If You Can Build A Habit, You Can Become A Successful Writer

If you want to become a successful writer, you need to make it a habit and you’ll get better as you go along. But how do you make it a habit to be more productive and master the art? Let’s look at the seven best ways to integrate writing as a habit and become successful with it.

7. Make The Time

Writing is hard work, and we’ve all got busy schedules. Finding time to write can be one of the hardest tasks for a writer to accomplish, funny or strange as it may seem. Set aside a chunk of writing time that works with your schedule. Also, pick an amount of time that is significant but not impossible to work with.

6. Practice – There’s No Way Around It

This almost goes without saying, but it’s still worth mentioning. Nothing great merely walks up to your doorstep and rings the bell. If you want anything worth being proud of, you’re going to have to work hard at your goals and practice through your mistakes. The same goes for you as a writer. Practice every single day and it will soon become a habit, making you more successful as you take new steps.

5. Create And Stick To A Routine

Set aside the same time, same place every day to write and make sure you’re sitting down at your desk actually doing it. It’s funny how we writers often open up the computer to write but end up doing something else. (Hey, I’ve been there before plenty of times.)

When writing becomes part of your daily routine, just like brushing your teeth, you will get better and be more prepared to bring your published works to the masses.

Find a time in your day when you feel most productive – some people work better in the mornings while others work better in the afternoons. Check out my article here on how to find your peak creative time. Then commit and get going!

4. Get Enough Sleep

This sounds silly and even irrelevant at first glance… But honestly, your health is just as important as your ability to write! Writing is a creative activity and takes a lot of energy out of you.

Try writing when you’re exhausted from a long day and see what happens. I’m placing a bet that it’s not going to be that great! Utilize the energy you do have the next day and give your writing a full-bodied chance.

3. Location

In order to make writing a habit you’ll often be best off writing in a location where you are free from distractions. You could have a separate computer just for writing (or journal/notepad), sit somewhere else in your home with no windows or even go to an Internet café or coffee shop. Different solutions work for different people, so find your groove and find the best location.

2. Your First Draft Won’t Be Your Final

Don’t expect perfection from your first draft. In fact, it’s best for you to never expect perfection in your writing career. Words don’t just flow out of your mind perfectly on the first go. You’ll have to edit and often rewrite quite a bit of your first draft to make it that concise piece of writing you’re proud of. As long as you understand this, you won’t get despondent and give up.

1. Uphold Your Passion

Now that you’ve set up writing as a habit, you need to uphold your passion. When you are chipping away at the block of passion rather than simply pumping out a bunch of arbitrary content, you’ll find the words flow much easier and will be far more compelling. Chase passion, not perfection.

Do you have a consistent routine for writing or do you struggle finding time to write? I’d love to hear your ideas on building and mastering a writing habit.

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