The Five Most Important Steps in My Daily Writing Routine
It’s been about eight months now since I started a daily writing routine. Having a routine has made all the difference. It’s helped me make steady progress with my writing. I had been writing here and there for many years but this is the first time where I’ve managed to write consistently on a daily basis. Back in March when schools closed, I had to take an extended leave of absence from my job in order to manage my kindergartner’s distance learning. I decided this was the perfect time to go after one of my dreams and re-start my writing career. The task felt daunting because it had been so long since I’d written anything. Despite my worries, I decided to just dig in and go for it. I started with writing in tiny, manageable increments: at first, just 5 minutes a day. When that went well, I increased my productivity to 10 minutes a day. Soon I was able to complete some projects and make good progress. At first, it was challenging to get into a writing groove since I was distracted by many things going on: the pandemic, school closures, stay-at-home orders, and distance learning. Over time, writing became an important and much-welcomed part of my day.
I knew if I was going to keep this positive forward momentum going, I would need some sort of writing routine beyond just writing for a certain amount of time each day.
It’s important for a writer to be a self-starter and to have the internal motivation to keep writing projects on track and meet deadlines. I find that having a daily writing routine helps keep my writing progress on track. It especially helps with bigger, long-term projects.
Here are five important steps in my daily writing routine:
1. The early bird gets quiet time to write
Having quiet time to focus is important, especially these days when my other job is to manage my son’s distance learning (our school system is still 100% virtual). I’ve been getting up early in the mornings to have some quiet, distraction-free time to write. I wake up early and write for an hour and a half before distance learning starts. I try to tackle the most challenging or time-consuming writing projects first thing in the morning when I’m the freshest and have the most energy. Then I use the rest of the day to work on revisions, editing and marketing.
2. To stay on track, set a daily word count or a daily
number of pages to meet
Sometimes it’s challenging to track your progress as a writer. Most writers want to be productive, but if you’re working on a big project with no deadlines, it’s hard to know how much writing you need to complete in order to be productive. That’s why having a daily word or page count to meet can be helpful, so you have a goal to work toward each day. I try to write 1000 words every day. I feel more productive when I’ve met that goal.
3. Start your week by creating a list of writing goals
I start the week by making a list of my writing goals on Sunday nights. I put the goals in order of importance, and then for each day of the week, I make a list of 3 goals that I absolutely want to complete on that particular day. Having three goals doesn’t feel too overwhelming. I then feel super productive if I manage to meet those three goals. It’s also very satisfying to cross off goals as you complete them!
4. Take some time away from your writing
If you’ve been working on a manuscript for awhile, it’s important to step away for a day or two so that when you return, you can look at your manuscript with fresh eyes. This break provides a little bit of distance so that you can come back and see your work with a new perspective. Having some distance from your work also helps you edit more effectively. In the meantime, I work on other writing projects. Taking some time away always helps me return to the work with fresh new ideas.
5. Get inspired by new things
A few times a week, I change up my routine in order to get inspired in new ways. For example, I alternate between visiting new places in my area, taking a day trip, or spending time doing a new activity or hobby. Doing this can help you come up with new and fresh ideas that will benefit your work. While taking a walk in nature, you can let your mind focus on your current work and see what ideas come up. Likely you’ll come up with a different idea that might help you take your writing in a new direction.
