Boost Your Writing Productivity: Make Writing a Habit

Every writer I’ve met has struggled to get in their daily word count or find a block of time to revise or escape work and family responsibilities long enough–and consistently enough–to make steady progress on a writing project. Every. Single. One. Including me. Of course. Absolutely.

I can’t tell you how to get your spouse to stop asking you where the Pop Tarts are and let you write (1. I ate them. 2. I have a few suggestions, but most of them involve duct tape, so I’ll keep them to myself on the advice of my lawyer). I can’t tell you how to convince your boss that you should be allowed to write your novel on work time (well… again… duct tape, but note that I will not bail you out of jail or buy your groceries when you get fired). Nor can I tell you how to get your kids and/or pets to stop bugging you for money/treats/belly rubs so you can write (no duct tape for kids and pets–I’m not a monster–but I certainly understand the temptation. Try food and/or TV instead. Follow me for more parenting/pet tips.).

I can, however, tell you what worked for me, even though I have a spouse, a kid, two adorable but irritating greyhounds, and a boss. But before we get to that:

Happy IWSG Day! For those who are new here, I participate in the monthly Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop. This month’s optional question (which I’m ignoring this time) is: Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?

OK, back to my magical elixir for boosting your writing productivity, which actually isn’t magical or an elixir. It’s common advice, so common that I think people don’t pay much attention to it, because they’ve heard it so many times. But it works. Here it is:

Make writing a habit.

Yeah, yeah, I know–all that buildup, and that’s all ya got? But stay with me. I’m going to tell you how to make writing a habit and how to take a lot of the pain out of the process. But first, let me explain briefly why forming a writing habit is so important. It takes away the power of procrastination and the need for willpower.

Yes, you read that right. No more procrastination. No more willpower. Let that delicious idea seep deep into your bones. Build a solid writing habit, and you will just sit down and write. Automatically. With no rending of garments or gnashing of teeth.

Now, you’ll still have to use a little willpower to keep your butt in the chair, but I find that takes a lot less effort than convincing myself to sit down and start writing.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m full of a certain gooey brown substance that isn’t the filling in a chocolate Pop Tart. But I’m not–at least not right now. Building a writing habit completely changed my writing life. Give it a try, and see if it will change yours, too. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Prepare to Establish a Writing Habit

1. Figure out why you want to write. It sounds basic, but understanding your motivation will help you, especially in the early days of establishing your new habit. Have your overall writing goal in mind. Imagine it clearly and vividly. If you’re a vision board sort of person, make one and post it where you can see it when you’re writing.
2. Decide when you’re most likely to be able to write–even a little bit–without (much) interruption. Early in the morning or late at night when everyone else is asleep? On your lunch break? Some other time when the creatures you share space with are less demanding than usual? If you need caffeine to function, make sure you pick a time when you’ll be caffeinated. If you think better after eating, write after eating your morning Pop Tarts. Connect writing to an existing habit (I’ll write as soon as I toast my Pop Tarts. I’ll write as soon as I start the dishwasher after dinner. Pro tip: if you eat Pop Tarts for dinner, you won’t have any dirty dishes.) Give this step some serious thought, because finding a time that works is essential to your success in building a writing habit. How much time? That depends on what your life will allow, but in my experience, it’s much more important to find a time that works *every day* than to set an unrealistic goal and fail. If you can only find 10 minutes, then 10 minutes it is.
3. Decide where you’re going to write. Virginia Woolf and Stephen King were right–it’s best to have a room of your own with a door that closes–but not everyone has that luxury. Identify a writing space, preferably as far from distractions and interruptions as possible.
4. Set yourself up for success. If you live with other humans, tell them your plans and ask for their support. That sounds nicer than asking them to shut the f— up and leave you alone for a few minutes every day. You’re a writer. Use your nice words (because using duct tape can lead to jail time). Also, make sure you have the tools you need–computer, notebook, stone tablet, whatever. Get them into your writing space and get them ready.
5. Focus on just this one habit. If you try to establish a writing habit while also creating a new exercise routine, reading for an hour a day, and giving up Pop Tarts, you will fail. Spectacularly. Enjoy that Pop Tart addiction till your writing habit is established. Follow me for more nutrition tips.

Step 2: Establish that Writing Habit!

Start your habit, and practice it faithfully until it feels automatic. Research suggests it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit, but the process can take more or less time depending on the individual (see additional resources at the end of this post for more detail). You’re going to need some willpower in this stage, and you’re going to have to fight procrastination. Here are some ways to do that:

Beating procrastination long enough to establish a writing habit

1. Lower your standards. Lower them until you aren’t resisting anymore. If the thought of writing for an hour makes you want to hurl your Moleskine notebook into the fiery pit of Hades, give yourself permission to write for 30 minutes. If the thought of writing for 30 minutes makes you want to gouge your eyes out with a rusty olive fork, give yourself permission to write for 10 minutes. 5 minutes. Hell, just open the file containing your manuscript and stare at it for 5 minutes. Whatever. At this stage, the goal isn’t to be productive. It’s to establish a habit, to train yourself and the humans you live with–but mostly yourself–that this is writing time. So do what it takes to get your butt in that chair.
2. Pick a writing task that’s easy and/or fun. For me, that’s researching some esoteric thing, like 1970s houseboat models or the history of couches (yes, those are things I actually researched). Another task I enjoy is brainstorming plot ideas. Whatever aspect of writing you like the most, do that, so you’ll get your butt in that chair.
3. Reward yourself. If you write for 10 minutes, you get a Pop Tart. Write for 30? You get the whole damn box. Whatever it takes to get your butt in that chair.
4. Do not set deadlines. Do not hold yourself to high standards. Do not think about how much progress you’re making on your current project. You have one job and only one: write every day at a consistent time. That’s it. That’s all. Just focus on that. Quantity doesn’t matter. Quality doesn’t matter. Inspiration doesn’t matter. All that matters is your butt in that chair.
5. If you miss a day, forgive yourself and get your butt back in that chair the next day. You are not a failure. You are trying to do something difficult–form a new habit–and the occasional lapse is expected.

Step 3: Keep that Writing Habit Going

After a few weeks of writing every day–even for a few minutes–the act of planting your butt in your writing chair should feel almost automatic. I write in the morning before work, because I’m one of those ridiculous people who gets up at 6 AM when I don’t have to. I know, it’s sick and wrong, but it lets me get some writing done. The few times I’ve done something other than write first thing in the morning, it felt… wrong, and my feeble little brain got confused. Write now. We supposed to write now. Why we not write now?

You want your (hopefully not so feeble) brain to respond the same way. By writing at the same time and in the same place, you create cues that tell your brain it’s time to write. Once that happens, you can add some additional expectations–if you want to. You can set word count goals or revision goals or even–GASP!–deadlines. Your new writing habit will provide a solid foundation to support these new ambitions.

What happens when life happens?

A final confession, then I’ll shut up so you can go get another Pop Tart. I lied earlier. A little bit. You will still occasionally be tempted to procrastinate, to blow off your writing time to do something else. I’ve been writing consistently in the mornings for many months now (and did it consistently every weekend for a couple of years prior to making it a daily habit), and I’m almost never seriously tempted to blow it off. But when we were packing up our house last fall, I was. And some mornings, I gave in and packed boxes instead. And you know what? That’s OK. My writing productivity nosedived in the month we moved, but I did what I needed to do, and I don’t regret it. Things will happen in your life to upend your routine: moving, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one… you know, life stuff. When that happens:

1. Lower your standards. Go back to 10 minutes or 5 minutes or opening your manuscript or researching the history of couches. Whatever you have to do to maintain your habit.
2. If you absolutely can’t write, that’s OK. Accept it, be kind to yourself, and do what you need to do. Then get back to your daily habit as soon as you can, starting with step 1 above, lowering your standards.

What if I need a break?

It’s OK to take breaks even when nothing huge happens in your life. Take a vacation and forget about writing. Totally fine. But plan for it. I’m going to spend 2 weeks on a houseboat in the California Delta, and I’m leaving my laptop/manuscript/stone tablet at home. I’ll get home on Sunday. Monday morning I will [insert writing goal here]. Don’t let yourself just drift away from your habit without a plan for returning to it.

Additional resources

Interested in learning more about habits? Here are a few resources (for books, links are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy, I get a few pennies):

Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. I haven’t read this one yet, but I’ve heard good things. Clear has some interesting articles on his website, including:

• How to Start New Habits that Actually Stick
• How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit (Backed by Science)

Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business.

Fogg, B.J. Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything. Another one I haven’t read, but it’s going to the top of my reading list right now.

How to Form a New Habit (in 8 Easy Steps) – excellent advice here, including more detail on some of the principles I’ve mentioned in this post (but without the Pop Tarts)

If you’ve made it this far, congrats, and thanks for sticking with me! If you’ve successfully established a writing habit, how’d you do it?