As a writer, if you’re anything like me, you’re always on the lookout for great ideas. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could always summon a sack full of fresh ideas anytime you wanted?
Because, let’s face it… being a writer in the Digital Age comes with a fair bit of pressure. There’s always a need for a fresh angle for this blog or that newsletter or this social media landing page… in other words, your clients seem to think you have limitless new ideas you’re just waiting to share.
But sometimes, the idea well runs dry.
Which is why today, I’m going to share with you five of the key things I learned from the book Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life by Jim Kwik — the guy who was once called “the boy with the broken brain” and who is now the World’s #1 Brain Coach.
Pretty impressive, right?
I first read Limitless in January 2021, and I keep coming back to it, because it resets my mindset, refreshes my motivation, and reminds me of the methods I need to train my brain and boost my creativity.
Think about it…
At its core, your brain is a creative engine. You recall and re-organize your thoughts in new ways… you concentrate on the task at hand… you recalibrate your thinking to come up with original and fascinating approaches to your work. It’s a mix of art and science. And your brain drives it all.
And, when you train your brain to become limitless… guess what? Cultivating ideas will become a breeze, and your writing will level up because of it.
Sounds pretty exciting, right?
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the first key point…
1. Unlimit Your Thinking
We all have limiting beliefs. Notions about what we can and can’t do. The truth is, you are probably far more capable than you realize.
To reach your full potential, you have to figure out what thoughts hold you back and stifle your creativity, and then rewrite them to serve you better.
Maybe way back in the day, one of your teachers told you that you weren’t a natural writer. Subconsciously, you hold a belief that writing is hard for you.
To rewrite that thought takes some proactive brain training.
One way you can do that is by killing your ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts).
If you’re not sure what your ANTs are, here are some examples of mine:
“I can’t possibly write a long-form sales letter…”
“I’m not good enough for this project…”
“I’m going to fail if I try.”
Sound familiar?
These thoughts pop into your mind unbidden, and often unnoticed, but they have a stifling effect.
Kwik Action Step
Take some time to think about your ANTs and what they are. Make a written list. Once you’re done writing, flip those thoughts into more empowering ones and make a new list.
For example…
“I can’t possibly write a sales page for the financial industry…”
…becomes, “I have what it takes to learn how to write a sales page for the financial industry!”
Start trying to catch your ANTs as soon as they creep in, and then replace them with something that serves you better.
2. Fuel Up Your Mental Energy
Quick question: How many hours of sleep did you get last night?
If you answered around seven or eight hours, keep it up!
Writing and idea generation take lots of brain power. You’re thinking about themes for marketing campaigns, angles to approach each project, and elements to use in your copy. You can’t afford to become sleep deprived.
Why?
Because, without sleep, your brain doesn’t function as well. Focus becomes more difficult, memory gets hazy, and your overall health declines.
Sleep isn’t a choice — it’s a necessity!
But, sleep isn’t the only thing your brain needs.
According to Limitless, the top three mental energy sources are: (1) Sleep; (2) Movement; and (3) Brain Food.
Imagine waking up from a full night’s sleep, starting your morning with an energizing workout of your choice, and then drinking a nutritious and tasty fruit smoothie — yumm!
That sounds like a pretty good way to kick off a day, if you ask me.
Not only does that kind of routine get your day off to an incredible start, it also loads up your brain with the fuel it needs to generate great ideas for your writing assignments.
Another benefit to fueling up your brain is you’ll feel more motivated and less pressured. Which means, you’ll be less likely to procrastinate and more likely to be receptive to inspiration!
Kwik Action Step
Create a simple routine that gives your brain the fuel it needs from all three sources.
Here’s an example:
- Set your going-to-bed and getting-up times to allow for seven to eight hours of sleep.
- Schedule in a morning workout you’ll enjoy… yoga, walking, biking, dancing… you have a ton of options.
- Plan a breakfast made from unprocessed foods high in fiber, healthy fats, and protein.
- Do your best to stick with your plans.
3. Train Your Focus and Memory
Do you have a good memory?
Wait, scratch that. Do you have a trained memory?
According to Jim Kwik, you aren’t born with a “good” or “bad” memory. It’s either trained or untrained. To train your memory, start with improving your focus.
After all, focus and memory go hand-in-hand. How?
The more focused your attention is, the more information your memory will retain. And, the more information you retain, the more ideas you can cultivate.
There are many ways to train your focus and memory. You can declutter your work space… do memory exercises… practice yoga… work with a standing desk… practice meditation… the list goes on. Anything you can think of that works your focus or your memory is fair game.
Something that’s worked well for my focus and memory training is going through AWAI’s Meditation for Writers program. (It’s free!)
I’ve always loved meditating, and meditation is a proven way to improve memory and focus. AWAI’s meditation program is especially good, because the meditations are specifically for writers — I absolutely love it!
Kwik Action Step
Train your focus and memory by trying AWAI’s FREE 21-Day Program, Meditation for Writers: Accessing the Writer Within.
4. Practice Reading Faster
Have you ever done a reading speed test? If so, how was your score?
When I first took that test, I performed terribly. I scored only 132 words per minute (wpm), while a reading speed of 200 to 250 wpm is considered “average.” I didn’t know I was such a slow reader!
Thankfully, Jim has some tips for speed reading — which isn’t just about reading faster, but also about comprehending better. And, guess what? I managed to more than quadruple my reading speed to 552 wpm! (I’m continually working on this.)
What’s the point of reading faster?
Well, it helps you work more efficiently. Especially as writers, reading is part of our job. Emails, articles, sales letters, case studies, books… we read a lot!
When you read faster, there’s less buffer time in your mind — which helps you become less prone to distraction.
And, reading faster can also help you collect more relevant ideas.
So, how can you practice reading faster?
One practical tip is to always, ALWAYS use a visual pacer every time you read anything. You can use your index finger, a pen, or your mouse cursor — depending on what material you’re reading.
And of course, read every day. It would be ideal if you could schedule at least 25 minutes for focused, fast reading every single day… because reading is also like exercising.
The more you do it, the better you’ll become.
Kwik Action Step
Choose a 25-minute time block for daily reading and stick with it. And, always use a visual pacer when you read.
5. Get into the Writing Flow
Flow state is that magical state where creativity comes easily, and the rest of the world fades away. Even more magical, being in a flow state can boost your productivity up to five times… or even more.
Yup, it’s true!
Flow sessions are the key to lessening your work hours, if that’s what you want, because you’re able to get so much more done when working in that state.
Flow doesn’t just happen by chance… which is good news. It means you can create your flow sessions systematically!
Here are the three steps you can do to deliberately get into your writing flow:
Step 1: Set your objective.
What do you want to achieve in your flow session? Maybe it’s to write a certain number of words, finish a writing assignment, or perhaps complete a week’s worth of content. Whatever it is, get clear about it and focus on it.
Step 2: Eliminate all distractions — no multitasking!
Close all the irrelevant tabs in your browser, put your phone in airplane mode, clear your desk, and make sure you’ll be undisturbed and uninterrupted. Do whatever it takes to get rid of distractions, so you can have absolute focus and concentration.
Step 3: Give yourself time for flow.
It’s important to give yourself enough time for flow. According to Jim Kwik, it’s ideal to plan a full two hours of uninterrupted flow session. Don’t worry about creating perfect work in your flow session. You can edit later.
Kwik Action Step
In your calendar, pick a day where you can do your flow writing this week. Then follow the three steps above to prepare and get into your writing flow!
This article covers a fraction of all the brain-training mindsets, motivations, and methods from Jim Kwik’s book Limitless, which you can use to “unlimit” your brain.
I hope what I’ve shared with you here is enough to get you started with the brain training that will help you become an even better web writer and help you take your career to new heights.
And, I’m curious… what’s YOUR top takeaway from this?
Please share it with us in the comments below.
