Back to School for Writers: Build a Routine That Really Works

Most of us don’t need more time to write; we need a regular time to write. I’ve had seasons of homeschooling seven kids where I just knew if I had a quiet house with all my kids off at school, I could get so much done. But the pockets of time I took each morning or evening were enough to start a blog, and then a newsletter, and then begin creating on social media.

I saw this with a friend who’s gone through serious cancer treatments. In the midst of surgery, travel to appointments, and weekly therapy, she launched a book and has maintained a regular newsletter. The routine she’d established before her diagnosis served her when her life shifted.

We all have time constraints, whether it’s children, caregiving, an outside job, or a difficult diagnosis. Instead of letting those constraints keep us from writing, let’s look at three ways to build a routine that works.

1. Schedule your writing time.

Schedule time to write on your calendar and then guard that time. It may be early in the morning before everyone in your house wakes up or two afternoons a week in a coffee shop. I found inspiration from one of my writing mentors, who sets aside two days a week for her writing and three days a week for her online job, to keep one from pushing out the other.

Scheduling time to write is treating your work, whether it’s paid or not right now, like it matters (because it does). Scheduling time to write guards against procrastination. When I’m tempted to set my writing aside for something else, this quote often attributed to Dan Poynter has given me perspective: “If you wait for inspiration to write, you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” 

2. Set aside a place.

I’ve never had a fancy office to write in. I started writing with a laptop propped on pillows in my bed. I’d announce to my kids that I was writing, draw pretend walls in the air, and tell them no interruptions allowed unless it was an emergency. (Lots of notes got slipped under my door!) Later, I wrote entire chapters of my book in my car while I waited for my youngest at her classes or dance practice.

Your writing place doesn’t have to be perfect to work. Use your kitchen table, write in a café, or draw some pretend walls to set up your makeshift office. Having a regular place to write signals to our brain that it’s time to write. It helps our mind shift into focus as we shut out other tasks vying for our time.

3. Harness writing cues to start.

Just as we use nighttime routines to signal it’s time to sleep, we can use writing cues to prepare our mind to create. One of my strongest writing cues is a playlist I only use when I’m writing. I’ve curated instrumental songs that evoke a certain mood and get my mind in a posture to write.

Your writing cue may be sitting in a favorite chair, sipping a steaming mug of coffee, or lighting a candle. Writing cues can include when and where you write. You may have a mood board, post inspirational quotes or pictures in your writing space, use a certain pen, or consult a brainstorming list. Establishing intentional habits each time we sit down to write helps our brains move into writer mode.

While most of us would love more time to write, a writing routine helps us make the most of the time we have. I’ve come to love and look forward to the familiar patterns that surround my writing. Your writing routine will be uniquely personal, fitting your constraints, your season of life, and what stirs your creativity.

Cheering you on, friend.

Lisa

What writing cues have you set up? If you don’t have any, create one to three cues to signal it’s time to write.