10 Tools to Increase Your Writing Productivity

In this blog post you’ll learn about ten great tools to increase your writing productivity and out put, because, let’s face it, not everyone has a knack for writing fast.

For those who are blessed with the ability to make a decent living out of it, the real question is not about creating content that will generate interest or sell something.

When someone possesses excellent writing skills, there usually is an opportunity for him/her to make money from it. The actual issue is how one can increase writing productivity.

1 – Grammarly

Grammarly is a staple for writers these days and one of my favourite tools.

I never leave home without it.

It is not a perfect tool, but it sure does the job when it matters the most. A lot of people use it as their primary spell checker, but it can do more than correct your spelling.

As a writer with a ton of content to produce each week, you are prone to making grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary errors. Grammarly is a tool which corrects all those things, so you no longer need another one. The plagiarism checker is a big plus, too!

2 – ilys

Everyone is guilty of editing while writing, which is why we think that there is nothing wrong with it.

But the reality is that it eats a lot of your time.

I call it multi-tasking in writing, and when I tend to give in to it, it makes the process longer and more inefficient. When you edit your work midway, you will disrupt your writing flow.

This is where ilys comes in.

It is a simple yet very nifty tool that helps you focus on your writing. You set up how many words you intend to write, and once you begin, you cannot do anything else but to continue typing. You do have the luxury of using the editing tools unless you reach that pre-determined word count.

3 – Bit.ai

Bit.ai is another simple document editor that offers a modern take since it uses a cloud-based collaboration system.

The cloud-based system means that you can collaborate and share your work with your client or fellow writers. It is a real-time exchange of data that may be helpful if you are involved in a joint or cooperative project.

I have used Bit.ai a handful of times, which is why I highly recommend it. It is a valuable tool if you wish to share research information or when you are required to share data with your employer. It is convenient since you can work with the likes of Google Spreadsheets and YouTube with it.

4 – Buzzsumo

Buzzsumo is a different kind of writing tool since it focuses on helping you figure out which articles or blog posts are the most popular for a specific topic. You go to the website and input the desired keyword based on the top content you want to see.

You can filter your search to show the most shared content for the past week, month, or year.

The tool will give you the articles or content with the highest number of shares. You can use that information to come up with similar but better content.

5 – Yoast

It is every writer’s goal to get much exposure as possible to his orher content on the search engines.

This is quite true if you are producing content for marketing purposes.

But you do not need to be an expert in search engine optimization to understand how the process works. If the objective is to improve the visibility of your articles through SEO, then Yoast should be your preferred tool.

I call it the most reliable SEO plugin since it legitimately improves the chances of your content to be seen over the web.

One of its most useful features is that of helping you add focus keywords, meta descriptions, and other things to ensure your content will rank in the search engines.

6 – SelfControl

As this tool’s name suggests, you get to improve your writing efficiency through self-control.

So, how does it help you?

It is an app that lets you create a timer, from which you can block a bunch of websites for that pre-determined time. In other words, you can keep social media sites, YouTube, and other useless websites from creating a distraction while you write.

Unfortunately, at the moment, it’s for Mac only.

7 – Canva

While Canva is one of my favourite tools, it is not for every writer.

Some writers take that extra leap of working with visuals, while some stick with traditional text.

But if you work for someone who wants you to add photos and images to your content, then you need a hassle-free and straightforward photo editing tool.

That is what Canva offers. It helps you create logos, business cards, simple graphics, and presentations, even if you do not have a background or previous knowledge of photo editing.

8 – Word Hippo

I became a huge fan of Word Hippo from the first time I used it. It is a handy tool for writers since it helps you find a word that you cannot come up on your own.

I bet every writer has experienced trying to replace a repetitive word in an article but cannot think of anything. With Word Hippo, you can look for the best possible word replacement without having to tear your hair out.

9 – Google Ads Keyword Planner

Why would you need a Google advertising tool for your writing?

That’s a good question and one I will answer shortly.

But first what is Google Ads or Adwords as it is sometimes known?

It is a way for you to advertise on Google so your website is ranked first on the search engine.

It is primarily used for marketers but it’s actually a great tool for writers as well.

Google’s Adwords tool can be quite intimidating, but a closer look will make you acknowledge its value. Although it is mainly designed for SEO and paid advertisements, a content writer may also use it for generating the ideal keywords.

The Keyword Planner from Google Ads helps you understand which keyword to target for your article to rank on the search engines.

10 – Evernote

Evernote is the digital version of those paper notes most old-time writers have grown accustomed to using. Instead of having to stick those notes to your table and face the risk of losing them, you can instead use Evernote on your computer.

What makes this tool convenient is that you can sync it in multiple devices, including your laptop and smartphone.

In fact today, I just used it as I was walking my dog to capture some notes about a novel I’m writing. I just hit the audio button and recorded my idea as I was walking.

Easy!

Final Thoughts

This list is open for debate. Some writers might prefer other tools instead of the ones I mentioned, but it is no big deal. The idea is to help you come up with a bunch of tools that will not only make you productive but also keep you focused and motivated. Your writing skills are natural, but you need help to make the most out of it.