The Importance of Routine for Writers

We all like to think of writing as this magical oasis we can enter at will. When we’re there everything comes easy. Words flow from our minds into our fingers and appear on the screen like a tidal wave.

Of course, reality is nothing close to this. Writing is fun, but it’s also work. Sometimes the words come easy, but sometimes they are a bit sluggish. There are even times we’re simply not in the mood to write at all.  Or we are too busy with full time jobs, children, or other generic life nonsense getting in the way.

This is where routine comes in.

Everyone says you need to get in the routine of writing every day. That this is the key to improving your writing and eventually finishing your novel and becoming a professional writer. Sure, that sounds easy when you just say “write every day!” Maybe for some people it is easy to find the time and motivation. For some, just saying that they want to write each day is enough to help them do it. For others, creating self-defined rewards or consequences works wonders.

For me, these tactics don’t work. I’ve tried different methods and motivations, but nothing seems to stick. For a time, I thought that maybe I was destined to be one of these people who always wanted to be an author, writes occasionally, but never actually finishes a novel. While I’m still not a published author (yet!), I have tapped into a method that seems to work for me.

And I want to share it with you!

The thing about building a routine, is that it can’t be just one thing you do each day. By its very definition, a routine is a sequence of actions regularly followed. A sequence of actions. For me, this realization has been revolutionary. I credit the discovery to Jessica Brody (author of Save the Cat Writes a Novel and founder of The Writing Mastery Academy) and her Productivity Hacks for Writers course.

When you have actions that you perform prior to writing each day, these help get you in the mindset you want to be in. The human body and mind are incredible things. They remember when you’ve done something before, but more importantly, they remember what you always do after that. They are fine-tuned to associate certain tasks with a specific frame of mind and you can train them to think:  “If I did that, and then this, then now it obviously must be time to write!”

It sounds a little bit like magic, and trust me, I didn’t quite buy in at first. It still takes commitment. You need to find time in your schedule to write (ideally in the morning, lunch break, or evening when you have a decent chunk of potentially available time), but the routine helps you actually be productive when you get to that time. And the results speak for themselves. Since starting a true routine I’ve consistently been able to write ~1000 words in an hour every day I’ve stuck with my routine. My favorite part is that I haven’t once felt like I wasn’t in the mood to write!

So what’s the secret?

Here’s what I’ve found works for me:

1. Wake up two hours before leaving for work in the morning without pressing the snooze button. Not pressing the snooze is KEY! Since avoid the snooze button, I’ve felt much more energetic and willing to be productive in the mornings. Try something like the Alarmer app on your phone to force yourself solve puzzles or go scan a barcode in order to shut off the alarm.
2. Hide the damn phone. Once you’ve dealt with your alarm, push this deadly beast somewhere out of sight. Don’t just check one thing. Don’t send a text, or peek at social media, or even check the score to last night’s football game. Leave the phone alone and don’t touch it again until you’re done writing! And don’t just put it facedown next to you. You will be tempted, and even if you don’t check it, the temptation alone will be a distraction. Leave it on a different table, or better yet, in a different room. As long as you don’t have gremlins it’ll still be there, I promise.
3. Take the dog outside. Getting moving helps your blood start pumping and wakes up your brain and muscles. Even just walking around the house works fine.
4. Change into a writing-specific outfit. It may sound a little strange to have a set of clothes you only wear when writing, but this is all part of training your brain to know when it’s time to write. It’s your writing armor! I have a pair of duplicate polo shirts that I’ve designated to be my writing shirts. This also help you wake up from bed rather than staying in pajama sleep mode all morning.
5. Meditate. I’m not a big meditation person, but taking a few minutes to close your eyes and just focus on your breath, in and out, can really help focus the mind. I literally do this for 5 minutes and then move on. I do think it helps though.
6. Journal. I’m not a big journal person either, but it’s helpful to get you in a positive mindset and to frame your day. I write a few things I’m grateful for and then my long term goals and short term goals specific to writing. “Write first draft of my novel” and “Write >500 words today.” My entire journal entry each day is a few bullet points (often the same ones over and over), it doesn’t need to be some philosophical essay. This help to remind you why you do what you do.
7. Eat protein heavy breakfast with limited sugars, carbs. Sugars and carbs suck out the energy that you’ve worked so hard thus far to build up. I do a fried egg and greek yogurt with blueberries. It’s healthy and further boosts that writing energy. Also, grab your coffee here if you’re into that sort of thing.
8. WRITE! (I write at a standing desk, which I highly recommend, and it definitely helps keep my blood flowing and puts me in the right mindset for writing since it’s the only time I stand to do work. Think about what we associate with sitting these days… Lounging to binge your favorite streaming service, boring desk work, scrolling the ‘gram, etc. We don’t want to have that association during writing time.)

Let me know if you have a routine that works for you, or give something like this a try and let me know if you find success with it! Best of luck out there!

-K2