WRITING ROUTINE AND RITUALS

What is happening is just life. The time will come when you will be a full-time writer who can organize the daily routine perfectly, but you don’t have that luxury for now. You probably have a job, a family, and many responsibilities that come with it, and there is not a lot of space for maneuvering. Still, there is one thing you can do to make the best of it—come up with your writing rituals and daily routine.

I consider creating a daily routine one of the main reasons for my entrepreneurial success. It helped me set my goals, visualize my day, and track my accomplishments. On the other hand, the rituals I introduced made it all enjoyable and made me look forward to every new day and challenge. All those rituals I incorporated into my daily routine, like having coffee in my favorite coffee shop, exercising regularly, and listening to the music I love while working, helped me strengthen my entrepreneurial mindset. You might not know that, but you probably have already developed an entrepreneurial mindset that you can integrate into your writing life.

Whether you are fully committed to writing or just started making it your habit, creating a daily routine can only help—every writer should have one. Being a writer is like being an entrepreneur. Like any successful entrepreneur, you must have discipline and vision and be creative, hardworking, and motivated. A clear daily routine mixed with some rituals you enjoy could make a difference. Waking up happy about your day and the activities awaiting you makes all the difference.

For anyone who doesn’t have a daily routine, by following these simple steps, you can easily make one for yourself:

1. MAKE A LIST OF THE THINGS YOU HAVE TO DO

Just put it all on the paper without overthinking it. Consider it a brain dump; later, you will sort out what needs to be done and what can wait.

2. IDENTIFY THE PRIORITIES

What are the things that you have to do? What are the deadlines? Put those at the top of the list and do it first while you still have the focus.

3. LIST WHAT YOU LIKE DOING DURING YOUR BREAKS

You will also incorporate those into your routine to make your day fun and exciting and have more things you look forward to each day.

4. SET A SMALL GOAL AND REWARD YOURSELF

You reward yourself every time you finish something, no matter how small it is. It may seem silly initially, but it motivates you to keep going. I discovered a new and wonderful edition of Harry Potter, which I already have in a few different versions at home. I rewarded myself with one book from the series each time I reached 10,000 words. When I finished my WIP, I had a complete series.

5. MAKE A BRIEF REPORT ABOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS

It doesn’t matter that you are alone in your writing process. You still need to keep track of your work. The other reason for doing this is a positive feeling you will have for reaching the goal.

When you have made your daily schedule, don’t feel bad if you see it is not working. It probably means it is not designed well, and it needs to be improved. You might even change it multiple times until you get it right, but when you do, stick to it. Try to give your best, day after day, taking advantage of every opportunity to put more words on paper. In the end, don’t forget to reward yourself for your work. Writing is hard work and takes patience, stamina, and focus.