My 1 effective trick for making big money writing online (even when I’m super busy)

Nov 05, 2023

I have a lot going on today.

Too much, really.

My son is playing in a hockey tournament, which is fun, but it also means my day is pretty much shot productivity-wise. I’ll be at the rink for most of the day.

In addition to writing a post for this Publish Every Day project, I have to finish editing a YouTube video that I’m really excited about and that I think is going to be a big hit for me (subscribe here!).

I also have to find time to do my usual 1 hour of exercise, buy some stocks because the market is leaning red, and, like, eat and stuff.

It’s days like this that I use 1 effective journalism trick to stay on track.

A man working in front of a tablet. — When I need to get a lot done fast, I use an old journalism trick. (Licensed by the author under the Unsplash+ License)

Writing for speed

I got a question in my comments here the other day that asked:“Would you be open to writing a post about your time management and writing process?”

I pointed him to a few resources including:

My latest YouTube video about a hack I use for massive productivity as an ADHD writer:

Another video that explains how I capture ideas:

I’d like to briefly touch on a point in the first one.

Where’s your copy?!

I’m a former journalist, so one thing I like to do to ensure I actually produce as an online writer is put myself on deadline.

Typically I give myself 45 minutes to complete a 1,000-word article (this would be tough for a non-professional writer, but this number can be adjusted to an appropriate level for anyone).

Today, I knew I had a tournament and 50 other things to do, but I’m committed to publishing every day for a year.

So I gave myself 30 minutes to complete this piece.

This is the last line I’m writing in this post (I don’t write linearly), and I can confirm that I hit my deadline!

Sometimes you don’t have time to be precious about your work.

When I worked as a journalist, the paper was going out whether your copy was the greatest thing ever written or just good enough for that day.

Sometimes you need to stop fretting and just need to hit publish.

Hey there! If you enjoy this project and post, please help others find them by clapping, highlighting your fav section, and letting me know in the comments! Thank you!

Publish Every Day Goal Tracker

I’m doing an experiment to see if I can make enough money to retire from commuter life within a year by publishing every day on multiple platforms and investing my earnings.

How much I need to retire comfortably: $250 CAD per day

What I earned on Day 6: $18.83 (writing), $0.79 (YouTube) — $19.62 total

Progress chart: