Putting on the Writing Habit
None of Those Old Excuses Will Work

 

Your goal is to turn writing into a habit that you’re so passionate about, you won’t even think about stopping.  To do that, you have to tailor your writing habit to fit you. Only you can do it, and your solution will be as individual as you are. It’s logical then to start with some self-examination.

 

Try keeping a detailed log of what you do each day. Do this for however long you have the patience to do it, the longer the better. In the end, you’ll examine your log to look for these things:

 

1)      What are some things that you do routinely in your day without thinking about them?

2)      Where are some areas that you could buy out time?

3)      When is your best time of day?

 

Finding Routines

 

Simply linking your writing to something that you already do on a regular basis can boost your success. For instance, if you spend some time every morning nursing a cup of coffee, try settling in with a pen and paper and doing some writing at the same time. Other possibilities may include writing during work breaks or at lunch, writing after you brush your teeth at night. If you walk your dog and come up with terrific ideas while you do it, why not spend the first ten minutes after you get home writing them down?

 

Buying Out the Time

 

Sometimes you’ll find that there are things that you do in your day just because that’s what you’ve always done and not necessarily because you enjoy or need to do them. One example I read about is watching the late night news. I honed in on this because it is something I do. However, I watch the news earlier in the evening, and rarely does anything change drastically in the four hours between the two. So this would be an ideal time for me to tune out the TV and tune into writing.

 

The thing is, you’ll never find the time to write. We are given a set number of minutes in a day and no one is going to hand us any extra. If you’re going to write, you have to make up your mind that you’ll buy the time from other activities to do it. 

 

Your Best Time of Day 

 

What is the best time of day for you to write? Look for spots in your day when you’re at your peak and when you’re least likely to be interrupted. 

 

We’re Not Talking Marathons Here

 

This can be a huge stumbling block. If your writing is hit and miss now, it’s absurd to say that you’re going to begin writing an hour a day, every day, starting now. It's okay to have that as a goal, but you need to work up to it.

 

Start with something that doesn’t intimidate your internal critic. Say ten minutes a day, three times a week. What’s ten minutes out of an entire day? You still have 1430 other minutes to spend on all your other obligations. That’s all you’re looking for right now—a ten minute window when you can sit down and create on a regular basis.

 

Your Assignment 

 

Decide now how long you would like to do keep an activity log and then go for it! Click here for a form to make it easy. (I told you, no excuses! <BG>) Remember to keep the log at work because there may be opportunities lurking there, too.

 

©2003Dekat

 

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©2004 Carolyn Dekat