Three tips for reducing stress on your brain and increasing your productivity
If you’re like me (or most writers), you probably pride yourself on keeping your nose to the grindstone. You can’t go to bed satisfied unless you’ve worked your brain into a steaming pile of mush.
As it happens, our idea of productivity is kind of messed up.
We think the more work we put in, the more productive we’ll be. The more time we spend writing, the more content we’ll create.
But this is simply an incorrect mindset.
When I was making ice yesterday, the realization hit me like, well, a ton of ice cubes.
See, I grew up in a house with an automatic ice maker in the fridge. Since I moved out many years ago, I’ve adapted to making ice with ice trays. In a way, the ritual of filling them up every morning and seeing fresh ice pile into the container was fulfilling. First thing in the morning, I have made something—however inconsequential. But something in my neurodivergent brain despises stacking the trays and making the perilous walk back to the freezer.
Okay, get to the point you’re saying.
Stay with me.
Last month, while making my morning ice, eyes still blurry with the nearness of sleep, I cracked one of the ice trays. Right down the middle of the left-side row.
I sighed and threw it in the recycling bin, then filled the surviving tray and stuck it in the freezer.
Over the next couple of days, I found myself making ice more than once a day. Suddenly, our ice box was so full there was no room for any more. I was making far more ice with half the tools.
That’s when it hit me.
Sometimes, we need to do less if we want to do more.
Stop Blocking Yourself
Believe it or not, your brain has a finite capacity. Each thought you have or problem you solve depends on a unique neurotransmitter (a chemical in your brain) called glutamate. Your brain needs glutamate for neurons to carry signals and talk to each other.
But after you’re done thinking, the glutamate kind of just… sticks around.
The more decisions you make, the more glutamate starts to build up.
As your brain becomes clogged with more and more glutamate throughout the day, you’ll notice fatigue and have a harder time making decisions.
When you slow down, your brain starts to catch up and remove glutamate. However, deep sleep is key to the full cleanse needed to restore your mental clarity and creativity.
All this isn’t to say you should put your brain into hibernation mode. The average human has between 12,000 and 60,000 thoughts every day.
You’re built to make choices, daydream, and, yes, write.
But you don’t need to make things harder on yourself.
When you introduce unnecessary steps to the process, you slowly diminish your ability to create. Each new tool or distraction you introduce is actually eroding your capacity for thinking.
Back to the ice tray story for a moment.
It took me a few days to realize why we suddenly had more ice than ever or why I found myself wanting to make it nearly every time I opened the freezer. By removing the obstacle (stacking the trays and having to balance them across the kitchen), I put the task on autopilot.
I was barely thinking about making ice. In fact, this simplicity transformed it into an exercise in mindfulness I now look forward to rather than a chore I had to force myself to decide to do.
Applying to ‘Do Less’ Mindset to Writing
“Trim back your workload.” “Set up deep work blocks in your schedule to avoid distractions.” “Simplify your workflow.”
You’ve probably heard this same stale advice from many writers. While these tools do work, they don’t strike at the heart of why doing less can help you achieve more. They’re also the last thing a frustrated writer wants to hear.
The better approach involves restructuring your day and your approach to writing to give yourself more mental space and boost your capacity to create.
Here’s what I suggest if you want to start using the “do-less” approach in your life.
1. Start Using a “To-Done” List
To-do lists are the bane of my existence. I hate the stress they induce and the guilt they leave behind if they aren’t fully complete when I end my workday.
I first came across the idea of a “to-done” list in a Forbes article by Stacy Kim. Instead of writing out a list of tasks you need to do, you start the day with a blank page and write down each item you complete when you do it.
You can include only key work-related tasks, or you can include minute wins like doing the laundry or eating lunch.
At the end of the day, it can be hard to look back and reflect on everything you accomplished. A to-done list helps you gain a clearer perspective and helps you feel more energized.
Plus, each time you add something to your list, you’ll get a little energy boost that fuels your desire to add something else.
2. Save Time to Refill Your Creativity
Our brains aren’t designed to work creatively for eight hours a day, five days a week. Trying to force this lifestyle will quickly leave you feeling exhausted and burnt out.
Fortunately, freelance writers have the unique freedom to structure our time the way we want.
This should include time for a “creativity refill” as I like to call it.
Your refill can be absolutely anything—as long as you give your brain a rest.
Doing this once, twice, or more often daily lets your brain recharge and makes it easier to produce high-quality work when you’re back in the zone.
Do less. Get more out of it.
Here are a few of my favorite creativity refills:
- Browsing my favorite bookstore
- Sketching with a wandering mind
- Taking the dog for a walk around the block
- Cooking myself a nice lunch instead of throwing together a sandwich
- Taking a 20-minute power nap
3. Conduct a Micro Experiment Week
The idea of simplifying can be pretty vague when you’re not making ice. Some quick testing in your real life can paint a more useful picture.
Set aside one week to run small “experiments” on your writing process.
Remove one habit (checking social media before starting, listening to music, typing in bed, etc.) or tool (fancy word processor, live grammar checker, AI research assistant, etc.) you usually rely on and track the results.
Each experiment gives you a fresh view on what’s truly essential and what’s just adding noise.
Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t about giving up tools forever—it’s about figuring out what genuinely enhances your writing and what might be slowing you down.
By the end of the week, you might just find that something you thought was essentially is actually holding you back from producing your best work.
Are You Making Enough Ice?
Just like filling one ice tray instead of two, sometimes doing less can keep your freelance career from overflowing with unnecessary tasks.
Focus on what is truly adding value to your life. Skip the filler.
Let go of the need to be “busy” all the time.
Keep your processes and your workflow simple, and you’ll start to see your freelance writing business grow faster than ever.