If you have a large project to complete, you may want to consider devoting a whole weekend to it. You’ll get a huge chunk of work done, which will no doubt motivate you to keep going until the end. I use this technique when I need to get a heap of work done on my novel, as well as when I am developing a new blog or other project. This intense focus really helps the words to flow. A long weekend is even better. In a solid day of uninterrupted work, I can get 8-10,000 words down on paper. That’s a rough draft knocked up over seven or eight regular weekends!
Life is always full of distractions however, so I’ve compiled a list of tips I find useful when attempting to steal a precious 48 hours all for myself:
Prepare
go to the grocery store and stock up on your favourite writing food and drink. For me, writing without copious cups of tea is hard, so i’ll make sure i have enough teabags to see me through till Sunday night. My typical writing food includes chocolate, jellybeans, chips and sandwiches, with the odd apple thrown in. If junk food helps you get through it, allow yourself this guilty pleasure - after all, its only one weekend!
Give everyone plenty of notice that you won’t be available. If you have kids, ship them off to grandma’s for the weekend. Same goes for spouses, if you think they might distract you. Alternatively, you can remove yourself from the comforts and distractions of home and book in to stay somewhere nice. You might decide to go to a dedicated writing retreat, a cabin in the woods, or a beach condo. Whatever it is, don’t go somewhere that has more distractions than home. (Staying at the disney resort probably isn’t a smart idea).
If you’re not a fan of take-out, cook enough food to last you the weekend - this way you don’t have to stop what you’re doing to feed yourself. It’s also easier to grab a pre-prepared dish from the fridge than to get in the car and drive to McDonald’s (not to mention healthier). Some easy dishes to prepare and portion out: lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, curry and rice, risotto, frittata, and anything else that keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days.
give the house a quick clean and tidy on friday night. The last thing you want to think about is clutter when you’re poised to write an action scene and the dust in your house is making you sneeze. Anything you don’t do - washing, dishes, cleaning the cat’s water bowl - can be moved out of sight until the weekend is over.
Plan and set goals
There’s not much point taking a whole weekend if all you’ll do is stare at a blank screen/piece of paper and wonder what the hell you’re supposed to be doing. Before the weekend arrives, make a list of all the tasks you hope to achieve. Is there a particular scene you want to finish? New character you want to introduce?
Visualise sunday night (or whichever night you’re finishing up)
how do you hope to feel? what will you have accomplished? Write this down and display it where you’ll be working.
On Saturday morning
Don’t oversleep! Get up at a reasonable time and have a breakfast that will fuel you for a good chunk of time. Coco Pops are probably not that great. I find eggs on toast or muesli with yogurt keep me going.
Shut off the internet, deviate your phones to the answering machine, and do some light stretches or jogging on the spot to wake you up and get the blood pumping. Prepare your brain by doing a few crosswords, reading a passage from an inspirational book or sketching something (don’t get distracted though!)
Okay…start writing!
It may seem daunting at first, so go easy on yourself. Your brain will try and distract you - don’t listen to it. Keep your butt glued to the chair! Eventually, something will flow. Even if you think it’s utter drivel, you can always edit it later 
Make sure you take a short break every few hours. Stretch, get some fresh air, go pat the dog. You can take lots of breaks throughout the day, the key is keeping them short and staying focused.
Get a good night’s sleep. You may need more sleep than normal if you’ve had a super-productive day - that’s OK. Just listen to your body and wake up on sunday when your eyes open. No snuggling till eleven o’clock!
Sunday night
How do you feel? Are you happy with your progress? Write down your thoughts (briefly, as you’ll most likely be sick or writing) and make a note of anything you could do better next time.
Celebrate! Close the computer or notebook, pour yourself a glass of wine, and give yourself a huge pat on the back!
