Writing daily habit to discipline is a journey. The most common answer for developing a writer’s self-discipline can be distilled down write every day. It’s good advice as far as it goes. The trouble is getting that habit started, forming it into a practice and growing that into a discipline is a process that cannot be just gulped down in one bite. You are going to want to break this down a bit.
Where to start-know yourself and why
First thing to consider is what you want with your habit. The reality is you do not want to write every day. If you think about it what you want a book to publish or to have your blog posts up or add copy for a customer. Even then there is often more under that. he book you want because you have a great story you really want to share. The blog post is so that you can create a blog that is large enough to be your income source. The ad copy is to build your customer base and your copy business. There are thousands of reasons you want that habit. The first step is to know your own reasons.
Knowing your why is half the first step. The why you would avoid is the other side of the coin. If you know what road blocks your mind is kicking up in the way you have a far better chance of avoiding them down the road. Ask yourself what is holding you back. What are you afraid of?
The why you are building your writer’s discipline is going to be mighty useful as you move forward. Without it you are likely to quit when the going gets rough or your inner resistance starts up with all those objections, distractions or other assorted ways to avoid doing your work.
Take your time and create a rock hard reason to have this new habit. Ask yourself what will I get out of my new habit?
Use the why
As writers we are always working on new skills from how to put up a blog, to how to market on LinkedIn, to creating better pics for your blog, etc… Learning is part of the game, so building the discipline to do the homework is a big thing. Having a solid reason for it is a good first step.
The first step is to say it and then regularly remind yourself of that why. You are a writer. Write it down and put that somewhere you will see it every day. This can be at your writing space, on your fridge, your mirror, etc… Any place you look regularly.
The more places you have your reminder, the more often you will use your thoughts to act. Your thoughts will become who you are more instead of your emotions running the show.
Knowing the difference between a goal and commitment helps a lot too.
Be clear
The clearer you are about who you want to be and where you are now as well as why you want to create this new habit, the better you will be able to formulate your own strategies and mindset for becoming the kind of person who has those habits.
Many people see self-discipline only from the perspective to a means to controlling their behavior. That’s the direct path to the end game. But James Clear’s idea of “identity–based habits” offers a in interesting shift of the camera in Atomic Habits and his article here (and which he talks more about in Atomic Habits). Clear points out that, when we change who we are, we also change what we are doing. If we change who we see ourselves as we can more easily change our habits to match it.
Change what we see ourselves as
For instance say you are a TV junkie trying to get that blog off the ground. You have your writing plan in place and you are on day four of your new evening blog routine. Boom. Netflix just updated your favorite show, 26 episodes. No waiting.
Telling yourself that you can watch them any time is a valid call. The trouble comes from the self-denial focus, which given your much stronger Netflix junkie habit will likely lead you at some point down the road to a classic “What the hell.” moment.
You will kick that post to the curb and binge four episodes before the clock strikes midnight and go to bed with the promise of waking up early to get that post done before work still on your lips as you drift off.
Change the game
Now let’s change the game a bit. Instead of putting off to later, you say “I will have to schedule that one for next week.” I know it’s a slight difference, but a blogger is running a business. Business people schedule things in advance. You are locking yourself in by identifying more as a blogger than as a rabid Netflix junkie.
Psychologist tell us this works because humans have a tendency to act in ways we find to be consistent with how we see ourselves regardless of whether or not it makes any sense.
A lot of times this human influencing in technique can cause problems. For instance if you take a job as a reporter and you think all reporters smoke. However, flipping it on its head like this can help you master the very habits you need to be the person you really want to become.
Embrace pain
When we exercise our self-discipline we push out of the comfort zone, away from the choice of least resistance.
Discipline is a universal tool that when we build it in one area the skill transfers to others. That’s why when you work on your discipline as a writer, you can do other little things that will make your writing practice grow without writing. We are lucky for this. It takes a little of the stress off the need to write just to build the discipline to write.
More Ideas
Here’s a short list of other things to try. Just remember to give them some time to work their magic. Every time you work on being more disciplined you add another brick to your wall of discipline.
Become the Ice Man
Wim Hof is famous for his cold showers. Taking a cold shower for five minutes every day is a great way to both improve your body’s immune system and strengthen your discipline.
Take the stairs
Skipping the elevator habit works without doing anything special. You just remind yourself to walk that flight of stairs instead of ride up.
Do your errands on foot.
Pace during your breaks.
Read instead of watching a show.
Start a new class, early in the morning is a great.
If it costs cash, it might add some incentive to show up as well.
Movement, specifically movement that goes against an established habit, is another great tool to improve your discipline. What you choose is not point. What you want is to do something worthwhile that makes you a little bit uncomfortably every day.
Timers are good
I upped my own discipline by adding a timer to my writing times. My hook is that when the time is up, I have to get up and walk about for about five minutes. This way I fight my inner urge to keep on plugging words beyond the break period. That gets my body moving the blood about and I let my subconscious work on the piece without my conscious dictator adding even more for it to deal with.
My take
The thing to remember is that we develop our discipline all the time. A little mindful effort and we will find it easier to get those words down.
Photo by J. Kelly Brito on Unsplash