How to Create a Writing Routine That Works for You

If there's one thing every writer dreams of, it's having the time and energy to make their stories the best they can be. Unfortunately, day jobs, household upkeep, family obligations, and overall lack of motivation can often push writing down to the bottom of your priority list. But even the busiest person needs to find time for the things that make them happy.

I’ve come up with four tips that have helped me to become more consistent in my writing routine. Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to writing, so it’s important to reflect on what works and doesn’t work for you. If there's one piece of advice I can give to writers, it's to take all writing advice with a grain of salt. I'd recommend taking these tips into account and molding them to fit your own needs!

1. Track Your Progress

The most common way I’ve seen writers track their daily progress is by word count. Since participating in my first National Novel Writing Month, I’ve made it a habit to set a word count goal for myself every time I sit down to write, and honestly, it just wasn’t working for me.

It’s important to set realistic writing goals that make sense to you. Tracking my word count has a tendency to impede my progress, because I’ll often sacrifice quality to reach my goal faster and then want to quit right when I hit my number for the day. Instead, I’ve started writing until I feel like I’m ready to stop, and I’ve become more productive than ever. I’m also writing in a formatted document, so I’m paying more attention to page count than words.

To put it simply, find out what helps you stay accountable and stick to it. Whether it be writing 1,000 words a day, finishing a chapter a week, getting a full page written during your session, or anything else, progress is all about your personal benchmarks.

2. Pick a Comfortable Location

I spend about 90% of my waking hours sitting at my desk, and it can quickly become uninspiring. Since this is usually the place where I do my day job work, I try not to sit there when I write so I can keep my creativity separate. Recently, I’ve been writing on the couch, because it's comfortable and feels more like fun than work. I also visited a coffee shop to write after work this week, and I ended up getting a lot done! Creating the right atmosphere can be a big factor in whether you dread or look forward to writing, so choose carefully.

3. Find the Best Time

Some people can wake up at five in the morning and crank out two thousand words before breakfast, but if you’re not one of those people, be honest with yourself. Take a look at your calendar, or think about your patterns throughout the week, and figure out what time is usually free on each particular day. (I emphasize this because trying to stick to the same time every day can be difficult if you don’t have the same responsibilities each day.)

Don’t think about writing time as something that takes away from your schedule, but something you’re excited to add. Remember, if you’re reading this post, odds are you actually like to write! Next time you open your phone to scroll through social media, think about how the hour or two you spend on things like this every day can be put to good use without sacrificing your more valuable free time.

4. Don’t Force It

It’s important to learn the difference between a day when you need to push through and write and a day when you genuinely need a break. I struggle with an all or nothing mindset that makes it difficult to take a day off when I need one. This only hurts me in the end, because the quality of my writing suffers when I’m miserable while I’m working. Stay accountable for your goals, but allow yourself to bend enough that you don’t break. Remember: this is supposed to be fun.

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