For some people (including myself), good writing does not come naturally. I remember in high school and college I would adjust the margins and font and all sorts of other tricks to meet the page count minimum on homework assignments! I was actually doing myself a disservice. You see…writing is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised and trained daily. This is why I’ve challenged myself to write 2,000 words a day for the next month.

Here are the two simple rules I am following for this challenge:

1. Work-related writing does not count (same with personal emails).

2. Writing must be coherent and goal purposed. No writing just for the sake of writing.

Why Write So Much?

Some people may wonder why I (or anyone) would want to write so much. I think writing is one of the best skills anyone can have. It’s a great skill to have for work or even for a side hustle. Even professional bloggers need to have some skill with writing.

The reason why I’m challenging myself this month is because I’ve felt that I’ve been posting less since the start of the year. I already have two side hustles going on right now and I’m working hard to get two more up and running. I’ve been testing a lot to make sure the product is as perfect as I can get it. And naturally, the blog has been neglected a little. However, it is still something I am committed to!

How To Write 2,000 Words A Day

I have a few ideas on how I can get to my daily word count goal for the month. First, I’ve already brainstormed half a dozen blog topics I think readers would find interesting. Second, I plan to write and publish more frequently on my Amazon publishing business (check out how I make over $1,000 a month with this side business!). Third, I’ve been trying to get my first niche site up and running. I’ve got a dozen post ideas written down and now I just need to get my hands dirty by writing it all out!

Over the past year, especially when I started this blog, I’ve learned a few things about how to really increase your writing output:

Split writing into chunks:

One great trick I like to do is split writing into different chunks with breaks in-between. It would be pretty hard to write 2,000 words non-stop in one sitting. That’s why I usually write 500 – 600 words before taking a break (for~10 mins). This keeps my mind fresh and prevents burnout. I’ve been able to crank out close to 3,000 words a day in my publishing business in the past following this!

Sometimes if I’m feeling stumped or just tired, I might even go for a walk or run outside. Getting some fresh air will really clear the head and allow the mind to wander.

Take a shower or bath:

If you’re feeling stumped on writing or just can’t get the words out right, I highly recommend taking a nice warm shower or bath! I know this sounds crazy…I mean we’re trying to write here, not go for a spa day! However, I’ve had many great ideas come to me in the shower. The feeling of the water massaging against your skin and the steam rising really gets the creative juices flowing.

In fact, many of the world’s most brilliant and successful people have had great ideas come in the shower! The Greek mathematician, Archimedes, came up with the principles of buoyancy and density while observing the flow of water as he drew a bath.

Taking a bath has even made Warren Buffett billions of dollars! A few years ago Warren thought up the idea of investing in Bank of America while taking a bath! What a great idea that turned out to be…that idea made him over a billion dollars!

Change the font:

Another trick I like to use to stay fresh while writing is simply changing the font. It’ll do wonders for your eyes! It sounds like a crazy trick, but it really does help. I’m typically not a fan of Times New Roman….maybe because it brings back memories from high school and college struggling to meet writing assignments.

Here are a few fonts that I love using:

• Calibri
• Courier New
• Impact

If anyone else has cool fonts they like to write with, please consider sharing!

Write throughout the day:

One thing I’ve tried that really works is writing throughout the day. Sometimes during the work week I try to get up 10 – 15 minutes earlier to try and knock out a few hundred words. I like to write the most in the morning. It’s when my brain functions the most. During the middle of the day, I’m practically a walking zombie. Then, later at night I’ll try to get some more words in.

The point is spreading your writing throughout the day will make it easier to finish larger projects. Whenever you have free time, just start writing and you’ll be able to crank out some great pieces of work!

Tunnel vision writing:

I began using this strategy in my junior year of high school and it hasn’t failed me so far. A lot of people have different strategies for writing. Mine is pretty simplistic by any standard. First, I have a rough outline of what I want including big talking points.

After that, I just write whatever is on my head at the time…I really go “tunnel vision” and write everything that seems important and relevant to the matter. For me, the hardest part is actually getting the words on the paper/screen. After that, it’s all about editing, which is much easier in my opinion.

Next time you feel stuck, try this strategy to see if it works for you!

Final Thoughts

Writing doesn’t always have to be difficult. It took me a while to realize that very formal writing is typically reserved for academia and to a lesser extent, the workplace. If you’re blogging or writing a book or just emailing friends/family, casual writing is often the better choice. There’s a big difference and luckily casual writing is much easier 🙂

So, what do you guys think about my 2,000 daily word goal for the month? Anyone interested in joining up on the challenge? Do you have any tips or tricks to get the creative juices flowing? Let me know in the comments!