The five work habits I used to write my next book

Plus the one I’ve let go

For more than two years, I’ve been hard at work on my next book. That process has changed how I work—and the habits I developed can help you, too.

Meeting-free Mondays

My recent Wall Street Journal story, Four Ways to Radically Rethink Your Workweek , explains how this helped me write my book:

When a friend offered me her apartment on Mondays when she was out of town, I jumped at the chance, reserving Monday for nothing but writing. My writing went faster because I started the week focused on my top-priority project, instead of fracturing my attention with emails and calls.

The weekend-to-work transition became less painful, too: Mondays were like an airlock between my weekend downtime and my workweek of meetings and calls.

To make this most effective, you have to block off your calendar so nobody can book meetings on Monday. Try to keep your email and messaging apps shut off until at least noon, so you get in the groove of your own work before checking for anything urgent. You may still have the occasional meeting that absolutely has to happen on Mondays, but if you can make that the exception rather than the norm, meeting-free Mondays are worth a try.