For more than ten years, I tried to get into the habit of writing every day and it just never stuck. Maybe you know the feeling.
Every few months I’d decide that the only solution was to go “all in”: I’d promise myself that I’d write three hours. I even tried pushing myself to write an entire 50,000 word novel in a single month.
I’d start out doing great for a few days or even a week, but inevitably I’d get behind. I’d feel guilty, and then my guilt would turn into depression, and then eventually I’d stop even trying. Some time would pass and I’d start the cycle all over again by committing myself to a another impossible writing plan.
What I hadn’t learned yet was that good habits aren’t built by going overboard and committing yourself to arbitrary and difficult regimens. The only way to really create a new habit is by making small incremental changes to your life.
It took a long time, but eventually I learned how to write every day. The system I used isn’t groundbreaking, and I’m not pretending to be some kind of guru, but it worked for me and maybe it’ll work for you, too.
You’ll start out by writing just a little bit every day. When you’re comfortable with that amount of writing, you’ll increase your daily quota…but just by a little bit more. Soon, writing everyday will be second nature.
THE FIRST WEEK
Monday-Friday: Write 150 words a day.
Saturday: Read over what you wrote the last five days.
Sunday: Take the day off, you’ve earned it.
Let’s open the floor to any questions…
Only 150 words!? That’s not very much at all…
I know! That’s kind of the point. This isn’t about output, it’s about starting small and building a daily writing habit. Trust me, once you get in the habit of sitting down every day to write, even if it’s just a little bit, you’ll be amazed at what you’ll soon be able to produce.
Okay, I’m trying to write 150 words a day, but I got busy and missed yesterday! Now what? Can I write 300 words today and call it even?
Nope. You missed a day…so what? It’s not the end of the world. The first thing you do is forgive yourself, and then you just get back to it and try to write 150 words tomorrow.
The point of this whole deal is to avoid the sort of burnout that comes from feeling guilty and obligated about your writing. You don’t see model railroad dudes beating themselves up because they didn’t finish a section of track as quickly as they wanted.
What if I want to write more than 150 words? After all, that’s only a couple paragraphs…
Yeah, it’s not that much, I agree. But here at the beginning, I’d recommend just doing 150 words and calling it a day. Don’t look at it as a minimum word count, look at it as a maximum.
I know what it’s like to be in the middle of a really good stretch and not want to put the pen down, so: if you can write more than 150 words today without jeopardizing tomorrow’s 150 words, then go for it. But don’t go nuts and burn out, ruining your daily streak.
Okay, I ended up writing 450 words today…does that mean I can skip tomorrow and the next day?
LOL, no. The whole point of this is to get in the habit of writing every single day. Don’t think about what you did yesterday—it doesn’t matter if you watched a reality TV marathon all day or if you wrote a novella—think about what you’re going to do today and every day from now on.
I know 150 words isn’t a lot, but I have a crazy work schedule and I keep missing days. What do I do?
No biggie. If you can’t write 150 words five days a week, can you do it four days a week? Three? Even one day a week is more than you’re probably writing now, so if you can learn how to do that consistently, you’re getting somewhere. As your habit strengthens, you can add extra days or a higher word count.
THE SECOND WEEK
Monday-Friday: Write 200 words a day.
Saturday: Read over this week’s stuff.
Sunday: Rest!
I can only go up 50 words? But I’m doing so well!
Again, the whole point of this is making small incremental increases, not giant leaps.
I went up to 200 words a day and now I’m missing every other day!
It’s cool, don’t beat yourself up. Just dial it back to 150 words a day until you feel comfortable trying to go up again.
THE THIRD WEEK
Monday-Friday: Write 250 words a day.
Saturday: Read what you wrote this week.
Sunday: Don’t even look at your computer.
THE FOURTH WEEK
Monday-Friday: Write 300 words a day.
Saturday: Review.
Sunday: Nope!
I’m starting to sense a pattern…
Yep, I told you this wasn’t complicated. Just go up a little bit each week. Don’t go overboard and try to jump up to 1000 words a day…you’ve been down that path before, you know where that leads. Go slowly and you’ll get there eventually.
Okay, I’m finally writing every day and adding another 50 words a day every week. Now what? When do I stop adding words?
Stop increasing your quota when you start missing days, or when you can no longer hit your target word count every day.
That final number is going to be different for everyone. For some writers that’s gonna be 3000 words a day, and for others it’s gonna be 300, and that’s okay! As long as you’re writing every day, you’re always one day closer to reaching your goal.
So…that’s it. It’s not the most complicated thing in the world, but it’s what helped me become a more consistent writer. I hope it helps you create a real, lasting habit that lets you be productive and happy in your writing.
Remember, there’s no deadline on becoming awesome. Take your time, get it right, and you’ll get there one day at a time.
Now: close your browser and get to work. Today you only have to write 150 words. It’s not much, but it’s everything.
