Intro
Dave and Steve pimp 14 writing hacks to get blog content flowing but not before Steve recommends the Timer Extension for Google Chrome and he and Dave play Round 2 of “Clickhole or UpWorthy?”

Zero Authority Toolbox: Timer Chrome Extension
In keeping with today’s main topic Steve recommends an absurdly simple Google Chrome extension called Timer to keep you on task.
ClickHole or UpWorthy? Round 2
Steve tosses out 6 headlines to Dave to ask him to identify which ones belong to happy, clappy, clickbaity UpWorthy or parody site Clickhole.

14 Writing Hacks to Boost Productivity
Steve lists 14 best practices for boosting writing productivity.  Nothing earth-shattering, but exrtremely effective when you have the discipline to follow through.  Read these tips from Steve below!
Start Early
I write best at 5am, much better than at 10pm. I find I’m more creative and the caffeine is really lighting me up. Since I’ve got young kids, it also gives me an end time. This is key because it aligns me with Parkinson’s Law which holds that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” I have, at most, a 2-hour window to get sh*t done.
And get sh*t done I do.
Tidy Up
Make yourself a clean workspace. Keep the bills and unopened mail out of sight. If your desk is messy, try the dining room table, or anywhere that’s uncluttered.
Phone Off
If you’re up at 5, who’s calling you anyways?
Tune Out
If you can swing it, noise canceling headphones are the bomb! Wifey got me the Bose QC-25 for my 40th last year. I love ’em even though they’re a bit pricy. Use what you’ve got though….foam earplugs if necessary. I’ll pipe in some Classical Piano Solo channel on Pandora at a barely audible volume.
Put Your Browser on a Diet
I close all browser windows but one to allow for fact-checking. I’ll keep two open if I’m using Pandora.
Get on the Clock
I use Chrome Extension Timer to give myself a nagging feeling to stay on task. Even if I have two hours, I like to use Timer in 20-30 minute chunks to turn Parkinson’s Law into a benefit rather than a liability.
Write, Don’t Design
Like dancing and pleasing women, graphic design is something I suuuucck at! But it doesn’t stop me from trying, for hours on end. This has been a huge time sink for me. I’d advise either taking a course on the basics – the extreme basics – of Photoshop, Canva or any other graphics app or paying a Bangladeshi boy 5 bucks to make your graphics for you.
Don’t waste valuable writing time learning how to make graphics.
Get Sweaty
It’s easy to look at time spent exercising as time you can’t spend writing. But I find exercise creates time in my life by making my writing stints soooo much more productive.
I find I just need at least 20 minutes of vigorous cardiovascular exercise to release the endorphins to boost creativity. I listen to podcasts as food for that creativity and often find I’m damned near sprinting home at the end of a jog to write down what inspired me.
Write, Don’t Edit
Wise writers say that if your first draft doesn’t suck, then you spent too long on it. There’s no better way to get in your own way than to try to make your words pretty while you’re writing them.