You Need a Writing Routine

What’s Your Writing Routine?

It’s much easier to take consistent action toward your writing goals if you establish a regular writing routine.

If you have a full time day job and you’re trying to transition to full time freelance writing, right now you may be able to follow your routine just a few hours a day or maybe only a few hours per week.

That’s okay.

The main thing is to get a regular routine in place.

When you establish a routine, it’s also much easier to create your marketing plan and writing schedule every Sunday night or Monday morning.

Then, when the work week starts on Monday, all you need to do is follow the actions you’ve set up in your routine

For example, my weekly routine includes:

1. Working on a Current Work-in-Progress

Generally, I set aside 1 hour every morning, first thing (before I do anything else), to work on a novel, short story, or other writing project that’s not under contract (it’s just something I’m passionate about writing).

2. Completing Regular Marketing Tasks

I do this every morning and evening.

These tasks include writing & sending out The Morning Nudge, checking and responding to emails, updating my blog (at writebythesea.com) and spending a few minutes several times a day on social media marketing.

3. Working on Current Writing Assignments

I do this every weekday afternoon.

Usually I have at least 3 or 4 writing assignments at any given time – with scattered deadlines.

I allocate time every afternoon to work on each of these assignments and many times I work on them at the beach (so you can write anywhere you like, you just need to do it on a regular basis).

4. Acquiring New Assignments

For example, a few weeks ago, before I left for vacation, I send out 8 queries.

I’ve already gotten 2 new assignments out of the 8.

One of the 2 has a tight deadline, so I’ve set aside time to work on it every weekday afternoon for the next few weeks until it’s completed.

The other assignment is on hold for the moment, since it doesn’t have a pressing deadline.

I also use some of the time allocated for acquiring new assignments for writing proposals, checking in with editors I’ve worked with previously (to see if they have any new assignments), etc.

5. Coaching Clients (one-on-one)

I schedule one-on-one coaching sessions between all my other work.

It’s nice to take a break from writing during the afternoon to talk to a client.

I also enjoy talking to a client first thing in the morning before I get started on other projects for the day.

That’s pretty much the work routine I follow.

I take these same actions day after day, week after week.

Each of these actions is designed to take me closer and closer to achieving my 3 major writing/career goals for the year.

I always have these 3 major goals before me during the day (on an index card or at the top of the page in my spiral notebook for my “to-do” list for the day), so when I’m tempted to get offtrack, I just look at my goals and remind myself of what I’m trying to achieve.

What does your work routine look like?

Have you established a routine yet?

If not, create one today, then just start following your routine to make it easier to be consistent in your efforts to reach your goals.

Try it!

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