We’ve all been there. There’s so much we have to say, but it feels impossible to get the time to sit down and put those words into a document. It can be too easy to tend to other things, so our writing and publishing become more sporadic. There’s no way around it: if you want to be a prolific and productive writer, you need a strong writing routine to meet your goals. If you’re ready to stop feeling frustrated with yourself, you’ll want to add these five elements to your writing routine.
1. You Need a Consistent Writing Schedule
If we don’t make time for important things, we’ll never find time for them. There’s always another meeting, another coffee break, and laundry. There’s always laundry. It all gets in the way of meeting our writing goals. The most important thing you can do to develop a strong writing routine is to set specific writing times and put them in your calendar.
When you choose what time you will write, it’s just as important to choose a time when your natural energy peaks as it is to choose a regular time. Even if it’s only every two weeks because your schedule is so jam-packed with things, getting it into the calendar will help ensure your writing time happens.
You must guard your time once you’ve set your writing schedule and put it in your calendar. Treat the time you’ve scheduled to write as non-negotiable, just as you would a meeting with your boss, lunch with your grad advisor, or a dental appointment.
2. Create a Dedicated Writing Space
To keep your strong writing routine going, you will need a dedicated writing space. The benefits of this are twofold. First, you’ll have everything you need in this space, making getting to work easy. Second, when you have a routine, your brain gets ready to write just by being in the dedicated space.
You’ll want your space to be distraction-free, so sitting on the couch in the family room is probably not the best place for your writing routine. If music helps you focus, work with that. If you like to sit on an exercise ball (I cannot recommend this enough for those who need to move while focusing). Do what you must to keep external (and internal) distractions to a minimum.
Be sure your writing space is well-stocked with the tools and resources you need for a successful writing session. If you like to write drafts by hand, have plenty of pens or pencils that feel wonderful in your hand and notebooks or journals. If you prefer typing things out, have your desktop ready or your laptop charged.
Finally, you want your writing space to be comfortable—but not too comfortable. You don’t want to nap instead of writing chapter 12 of your space spy thriller, which is sure to be a bestseller when it’s done.
3. Clear Goals and Planning Help Feul a Solid Writing Routine
Once you’ve scheduled your writing sessions and set up your area, it’s time to set your goals and plan what you will do when you write. Doing this ahead of time helps prevent decision fatigue and mental load. When you sit down to work, you can start working.
Set daily or weekly word count targets. I like to try getting at least 1000 new words daily as part of my writing routine. For you, 500 words might be a good target. If you’re trying to write a longer novel draft in a month, you may want a higher daily goal, like 2000 words a day. A weekly goal might be a better fit for those who can only schedule a weekly session or two.
If you’re working on a larger project, break it into manageable chunks. That way you’re not looking at climbing the entire mountain at once, instead, you’re just worrying about the next boulder or path. This is where outlining your project ahead of time is helpful. You’ll know the next section, and you can work on manageable chunks in your next writing session.
You won’t know if you’re meeting your goals if you don’t have a good way to track them, so be sure you have a way to track your progress, whether meeting your word count targets or finishing the projects you want to work on.
4. Develop Pre-writing Rituals
For some folks, transitioning from one activity to writing mode can be difficult. By developing pre-writing rituals, you can help yourself get into the zone for a great writing session. I like to pour a hot cup of coffee, take it to my writing chair, and listen to my writing music playlist to get into the zone. If it’s been a rough day, sometimes I’ll do a guided meditation first.
I also like to take a few minutes to review my notes, read over what I wrote in the last writing session, and make a few notes about what I think I will do in the present writing session. In her article “Writing Rituals to Inspire Your Creative Flow,” Camille Styles talks about freewriting as a way to get into the right mindset for writing. Play with some different ideas and see what works best for you. When you enjoy your sessions, maintaining a solid writing routine becomes more accessible.
5. Create an Accountability System to Maintain Your Strong Writing Routine Even on Bad Days
Not every day is a good day. Sometimes, we have a hard day; sometimes, we have a hard month; sometimes, the entire year needs to be thrown in the trash. If you want to maintain your writing routine no matter what life throws at you (and I suggest you do), you must have a solid accountability system. Finding an accountability partner is a great idea. Joining writing groups or communities is another way to stay accountable. You’ll also want to look at your goals and review whether you are meeting your milestones.
A writing coach or developmental editor can also help hold you accountable through regular check-ins on your progress. This can be a great option if you’d like to stay accountable to your writing routine while receiving feedback on your work in progress. Contact me to learn how I can help you maintain your writing routine and meet your goals.
