Anyone who has participated in NaNoWriMo can tell you that it takes a lot of time to complete the challenge by November 30. If you're participating in NaNoWriMo this year, here's a few things we recommend you drop off of your to-do list in order to give yourself a better shot at reaching 50,000 words by the end of the month.

Household Chores

Yes, that's right, we're giving you permission to slack on your usual household chores this November. While we don't encourage you to let your entire home turn into a chaotic mess, there's no shame in letting the dishes sit in the sink one day longer than normal during NaNoWriMo season. When it comes to fitting in valuable writing time, you'll find that you have to give up a few things to make sure you reach your daily word count. If you can push off laundry for a few hours or throw a low maintenance dinner into a crockpot, you'll be given even more free time to sit down and write your book.

Editing

If you're a writer, chances are you also love to go back and edit your work as you write. While this is normal practice for writers not participating in NaNoWriMo, we strongly advise against editing during the month of November. This will feel foreign and it will probably take practice to get in the swing of not editing while you write but it will also strengthen your odds of getting those 50,000 words done by the end of the month. As soon as December 1 comes around, you are more than welcome to begin editing the manuscript.

Binge-Watching TV

The temptation to blaze through every new Netflix original series is real but when it comes time to write your novel over the course of only 30 days, you'll have to cut out some TV time to make room for writing time. Luckily, the shows will still be available for you to watch after you've reached your daily goal or once you've completed the challenge at the end of the month. 

Fact-Checking

Like revising, fact-checking your book isn't a necessary step while you're cranking out your first draft. Most books that reference anything that exists in the real world will eventually need a solid round of fact-checking but when it comes to NaNoWriMo, your main priority is to get words on the page. Make brief notes while you write about sections you should later go back to and check but try your hardest not to spend your precious writing time doing research and fact-checking this November.

Reading

Many successful authors like Stephen King will tell you that in order to write a fantastic book, you have to read a lot of great books written by other people. But this November, we encourage you to put your #TBR (to be read) pile on hold and focus on crafting your own story. Not only will this allow you more writing time but it will also keep you from reading source material that may have you second-guessing your story or wanting to go back and revise what you've already written.