How to Write More Words in Less Time

 

We all lead busy lives where our time seems to always get the better of us. We want to write and finish our projects, but also work full-time and have other responsibilities. But what if I could tell you have to maximize your small chunk of writing time, so you could write more words? Would you try it? Today, we’re going to explore how incorporating writing sprints into your writing time can have you writing more words in less time.

What is a Writing Sprint?

The words “writing sprint” can sound daunting if you have never heard of it. I promise it isn’t as scary as it sounds. A writing sprint is when you identify a chunk of time and write as much as you can during that time without distraction. You turn off your phone, tell people to leave you alone, and focus on your document for the time you decide. When sprinting, you try to get as many words on the page as possible without over-editing yourself. After finishing a sprint, you take a small break and then go again. You continue this process until you are done with your designated writing time. This strategy can revolutionize your writing time if you figure out your optimal sprinting time.

How do You Figure Out Your Optimal Writing Sprint Time?

Optimal writing sprint time is when you get the most words done without diminishing returns. There are a lot of ways you can try to figure out your optimal sprinting time. You could try different sprint times and break times and write down how many words you get in a journal. You could compare how you feel writing at different times during the day by keeping a log. However, the easiest way I have found to find your optimal writing sprint time is by participating in Heart Breathing’s Sprinting Challenge. In this challenge, You complete a series of writing sessions at different times of the day with different sprint and break lengths over the course of five days. After your writing sessions, you complete free worksheets about how you feel and record how many words you wrote. Then, you break these counts down to WPM (words per minute) until you find your best WPM. After completing the challenge, you know your optimal writing sprint time. I used this challenge myself to figure out my own perfect timing.

About My Optimal Writing Sprint Time

After completing Heart Breathing’s Writing Sprint Challenge, I found my best writing sprint time is 15-minute writing sprints with five-minute breaks in between. The best time for me to write is in the afternoon after lunch or in the early evening. I can get anywhere between 25-30 WPM when doing this. I don’t always follow this though since I have the most extra time in the morning. Even when sprinting during the morning, I still stick to my 15-minute writing sprints. I find that my word count doesn’t diminish much during different times of the day. If I can find an hour and a half of time, I can do four 15-minute writing sprints and get between 1,500-2,000 words.

By following this strategy, I write more words in less time rather than sitting in front of my screen for an hour trying to put words on the page. This helps with my concentration and urgency since I know I only have 15 minutes to get some words in. The breaks between the sprints allow me to refocus and ponder the piece I’m working on. All in all, this has been my favorite strategy to help me write more words in the limited writing time I do have.

How to Try Writing Sprints

If you want to try writing sprints for yourself, but don’t want to do it all alone. I invite you to come by my writing streams on Twitch. I stream on Twitch every Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm EST. On my streams, we do 5-20 minute writing sprints and hang out during our breaks. It’s a great way to get locked into a community that cares about your writing and motivates you to do more. I would love to have you stop by, so we can sprint and write words together! You can follow me on Twitch here.

If you don’t have time to stop by during a stream, you can try writing sprints by incorporating them into your writing routine. Make an appointment for some writing time or decide to do sprints the next time you sit down to do some drafting. Even with a small niche of time, you can incorporate one to two sprints, depending on what your best timing is. You won’t regret it!


I hope you enjoyed this post and learned how to write more words in less time by using writing sprints. I can’t wait to see you during one of my streams where we can write more words together! Happy writing!