the writing process.
That’s it. Let me know if you have any questions.
Take a deep breath, have a nice day. — Ahmad
