Anthony Trollope Method

Overview

Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era who became famous for his extraordinarily disciplined approach to writing.

The Famous 250-Words-Per-15-Minutes Method

Trollope's method was simple and brutal: write 250 words every 15 minutes. He tracked his progress with a pocket watch, treating each quarter-hour like a sacred sprint. This approach was so rigorous that if he finished a novel mid-session, he immediately began the next.

Daily Routine

Trollope wrote for three hours every morning from 5am – 8am, and then went to work. More specifically, he paid his groom £5 a year extra to wake him at 5:00 A.M. so that he could be at his desk by 5:30. Each day began at 5 a.m., roused by a servant with coffee.

Remarkable Output

This disciplined approach yielded extraordinary results. Over the course of 35 years, he wrote 47 novels as well as many short stories, nonfiction books, and plays. Even more impressive, he did all this while working a demanding job as a post office inspector.

He wrote mainly before breakfast at a fixed rate of 1,000 words an hour, which meant he could produce approximately 2,500-3,000 words during his morning writing sessions.

Attitude Toward Inspiration

"To me," he wrote, "it would not be more absurd if the shoemaker were to wait for inspiration." What mattered to Trollope was application. This practical, workmanlike approach to writing was controversial among his contemporaries who valued artistic inspiration.

Modern Applications

The Trollope Method demonstrates how small, consistent efforts with clear metrics (250 words per 15 minutes) can lead to remarkable long-term productivity. This time-management technique is particularly applicable to writers, content creators, and anyone doing creative work who wants to overcome procrastination and build consistent output habits.