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Copywriting: Getting Into The Zone
By Kelly Robbins
By Kelly Robbins
materials or writing content for ourselves, getting to a place where the writing flows easily and effortlessly is not always easy.
We’ve all been there…Staring at the blank page and not knowing where to start. Maybe we’re preoccupied with the messy kitchen we should clean or the million emails we still need to answer.
When we are unfocused we have a hard time concentrating on the work we should be doing and end up getting very little writing done. Because we are unfocused we are ultimately wasting time, which means we are not making money. We are not being true to ourselves.
How can you prevent this inefficient time wasting from happening???
The key is to train yourself to get into that zone on command.
It is a matter of discipline. It is a matter of creating the right atmosphere.
How can you get into “the zone” on command?
I think we all have to experiment to discover what techniques work best for each of us to get into our zone. Some people I know leave their office and write in the woods or at the beach. Others spend hours at Starbucks or fully close themselves off from the rest of the world and immerse themselves into their project for days without interruption.
I don’t know about you, but none of those things are an option for me. With my busy schedule I have very specific times in my day where I can write. It is only so often that I have a chunk of hours at one time where I can focus enough to delve deep into writing projects.
Through pure discipline and nothing else I’ve learned to focus immediately on writing projects when I need to.
Here is what I do…
First I get away from my desk and my PC. My desk is for working “on” my business. For doing task oriented things, like phone work, research, interviews, scheduling, answering emails…all the business work is done at the desk. I work very fast here, very efficiently, and often do my strategic thinking here. This is my task oriented zone.
There is also some work that can be done at the pool or while the kids are at tennis lessons. I call this the easy-going zone. This includes light editing, working on articles like this one, reading industry articles and journals. Stuff that if I do get interrupted it’s easy to pick up where I left off.
To write creatively I have to go somewhere very different than this. You guys know me…I am wild and crazy…I grab my laptop and move over to the couch! Sometimes I put some quiet classical music on in the background to relax and create a mood. I also listen to Brainspeak CD’s that help me concentrate which I highly recommend to everyone.
There are two key things you can do to actively get yourself into “the zone” and write more copy.
1. Train yourself to get into the zone on command. You can do this by creating a specific environment that helps you get in the zone faster. Similar to reaching a meditative state, you create an environment that gets you there faster.
2. Allow yourself blocks of time to write. Unlike checking emails and doing other types of work, you can’t realistically get into the zone for ten minutes here and 20 minutes there. Allow at least an hour or more at a time to work on projects.
Training yourself to quickly get into “the zone” is something that takes time, discipline, and probably a little experimenting. Ultimately, training yourself to quickly reach “your zone” will allow you to write faster, probably better, and the end result will be more money.
About the author
Kelly Robbins, founder of The Copywriting Institute, is the author of Powerful Interviewing Techniques for Healthcare Marketers and The Healthcare Copywriters Toolkit. Kelly Robbins is an award winning healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. Publisher of "The Copywriting Connection", Kelly helps writers and marketers learn to write phenomenal copy. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "Six things every copywriter MUST know to make high profits in copywriting fast!" at www.TheCopywritingInstitute.com or 303-460-0285. © 2007, The Copywriting Institute
We’ve all been there…Staring at the blank page and not knowing where to start. Maybe we’re preoccupied with the messy kitchen we should clean or the million emails we still need to answer.
When we are unfocused we have a hard time concentrating on the work we should be doing and end up getting very little writing done. Because we are unfocused we are ultimately wasting time, which means we are not making money. We are not being true to ourselves.
How can you prevent this inefficient time wasting from happening???
The key is to train yourself to get into that zone on command.
It is a matter of discipline. It is a matter of creating the right atmosphere.
How can you get into “the zone” on command?
I think we all have to experiment to discover what techniques work best for each of us to get into our zone. Some people I know leave their office and write in the woods or at the beach. Others spend hours at Starbucks or fully close themselves off from the rest of the world and immerse themselves into their project for days without interruption.
I don’t know about you, but none of those things are an option for me. With my busy schedule I have very specific times in my day where I can write. It is only so often that I have a chunk of hours at one time where I can focus enough to delve deep into writing projects.
Through pure discipline and nothing else I’ve learned to focus immediately on writing projects when I need to.
Here is what I do…
First I get away from my desk and my PC. My desk is for working “on” my business. For doing task oriented things, like phone work, research, interviews, scheduling, answering emails…all the business work is done at the desk. I work very fast here, very efficiently, and often do my strategic thinking here. This is my task oriented zone.
There is also some work that can be done at the pool or while the kids are at tennis lessons. I call this the easy-going zone. This includes light editing, working on articles like this one, reading industry articles and journals. Stuff that if I do get interrupted it’s easy to pick up where I left off.
To write creatively I have to go somewhere very different than this. You guys know me…I am wild and crazy…I grab my laptop and move over to the couch! Sometimes I put some quiet classical music on in the background to relax and create a mood. I also listen to Brainspeak CD’s that help me concentrate which I highly recommend to everyone.
There are two key things you can do to actively get yourself into “the zone” and write more copy.
1. Train yourself to get into the zone on command. You can do this by creating a specific environment that helps you get in the zone faster. Similar to reaching a meditative state, you create an environment that gets you there faster.
2. Allow yourself blocks of time to write. Unlike checking emails and doing other types of work, you can’t realistically get into the zone for ten minutes here and 20 minutes there. Allow at least an hour or more at a time to work on projects.
Training yourself to quickly get into “the zone” is something that takes time, discipline, and probably a little experimenting. Ultimately, training yourself to quickly reach “your zone” will allow you to write faster, probably better, and the end result will be more money.
About the author
Kelly Robbins, founder of The Copywriting Institute, is the author of Powerful Interviewing Techniques for Healthcare Marketers and The Healthcare Copywriters Toolkit. Kelly Robbins is an award winning healthcare copywriter and marketing coach/consultant. Publisher of "The Copywriting Connection", Kelly helps writers and marketers learn to write phenomenal copy. Contact Kelly to receive her free report, "Six things every copywriter MUST know to make high profits in copywriting fast!" at www.TheCopywritingInstitute.com or 303-460-0285. © 2007, The Copywriting Institute
Like any entrepreneur, running a copywriting business involves a variety of tasks. Marketing, researching, invoicing, answering emails, networking, interviewing...the list is endless.
But the most important and, in my opinion, the most fun thing we do is actually write. Whether we are writing copy for a client, creating marketing
But the most important and, in my opinion, the most fun thing we do is actually write. Whether we are writing copy for a client, creating marketing
