3 Simple Tips for Developing a Daily Writing Habit

Despite the plethora of new tools and technologies available for personal and professional growth, there is one which I believe still trumps all others.

Writing.

I’ve spoken before about sharing your message as a way to get clear on what interests you, what you’re passionate about and where you need support, and there’s something about writing that does this better than any other method.

Allison Fallon echoed this in our interview where we spoke about using writing as a means for personal transformation.

The good news is your writing doesn’t need to be public or digital. Even just putting pen to paper each morning will prove massively beneficial for you.

Yet despite the many benefits of a daily writing habit, it can be daunting to think about getting started or what the hell you will write each day. I experienced this myself before I finally decided to just get started.

And so I wanted to share 3 quick tips that have helped me establish my own daily writing habit.

3 Tips for Developing a Daily Writing Habit

1. Keep a journal of ideas.

This is perhaps the most important tip of all. If you want to start a daily writing habit, you need to have something to write every day! The most common internal challenge you will face is good old writer’s block, but by keeping a list of potential topics and ideas, you have something to fall back on when inspiration fails to strike (which is often doesn’t).

I do this in a number of ways. I keep a Workflowy list of potential topics I could write about in the future. I have a month-view desk calendar that I use to quickly write down articles to write in the days to come. I also keep an iPhone note for when I suddenly hear or see something I might want to expand upon (this article is an example!), or when I learn something new from a course, book,  article or podcast I’m consuming.

The bottom line is to always have a way of capturing ideas. They come around more often than you think. 

2. Do it early.

Anything worth doing is worth doing early. If at all possible, commit to executing your daily writing habit before the rest of your day begins. There’s something magical about the hour or two in the morning before the majority of the world has woken up. There is almost nothing demanding your attention or energy, and you are free to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

3. Keep your mind clear.

Closely linked to number 2 above, but more of an ongoing tip is to stand guard at the gateway of your mind and only feed your brain with positive input. I like to think of this as a bucket. The more you fill it up with junk, the less room there is for gold. This includes limiting the news, unintentional social media use, gossip, cat videos, etc. Don’t just remove distractions while you’re writing, but during the day, too. By filling your mind with noise and clutter, you’re unable to hear those brief glimpses and whispers of brilliant ideas (this should probably be an article of its own!).

So there you have it; 3 tips I’ve found super helpful in developing my own daily writing habit. If you already do so yourself, I’d love to hear some of your own tips. And if you’ve yet to begin, what are you waiting for?

Start writing, and watch your life transform.