How to Stick to a Writing Schedule
Practice makes perfect, the old adage goes, and the more you write the better you get at it. Whether you're blogging for money
Regular writing is good for your mind and emotional health
Set Aside a Place to Write
You can be creative anywhere—sitting on the subway or standing on a line—but for the long haul and more consistent creativity, your best bet is to carve out a space where you regularly write. That primes you to get into the right frame of mind as soon as you sit down. Michael Pollan built a place of his own where he could think and write, much like Thoreau and countless others have retreated to specific places to better hone into their work. Set aside a particular place that you do nothing but write or create and you can jump start your creativity.
Make It a Habit
The hardest part of working on something is just getting started
My own ritual is to make myself a cup of tea, load up an instrumental soundtrack, then pull up my current project. By that point, my brain has comfortably tuned itself in for the writing it anticipates.
What I encourage is developing your own rituals that involve things that you already enjoy. From there, a simple investment in your rituals can have a profound impact. It doesn't matter that no one actually needs 16 different flavors of tea (my current total): Buying new flavors is how I get myself excited about the ritual surrounding my writing. Likewise, I regularly invest in instrumental soundtracks (most recently work by Lindsey Stirling) because it makes me excited to get going.
Many people might tell you to just get up earlier to make the most of those magical morning hours when the words might flow more freely, but, honestly, waking up earlier and forcing yourself to write at 5 am isn't the solution for everyone. Earlier might be better because your willpower will likely get depleted as the day goes on, but some people are more creative in the evenings
The right writing apps
Get Unstuck with Timed Sprints
If the hardest part is just getting started, how do you get over that hurdle? Use a timer
Because you're being timed and sprinting to write as much as you can, you'll likely censor yourself less during the writing process—just write whatever comes naturally and edit later. (Don't waste time doing research
Become a Voracious Reader
If you're a writer, there's no better "bang for your buck" way to spend your time than to just read more. Read anything and read everything—as a skilled reader
Tap into Peer Pressure
Having an "accountability buddy" is a tried-and-true strategy
Follow the Two-in-a-Row Rule
You have your schedule, your alarm set, your routine down pat…but one day you break it and just don't feel like writing, so you don't (even though you know "not feeling like it" is not a good excuse
Also, be flexible. Your writing schedule might change—often. Life events will throw wrenches in your plan, but you can plan a new schedule. And then stick to that.
Photos by alexkerhead, archer10, mipeixoto, schani, mcclanahoochie.