How to Motivate Yourself to Write Every Day

Sometimes we’re so in love with our story ideas that we want them to be born into the world as perfect beings. But that perfectionism prevents writers from moving from the imagining stage to the creating stage. We have to get used to ugly babies. We must give ourselves permission to produce crap.

But even if we don’t expect beautiful first drafts, we still might not write as much as we’d like. So how can we force ourselves to put words on the page?

1. Establish a Routine

Writing at the same time and in the same place every day can help you develop good habits. Maybe you write in bed when you first wake up, or at the café you visit during your lunch hour, or at the library between classes.

• Start early. Writing first thing in the morning can reduce procrastination, since waiting until the evening leaves more room for excuses to put it off until tomorrow. Avoid checking your email or thinking about what else you have to do later that day.
• Save research for before or after your writing sessions. This time is for pure word-count generation only.
• Write everywhere. Write while on the bus, standing in line, or waiting for dinner to come out of the oven. If you like the feel of old-fashioned pencil and paper, start carrying around a small notebook. Use note-taking apps to jot down ideas or short descriptions. There are so many short stretches of time that we waste in a day by checking social media.

By making writing as integral to your daily routine as sleeping or eating, you’ll develop strong habits, and your future self will thank you.

2. Eliminate Distractions

Writers will always find a reason to procrastinate. As the joke goes, “What do you get when you cross a writer with a deadline? A really clean house.”

• Turn off your Wi-Fi, or block social media. You may be tempted to find the perfect synonym or Google questions about how long bodies take to decay, thus distracting yourself from actually writing. If you’re especially prone to checking Twitter or other time-wasters, apps like Self-Control or web browser extensions like StayFocusd allow you to block certain websites for a set amount of time.