7 Tips for Developing a Productive Writing Routine
By: Ashley Paramo
Tags: Writing Tips, Productivity, Writing

7 Tips for Developing a Productive Writing Routine

A good writing routine can help you achieve your writing goals. Here’s where to start.

Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

Writing consistently is hard. Between the rush of daily responsibilities and the exhaustion of a long day taking care of everything but yourself, it’s often a struggle to find the time to sit down and put words on paper. That’s why a writing routine works.

A writing routine helps you turn your writing practice into second nature. It removes your resistance by turning your craft into a daily habit. It makes it easier to get up every morning and make that important decision to sit at your desk and write.

What the ideal writing routine look like will vary by writer. What works for your writer friend might the opposite of what works for you and vice versa. Nevertheless, there are a few basic tips you can follow to develop your own writing routine.

1. Start the day before

A great way to get a bad start to your day is to have no idea what you’re going to do.

For me, this is almost inevitable. Without the knowledge of what I’m going to tackle, a day full of potential quickly turns into a hazy mess of online shopping and social media. If this also happens to you, then you’re probably familiar with that moment when you look at the clock, notice it’s 5 pm, and realize that you’ve wasted the day doing who knows what.

The best way to avoid this? End each day by planning what you’re going to do the following day.

This is not to say you need to schedule every single second of your day and wake up the next morning following your schedule with military preciseness. Planning your day can be as simple as making a quick to-do list with the top 3 things you want to tackle. The idea is to stop you from feeling lost by giving you a clear set of goals to focus on as soon as you’re up and ready.

2. Determine your responsibilities

Just as you should make a list of the things you want to tackle each day, you also need to consider the things that need to get done. Those non-optional items on your to-do list that may or may not take up a big chunk of your day. Jot those down too.

Why?

Because you need to know what your responsibilities are before you plan a writing session into your daily schedule. Otherwise, you’ll either never make it to your desk, or you’ll find yourself writing your heart out while you neglect your responsibilities. The needs to be a balance.

3. Plan around your responsibilities

Once you have a list of the things you want and need to do, make a more detailed plan of what your day will look like. You need to follow the previous steps first because having an accurate idea of what the day looks like for you increases your chances of following through with your writing plan.

This is what helps you develop the routine in the first place.

Make a detailed plan of what the day looks like for you according to your list of responsibilities. Next, take the spots of time where you’re free and fill them with your want-to-do items. It’s okay if your schedule doesn’t look exactly how you want it to look. The aim is not perfection. The aim is for you to develop a writing routine that works for you.

4. Set (realistic) goals

What do I mean by realistic goals?

I mean you should set goals that you can actually accomplish. This isn’t a dig at big goals. Big goals are awesome because they show us what we’re working towards. They remind us of the big picture. At the same time, having a huge goal can lead to undeserved disappointment.

It’s perfectly fine to set a goal of writing 2,000 words a day, but if the time you have is enough for only 1,000 words, you technically still failed your goal. Except you didn’t fail, because you wrote the 1,000 words. You showed up and put in the work to build your writing routine.

How is that a failure? It isn’t.

Give yourself a chance and set up a goal you know you can accomplish. The progress you make will help you build up the motivation you need to turn your writing practice into a daily routine. Once your goal stops challenging you, you can turn it up a notch.

5. Be consistent

The easiest way to turn your writing practice into a routine is to be as consistent as possible. Consistency is key because the unpredictability of everyday life can make it difficult to find the time and space to put pen to paper. If nothing else, let your writing be the one constant in your daily life.

If you know for a fact that a certain time of the day is yours to do whatever you want, make that your writing time. Get to the point where writing is no longer a choice you make, but an unconscious habit you practice. Soon enough, you’ll have a solid writing routine.

6. Avoid distractions

When it comes to writing, distractions are the root of all evil. Especially for those of us who have trouble getting into a state of flow. That’s why they need to go.

If you want your writing routine to be productive, you need to remove all possible distractors from your writing space. Wear headphones to cancel out any noises. Face a blank wall as you write as opposed to a window or open area. Put your cell phone on silent and leave it in a different room. Turn off your wifi if you have to. Get rid of all possible distractions until your writing session is over. This will help you make the most of your writing time.

7. Notice what works (and what doesn’t)

You don’t have to follow this tip if you don’t want to, but it will definitely help you to keep track of the different steps you’re taking to develop your writing routine. Why? Because being aware of your strategies will help you notice what works well and what doesn’t.

I keep a running list of the strategies that work best for me in all aspects of writing. These help me find patterns within the techniques that work for me. That’s how I learned that I work best when I’m completely alone, and how I realized outlining was a key factor in my writing process.

Keeping track of your writing process and the techniques you apply can help you in the same way. It doesn’t matter if it’s a short list of strategies jotted on a sticky note or a productivity journal that you write in every day. Staying aware of what works and what doesn’t can help you learn how you can improve your writing routine.

Key Takeaways

Developing a productive writing routine is the best way to achieve your writing goals. Whether you’re writing a blog post or a novel, a writing routine makes it easier for you to sit down and get to work on a daily basis. If you want to start working on your own writing routine, follow these tips:

At the end of each day, decide what you’re going to work on the following day.

Figure out what your non-optional responsibilities are.

Plan your day around your responsibilities. Go into more detail about what your day will look like and when you intend to write.

Set realistic writing goals for each day.

Try to be as consistent as possible with your writing.

Remove any and all distractions before you sit down to write.

Keep track of the techniques and strategies you use in your writing routine. Keep doing what works.

Lastly, remember to be kind to yourself as you continue to develop your writing routine. Your worth is not measured by your productivity. The goal is not to pump out words. The goal is to create something that matters to you and those who read your content. Be good to yourself and the words will come.

Happy writing!