The Pomodoro Method is a great way to boost your writing productivity. At the very least, it helps you establish a daily writing routine (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off). On its own, that is a HUGE victory.
But, in addition to the Pomodoro Method, you can supercharge your productivity with what I like to call the "Gattaca Method." The Gattaca Method is based around a simple idea: Write continuously until you fail! Write non-stop until you stop making sense and your writing falls apart.
So, you must be wondering: Why is this the Gattaca Method?
Well, remember Gattaca the movie? It's a late 90s sci-fi movie about genetic selection and eugenics. The story follows two brothers--one (Anton) conceived from DNA selection, the other (Vincent, played by Ethan Hawke) conceived outside of this program. Gattaca is sort of like a sci-fi nerd version of Rudy; it's an underdog story about the human will to succeed against all odds.
There's a powerful ending scene where Vincent (played by Ethan Hawke) out-swims his genetically superior brother, Anton. At one point, in the middle of the dark ocean, Anton hesitates and asks his genetically-inferior brother Vincent, "How are you doing any of this? We have to go back (to shore)." Vincent responds, "Wanna know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back." BOOM!
The Gattaca Method is based around the same idea: Sometimes, you can make tremendous progress on a manuscript by refusing to stop, even when you are tired, fatigued, and your writing is falling apart. There's something beneficial to writing until failure. In trying this method, you will be able to blast through your self-imposed limits and churn out a first draft faster than ever.
I try to use the Gattaca Method at least once per week. But, in truth, I do it whenever I'm in a great flow. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you feel as if the words and ideas are flowing more naturally. Instead of stopping and halting your train of thought, continue writing...and keep going...See how far you can go. Set a somewhat unrealistic writing goal and then surpass it. Can you write 3,000 words? What about 5,000? Can you finish a rough draft of a chapter or article? The end result might not be a polished masterpiece, but it will be a draft that you can now revise. That's a huge win as a writer.
The Gattaca Method can be a powerful complement to the Pomodoro Method. Give it a try. And let me know if it helped. Please comment and share the good vibes and let me know if you have other strategies that supercharge your writing productivity.
Ready, set, go!
But, in addition to the Pomodoro Method, you can supercharge your productivity with what I like to call the "Gattaca Method." The Gattaca Method is based around a simple idea: Write continuously until you fail! Write non-stop until you stop making sense and your writing falls apart.
So, you must be wondering: Why is this the Gattaca Method?
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| Vincent never held back and defied the odds. |
There's a powerful ending scene where Vincent (played by Ethan Hawke) out-swims his genetically superior brother, Anton. At one point, in the middle of the dark ocean, Anton hesitates and asks his genetically-inferior brother Vincent, "How are you doing any of this? We have to go back (to shore)." Vincent responds, "Wanna know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back." BOOM!
The Gattaca Method is based around the same idea: Sometimes, you can make tremendous progress on a manuscript by refusing to stop, even when you are tired, fatigued, and your writing is falling apart. There's something beneficial to writing until failure. In trying this method, you will be able to blast through your self-imposed limits and churn out a first draft faster than ever.
I try to use the Gattaca Method at least once per week. But, in truth, I do it whenever I'm in a great flow. Sometimes, for whatever reason, you feel as if the words and ideas are flowing more naturally. Instead of stopping and halting your train of thought, continue writing...and keep going...See how far you can go. Set a somewhat unrealistic writing goal and then surpass it. Can you write 3,000 words? What about 5,000? Can you finish a rough draft of a chapter or article? The end result might not be a polished masterpiece, but it will be a draft that you can now revise. That's a huge win as a writer.
Ready, set, go!
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