Do you write every day?
If so, good for you! Give yourself a congratulatory pat on the back, and think of this article as a sweet little refresher course.
If not … well you’re in the same boat as the rest of us. You probably think about starting a daily writing practice, but don’t actually follow through. You dream about it, but put it off, saying things like “That will be great, someday,” or “When I have more time, I’d love to write.”
The thing is, time has a way of slipping through our fingers. We say we want more of it, but when we don’t make conscious choices about how to spend it, our days have a way of filling up without our noticing.
If we want to create a daily practice―of any sort, be it writing, yoga, meditation, or something else―we have to choose to make space for it in our lives right now.
When we practice something every day, it becomes an inextricable part of the fabric of our lives. More, it becomes natural―something that flows with us, rather than something we have to struggle with. Daily writing practice―whether it’s journaling, writing a blog, or creating content for a book―is one of the best ways to tap into your authentic voice and get comfortable with how you show up on the page.
Here are my tips for creating, and sustaining, a daily writing practice.
- Set reasonable expectations. Too-lofty expectations are a recipe for frustration. 30-45 minutes per day is more than enough to get your creative juices flowing without putting undue stress on your schedule. Commit to doing your writing practice at the same time every day. Put in on your calendar like you would any other appointment. Early morning or just before bed are popular times for people to write―but you can fit your practice in whenever it works best for you.
- Minimize distractions. Turn off your cell phone. Close your browser windows. (Yes, even your social media. You can tweet about your writing practice after you’ve actually done it!) Tell your family that this is sacred time, and that they should only interrupt you if there’s an actual emergency. Then, light a candle, say a prayer, or perform another ritual that helps you focus. When you feel fully engaged with your practice, you’re more likely to reap the benefits.
- Don’t combine your practice with another new goal. If you normally get up at 7:00 a.m., don’t set your writing time for 4:30 a.m. It’s exponentially harder to change two habits at once, so go easy on yourself, and set a writing time that you can actually adhere to. You can always change it later, when you’re ready.
Show up to your practice. Yes, it really is that simple: set your practice time, and show up. However, it’s rarely that easy. We get distracted. We get off-schedule. We get a cold, or go on vacation. Life happens, and our practice falters.
So, make a firm promise to yourself that, every day, you are going to sit down and write, regardless of how you’re feeling or what else is happening in your life―and then, keep that promise. Write when you’re happy, sad, frustrated, or angry. Write when you’re bored. Write when you’re exhausted. Write when you’re bored to death of writing. And when you don’t know what to write, write about the not-knowing. And when you write something really amazing, write about that, too!
The thing about a practice is that it’s, well, a practice. By starting a writing practice, you haven’t committed to creating dazzling content in every session. All you’ve committed to is showing up and putting words on a blank page.
Your practice doesn’t care if you spend two entire days writing about your cat, or fill three pages with musings about why gel pens are so much better than non-gel pens. Your practice doesn’t care if you write “I don’t know what to write” over and over until you’ve filled an entire page.
Your practice only asks that you show up, and engage fully with whatever is waiting for you when you get there―whether that something is boredom, joy, apathy, or the creative equivalent of rocket fuel.
As Shri Pattabhi Jois famously said, “Practice, and All Is Coming.”
