Start a Morning Writing Routine. One of the easiest times s to fit your writing into is first thing in the morning. Mornings tend to be the quietest and least filled chunks of time we have in our schedules
Mornings are also the time we have the most will power and energy to ensure that those things get done. This is critical when dealing with something that requires both new habits and your current habits prevent. Most people have effectively used mornings for a verity of improvements including working out, making the bed, or writing. Morning routines set us up for a much easier win with a very difficult goal. This is the prime reason so many experts praise using that time for getting things that are important done.
Writer’s Mornings
Since we are writers here, I am going to attack this from a writer’s perspective. Every writer is different and we have our own elements that we want in the routine. The main thing to remember is there is a way to go about setting yourself up so that at the end of the day your writing habit produces pages. If you set up a routine that does not produce pages, either directly from the practice or as a result of the practice, then you are making an error somewhere. Correct it. Anything in your routine must support and improve your writing.
A morning writing habit is an excellent way to build a daily writing habit too. Writing Daily Habit to Discipline
What I do
This is a rough outline of my routine. The purpose is not to show you what I do so much as the process I use to build my mornings and the why I use each part. Some people will change things around or even eliminate things bases on their own lives and what works for them. That is totally fine. The point here is to see how we put together a routine that works and why it works.
Realistic Expectations
Two things to remember. One. If anything does not work for you, ignore it. Find what does. Two. Try some of the ideas that look like they will not work for a week or two. You might change your mind. Three. You are not married to your routine. Times change. You change. Things move in and out of your life. These life changes will change what you can fit in, when you want start your routine, and how you want to go about your routine. Do not think that you have to have the exact same routine for ever. You won’t. No one does really. Our routines are an ever adapting facet of life. It would be crazy to set unrealistic routines in play that do not match with your life and goals.
Set Routine Goals
That brings me to part one. Know what you want to achieve with your routine first. Since we are discussing writing, I am going to start with that. This same practice can also help setup an evening or afternoon writing period as well.
In my life I have had a lot of routines since my mother started packing me up for first grade. Over my child hood I tended to just fit whatever school needed into my mornings or what my mother told me to. I did not plan how to use my mornings. The closest I came was getting up at six in the morning to watch Saturday morning cartoons. Even that was not very complicated.
In high school I just added some hint for a time, then later dropped it. Most did not last very long. The longest was a quick set of push ups and squats in the morning because a coach said I was a good idea. I dropped it when I hit college to swim laps, then I had an early class and changed it to riding my bike to class, dropped it to walk to a part time job, and so on… This was not really planning my morning so much as just responding to what the world threw at me.
Planning
When we plan our mornings we choose specific goals that the mornings set us up to attain. We set those specific goals up because they are important to us, not just what sounds like a good idea or is the requirement for the environment we are in. For instance in the Marines we had the morning habit of PT every day, but it was more the result of a need for able bodied Marines in combat by the Corps rather than a conscious choice of anyone. Any benefits for us was purely a bonus.
Concious Commitment
A writer wants to make a conscious commitment to their work. That’s why we have to know our why as we go about the process. The first step is to decide what you want out of your mornings. Some questions to start.
Are you running a blog?
Then you are likely looking to get an article up regularly. The frequency of those articles will change how much time you will need to write your posts. You also need to consider time down for rewriting and the back end work like keywords.
Are you a novelist?
Ask when is your deadline for your rough draft or the final draft with the editor? Are you doing some of your research as part of your writing? Your world is different than a blogger. Your form is longer and your deadlines are too. Where as some bloggers might crank out a thousand complete words a day and publish immediately, most novelists don’t do that. I don’t even think Asimov at his fastest did that. So while a blogger can easily set up a productive routine that covers all the process every day, a novelist’s days can change a lot more often.
A caveat to that is something similar to what I do. I just write my rough drafts first thing in the mornings and do all the prep work, editing and rewrites at other times. This works for me. Your methodology is going to be different.
Are you a copywriter?
How many words do you need to crank out this month? What are your client deadlines? What types of copy are you doing? Do you write all of your stuff between 9 am and 5 pm in an office? Your morning routine will likely be more aimed at clearing your mind for the day and energizing the body in preparation for the slog ahead of you instead of cracking out words.
Every writer will have some different uses for the time. The great thing about every well developed morning routine is that they help every writer write better.
How I Flow
Once you have consciously chosen your aim, it’s time to look at what a morning routine can look like.
Countdown Launch
A morning countdown starts my morning routine from pillow. I picked this up some time ago to beat the urge to hit the snooze button. It works. No routine, no matter how amazing is going to do anything if you are not out of bed with enough time to do it. Counting down does that.
The countdown is simple. When your eyes open count down from five to zero. On zero, I substitute the word ‘launch’ for a little mental boost, jump out of bed, plant your feet shoulder width apart and throw your fists into the air as you say aloud, this can be softer to not awaken anyone still sleeping, “This is going to be a great day.” Even if you don’t feel all that great set your your mind toward the positive. It will give you a little more resiliency. If I am still a little sluggish when I makeup I do roll up out of bed instead of a jump but I still stand up immediately, plant my feet with a little jump at the end.
The reason why I do this is because if you can get your feet on the floor, you are less inclined to lie back down in bed than you would if you were sitting up or worse still lying in bed. Yes there will be days you do not want to get up or you dawdle. Slow is fine. The point is to advance far enough that returning to bed is not really an option for you.
There is also something about landing on your feet first thing and standing in this power pose that really helps move the energy levels up.
Move and Clean
Next up is a short period of physical movement and a short hygiene routine. The PT is a short 10 to 20 minute plan. I have used quite a few different approaches from burpees to kettlebells. I tend to hedge on the minimalist side. The programs I have used over the years included the Royal Canadian 5-BX program to the Tibetan Rites. The point is to do some exercise that gets the blood moving. Also, I prefer also to keep the noise to a minimum as well since I am working out at the foot of the bed and do not want to wake my wife.
Hygeen
Once the sweat hits, I need a shower and this is a perfect time to get a cold shower and to brush my teeth. The cold water clears the salt and sweat off and brings up the energy factor a little more. Brushing your teeth is another energy booster that stimulates your gums. I can attest this is like drinking cup of coffee on the alertness scale.
Make Bed
By this time my wife is up for her routine, so I make the bed as I get dressed. That means button down shirts and jeans or Dockers, because I am telling my mind that I am shifting to writing mode. I want a more professional mindset than PJs or workout gear might provide. I allow myself a little free spirit mode because I stay barefooted. It’s morning time not office time. I want creativity. Shoes are for office hours. Again I am playing with my mind and ramping it in a given direction. I want to be more of a pantser type writer here rather than a plotter.
To the Desk
On the way to my desk, I grab some water or even a cup of black coffee. Hydration is one of the most missed elements in the morning. Our bodies are mostly water and you dehydrate while sleeping. More so if you are like me and have worked out or gotten a quick walk in. You think better with water than without. In the Marines we chugged a full quart first thing before chow. Water does wake you up, helps you think and even helps prevent nasty issues like heat stroke.
Clean Thinking
The first thing I do when I sit down is clear my head with some stream conscious writing. I write out my Morning Pages. In general we are talking three handwritten pages of whatever comes to mind. This includes anything from your day’s work to your mind wondering when will this thing end. I put it all down. The purpose is to get the mindless chatter out of my head so I can focus for the writing ahead and for the rest of the day. I even find some really good ideas pop up too.
Writing Mode
Now I shift into writing mode. I grab a little writing motivation and direction, I use Steven Pressfield’s writing books for this. The chapters are like a page long but they always get me in the mood to write. After, I say my writer’s invocation which is the opening of Homer’s Odyssey that I got from Pressfield and set my timer for 25 minutes. This tell my higher mind that it is show time. I get to work.
I write across several different areas ad copy, blogs, and fiction. My first session of the day is always what ever novel I am working on. I write like I did in high school long hand in black Bic Crystal ink and a spiral notebook.
Writing Results
Again all of the process is aimed at getting as much done as possible in a short time. I act with the idea that things like the muse will show up because I am there. The timer limits the amount of time I have and forces my mind to think rather than stall. I use the pen and paper because it reminds me of the happiness I had in school scribbling short stories and the crazy project I thought of as my novel. I use everything I can think of to get the words on the page…no waiting. Also, NO editing, corrections, or changes of any kind. What I put down stays like watercolor painting. Additions only make a mess. Leave it move on. This is all rough draft time. I just get what comes to me down. Editing is for later.
Writing For Reps
Depending on the amount of time I have, I might do one or two more sessions, but I always get up and walk about for a few minutes to just let the mind have a break.
Just Walk Away
After I get the words down, I walk away. I do not try to immediately fix anything. I let the material settle and percolate a bit. Allowing my mind to work deeper saves much grief. I don’t work with the material I have written till at least later in the day. I prefer to let it build longer though, like three or so days before I look at it again.
As for writing in general I use the same method to walk away in my other writing too. It works. Skipping it entirely is also a big mistake. No one should ever skip a second look. The main thing is to not do it too soon. Both editing immediately or skipping straight to publishing are just recopies for disaster.
Coming back to the rough will bring more work, one or ten rewrites lay ahead, but shaping it is far easier since you will likely be using the best stuff you mind could come up with. That’s for later. Now my pages and my morning routine are done.
Morning Done
There you go. My basic morning flow routine. Now it’s your turn.
Choose the parts that work for you. Add what you think works for you. Go for a morning walk instead of a workout or skip it if you warm up better just jumping to the writing itself first thing cup of coffee or tea in hand. The point is to choose what you will do on your terms in your way with purpose. You morning routine should have a purposeful intention behind it.
Last point
A morning routine is meant to remove stress and add to our lives. It should simplify how you achieve what you do while it allows you, your higher self, to come through on the pages. Taking charge of your mornings and your craft first thing in the day is one of the best things you can do for your writing.
Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash