How to Reset Your Writing Routine
Happy New Year! I hope your first few days of 2023 have been kind to you. I’m super stoked for this year because I have a few exciting announcements coming down the pike. Not to leave you in anticipation, but I’ll be sharing more about them soon. So if you haven’t already, sign up for my email list (link in the footer below) and be the first to know when they drop.
Now onto this post’s topic…
The new year is often a time when people reflect on things in their lives. Whether it’s goals, relationships, or habits, a fresh new year is always a good time to adjust things that aren’t working.
And something that is good to reflect on during this time is your writing routine.
If your current writing routine is working for you, by all means, keep at it. But if you’ve been struggling over the last few weeks and are looking to revamp your routine, read on.
Here are 5 things you can do that will help you reset your writing routine
#1 — Reflect on your current routine
Would it be a Jessica Leibe blog post if I didn’t mention review or reflection? One of the first things you should do if you’re looking to revamp your writing routine is to review your current one.
Take 20 minutes and answer the following prompts:
What is working with my current writing routine?
What isn’t working?
How can I improve the things that aren’t working?
Is there a new method I want to try?
Is my routine consistent?
If not, what’s stopping me from having a consistent routine?
You don’t have to go too deep with these questions. They’re meant to get you thinking about your routine and looking at what’s working and what isn’t. Those are the two most important things you’re going to use to reset it.
Because when you know what works and what doesn’t, you’re already in a better position to fix things. You know you want to keep up with the things that work and adjust the things that don’t. So taking some time to reflect on your current routine will help you form a new and better one.
#2 — Consider your current schedule
Your writing routine depends on your schedule. Just like working out, you’re better off writing at a time that works for your schedule rather than forcing yourself to do it at a time that doesn’t work. That’s a one-way road to burnout and inconsistency.
Consider your job hours. Do you work the traditional 9-5 or is your schedule unpredictable? Do you know your schedule week to week or do you learn what it is a few days before the start of a new week?
Knowing all this will help you determine the best writing time.
For example, if you work 9-5, but you also have to get your kids somewhere after school, make dinner, and clean up, you might write during your lunch break. Or you can write after the kids go to bed.
One of the biggest excuses people who want to write use is, “I don’t have time. My schedule is so busy.” But if you really — and I mean really — want to write, you will find the time. Somewhere. Even if it’s 15 minutes here and there.
Give up an hour of social media to write. Catch the latest episode of your favorite show the next day and instead write that night.
What you need to do first is look at your current schedule and ask yourself: When can I write? Then make a promise to yourself to write during that time as often as you can. Building consistency is the only way you’re going to see progress in your writing.
#3 — Do some research
There are a lot of different writing routines out there. Aspiring writers read how their favorite authors write because they want to emulate them. While that’s fine and encouraged because it helps you understand consistency and discipline, not everyone has the privilege or time of others.
Stephen King, for example, doesn’t leave his computer until he’s written 2,000 words. Other writers wake up at 5:30 in the morning before their family does and sneaks in writing time. Others stay up late to get an hour’s worth of time.
But if you’re not a morning person, waking up at 5:30 am won’t suffice. And if you like to get your sleep, writing too far into the night won’t help either. And not everyone has time to punch out 2,000 words every day.
What I encourage you to do is research a ton of different routines. Read author interviews and see what their process is like. Some writers will even share their process on their websites, blogs, or social media accounts. If you want to learn more about mine, comment below and I’ll write a post about it.
Check them out. Take notes. Because the next tip will take all the information you researched and put it into practice.
#4 — Test different methods
Have you researched other writer routines? If so, the next thing that will help you reset your own writing routine is by testing out different methods. But only those that sound like they’ll work for you. Don’t force yourself into a box you know you won’t fit in.
Consider V.E. Schwab, who swears by 30-minute writing sprints. She even keeps a habit tracker so she can see how many sprints she’s done in a month. Some days are better than others depending on her schedule. And she’s very vocal about how her process is not the same day-to-day.
Or maybe you like another author who claimed they wrote their first book during lunch breaks or in stolen pockets of time. You’ll be amazed at how many writing routines are out there and even more amazed at how you can reset your own just by testing out a few of them.
Word of advice: Give each new method or process at least a week or two before calling it quits. You will not know if a routine works for you after one day, so give each new method at least 7 to 14 days.
You might know fairly quickly if a certain thing doesn’t work, but I still encourage you to give it a few days before tossing it aside.
#5 — Create a pre-writing routine
Something that has benefited my writing routine is having a pre-writing routine. This is essentially a short list of activities I do before writing so my brain and body know that it’s almost time to write.
I work from home and so I’ve built a morning routine that works for me. My morning routine is my pre-writing routine because once it’s done, I jump right into writing for 50 minutes. I do this before opening my email, checking social media, or even picking up my phone. I limit distractions so I can focus on writing.
This is my morning/pre-writing routine:
Wake up
Wash my face
Eat breakfast
Brush my teeth
Get dressed
Make coffee
Meditate for 3 minutes
Say my affirmations
Journal
Write
It seems like a lot, but within an hour of waking up, I’m writing. Everything before “write” takes me about an hour since I usually wake up around 7:30. I’m often writing by 8:30.
Now, I may still write at other moments of the day. It depends on how much client work I have, but I know that by writing first thing in the morning before I do anything else, I’ve made progress on my stuff.
That’s what you need to do.
If you’re interested in learning more about creating a pre-writing routine, check out my free download. It walks you through how to set your own pre-writing routine by testing out a few different activities. You can download your free copy here.
In the end, when resetting your writing routine, you need to focus on what works and what doesn’t. And it’s important to accept that your writing routine will change. It may change from season to season, month to month, or year to year. It may even change from project to project.
Many bestselling writers have claimed that the way they wrote one book isn’t the way they write another one. The same may be true for you.
What matters is finding a writing routine that works for you now, with your current schedule and availability. Once it stops working, it’s time to reset it. And you can always refer to this post to learn how.
I wish you a wonderful year full of writing and inspiration. Don’t forget to download your free copy of my pre-writing routine workbook.
Happy writing!
