How to be a Productive Writer Workshop and Focused Writing Retreat

With a new near comes resolutions and I suspect a common one for academics and students is to complete that stubborn writing project. Whether it is a PhD thesis, research paper, essay or report, getting into a writing flow can be hard, especially in the midst of a dark, cold and wet winter.

The purpose of this workshop and online retreat is to give you practical skills and habits to empower yourself to be a more habitual writer. You will learn tried and tested techniques to enhance your productivity and help keep distractions at bay - all you need is willpower and the permission to take time out to write.

My name is Andy Tattersall and I started my first writing retreat in 2015 when I was struggling to complete a book commission, so I recruited a few colleagues to join me in my first hosted writing retreat. It was an incredible success as I managed to turn this problematic piece of writing around much quicker thanks to developing a successful formula for the retreat. I learned lots of coping strategies and tools to help me and others become a more productive and happier writer. I realised how useful writing retreats were and so continued to run them for staff and students. I went on to run hundreds of writing retreats which were attended by thousands of people, many coming back week after week.

The method I developed incorporated the Pomodoro Technique, where sessions were broken up for brief discussion and short meditation and light yoga videos from YouTube. This helped form a supportive writing community, especially in Lockdown, which I wrote about for the LSE Impact Blog.

The workshops and retreats

There are two retreats, both of which begin with a one hour workshop to help empower you to become a more productive writer. The first workshop explores the very common problem of distractions, whether that be other people, email or social media. I will teach you some of the ways you can declutter your busy working life and mind to focus on being a happier writer. The second workshop explores some of the ways you can be a more productive writer, how to organise yourself more effectively and deal with the writing hurdles you might face. There will be time for discussion, questions and opportunities for attendees to share their writing barriers and what has worked for them. You can attend one or both writing retreats, there is a discount for purchasing both sessions.

How to be a Productive Writer Workshop and Focused Writing Retreat

9.30 - Welcome and housekeeping

9.40  - How to be a Productive Writer 

10.40 - Introduction to the Pomodoro Technique

10.50 - Break

11.00 Pomodoro Writing Retreat - 4 x 25 minute silent writing sessions, with regular breaks for discussion, meditation and exercise.

13.10 Lunch

14.00 Pomodoro Writing Retreat - 4 x 25 minute silent writing sessions, with regular breaks for discussion, meditation and exercise

16.10 Final discussion

16.20 finish

Who is this workshop for?

Despite the academic focus, these sessions are aimed at anyone working in academia. Whether you are a researcher, teacher, student or professional, if you have to write regularly as part of your work, then you will benefit from attending one or both of these sessions.

Where will the sessions take place?

The sessions will take place in Google Meet, which you can access via your web browser or via an app on mobile devices (although laptop and desktop computers would be much better). There will be opportunities to unmute your microphone or just use the chat function in the session. You will receive an invite to the session after booking.

About the host

My name is Andy Tattersall and I am a research communications and impact consultant. Prior to this, I worked at the University of Sheffield for 24 years. I have a background in journalism and information science, and my expertise is a mix of practical and technical skills alongside academic theory. I have extensively written, created podcasts and delivered talks and training about my areas of expertise.

I received a Teaching Senate Award from The University of Sheffield for my pioneering work on Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) in 2013 and I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I was named in Jisc’s Top 10 Social Media Superstars in 2017 and named as one of their Community Champions in 2025 for my work into the state of social media in HE.

I am an expert in the area of social media in higher education and have been interviewed by the likes of the BBC, The Times and Times Higher Ed on the topic. I also have a big interest in altmetrics and published one of the first books on the topic in 2016. In addition, I lead the scientific research communications for the NIHR funded knowledge mobilisation for the public health project called KNOW-PH.