The power of habits lies in their ability to put you on autopilot. Once a habit is formed, distractions and the temptation to do other activities are minimized because your brain is programmed to follow an established routine. For writers, this looks like easily sitting down and being productive for every writing session. Who doesn’t want that? Unfortunately, getting to that point can feel like an uphill battle.
Building a consistent writing habit takes time and effort, but it’s the key to any successful writer. It requires clear goals, consistent cues, and an appropriate reward system that motivates you to keep going.
How a habit forms
Before you can learn how to build a habit, you must understand how one forms.
A habit is part of a loop that includes a cue, craving, response, and reward. The cue is what triggers a behavior. It can be external, such as a sound or reminder, or internal, like hunger. Cues predict rewards (ex: praise, status, approval, money), which lead to cravings.
Cravings are the forces that motivate a habit. It is the desire for the reward a specific cue predicts. For example, doom-scrolling on your phone is a method of seeking entertainment. It’s not that you want to be scrolling, that’s just the quickest and most easily accessible form of entertainment you can find. In writing, a craving could be for the words of praise you get from your readers once you release a completed novel.
The response is the thought or action you perform that makes a habit. How you respond to a craving depends on how easy it is to perform and your level of motivation. If your first writing goal ever is “write 2,000 words” or “write for one hour,” you will find a lot of friction. Such a big task requires more mental effort than you are willing or know how to give. How do you fill all that time? What do you write in those 2,000 words?
But you do know how to give five minutes. You’ve probably even spent five minutes on a single text before. Start small to make sure your goal isn’t overwhelming, especially when it’s new. Once you’re comfortable with the routine, you can gradually increase the scope.
Example: slowly expand your goal like this
- Goal 1: Write one sentence a day for a week
- Goal 2: Write one paragraph a day for a week
- Goal 3: Complete two full pages of writing (continuous notes or various writing prompt responses)
- Goal 4: Write a short story
Once you’ve regularly engaged in your habit, you will reach the reward, which is the end goal. It is the satisfaction of having completed your task, a momentary relief from craving. By reaching the reward, you’ve learned that sticking to your habit is worthwhile.
How to build a habit
The greatest element of any habit is the goal it is attached to. To build a habit, you must answer four questions about your goal.
1. What is your goal?
Start with something specific. Being vague is ineffective. Something like “write regularly” or “write a few times a month” lacks direction. When you don’t know where to go or what, exactly, to do, you’re less likely to meet your goals. Something accurate and measurable is best, such as “write for 15 minutes a day.”
No matter what your goal is – a word count, a specific task, or an amount of time spent writing – the key is consistency. How much you get done or what you get done isn’t nearly as important as showing up for yourself during the initial stages.
2. When will you work on your goal?
Consistency requires cues. Cues trigger you to remember your goal and start working on it at the appropriate time. Here are some examples
Goal: I will write for 15 minutes after dinner.
Cue: Dinner – Once you’re done eating dinner, you will be prompted to write.
Goal: I will write 50 words on my work break.
Cue: An internet blocker that is timed to begin on your break. This prevents you from scrolling through social media and procrastinating.
To reinforce your habit, set a time when you will work on it and create an obvious cue that prompts you to follow through. You can even add your goal to your calendar or digital reminders to receive a notification about it. Setting clear reminders and cues helps you prioritize your goal. By the time it is well-established, if any scheduling conflicts pop up, you will be able to look ahead to your goal and work out any differences to make sure you can still complete it.
3. Where will you work on your goal?
Your writing environment plays a huge role in how you maintain your habit. You’re more likely to repeat an activity if the environment and atmosphere are comfortable and fun. Be sure to choose a space you enjoy spending time in, whether that’s a quiet corner in your home, a table at the local library, or a bench at a nearby park.
4. How will you accomplish your goal?
To make sure you look forward to your goal each day, include a little treat with it. Grab a favorite drink or snack, play some music, or wear your favorite outfit. Pairing your goal with a guilty pleasure makes sitting down with your goal feel like a reward in itself, rather than a chore.
Benefits of writing regularly
The more you write, the better you become. This is true of any skill – to become a master of anything, you need hours of practice. Writing every day will not only help you log those hours faster but also clarify your mind, organize your thoughts, and stimulate your creativity.
Tips for making it a ritual
Be flexible
Consistency is important, but flexibility makes your habit easier to keep up. Think of how often unavoidable things come up in your time. If you keep your writing routine strictly rigid within your schedule, you’re opening yourself up to discouragement and demotivation once those things come up.
Say you’re a new writer and your goal is to write 15 minutes every day at exactly 5:00 pm. If something comes up and the time slips past 6:00 pm before you notice, you may feel like your allotted time is up and skip your goal for that day. The next day, you’ll be less motivated to complete it again, because you missed the day before, so what’s the point?
It’s okay to admit that life can be hectic and adapt your goals to changes. Give yourself some wiggle room by having multiple (optional) writing sessions a day or a set amount of “get out of jail free” cards per month. This way, you won’t feel discouraged by missing a session and are more likely to stick with your routine long-term.
Have the right support
Good habits thrive with the right support. Surround yourself with like-minded people who share your writing goals. This could mean joining a writing group, participating in online forums, or finding a writing buddy. When you’re in the company of other writers, you’re more likely to mimic their habits and stay accountable to your own. Having people who cheer you on or share in your struggles can keep you motivated and inspired.
Write for yourself
Writing for others comes with pressure, which can cripple your motivation to write. When you write for yourself, you set aside those pressures and free up your creativity to put down whatever comes to you, with all its imperfections.
Journal before you write
Try stream-of-consciousness journaling, practice with writing prompts, or talk about your plan for your writing session. However you do it, journaling before you write allows you to warm up your creative muscles so that you’re as ready as you can be.
Make it fun
Your goals reflect your life, as do how you complete them. So make your life as fun as possible! Track your progress with streaks of gold stars. Set rewards for every milestone – make sure they’re something you look forward to. Having fun builds a sense of achievement and keeps you motivated.
Leave your work unfinished
At the end of each writing session, leave something unfinished. This can be a list of things to do, an outline of a scene, or a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter. When you have something unfinished to do, you have a starting point for the next session. This gets rid of the transition period needed at the start of every session where you typically decide what you want to start with.
Staying consistent over time
Consistency matters more than perfection. Life happens, and you may miss a day here or there. That’s okay. Missing a single session won’t derail your progress as long as you continue to show up regularly. The all-or-nothing mentality often leads to burnout or abandoning the routine altogether. Instead, focus on getting back to it the next day.
Creating a writing routine doesn’t have to be complicated. By starting small, using cues to remind you to write, and making the experience enjoyable, you can build a habit that will help you become more productive and creative. Over time, writing will become second nature. The more you follow your routine, the more your skills will improve.