The Importance of Writing Daily

Something that has had a huge impact on my life has been writing every single day. I treat it as an absolute rule, something I will not allow myself to pass over. It doesn’t matter what I write, it doesn’t even matter if it is good. The simple act of doing it is what’s most important. I wanted to outline some of the reasons why I think this is important and how it has changed my life for the better.

Set a time for your writing.

Pick a time every day that you can commit to writing. Every morning I pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down to write before anything else can sidetrack me for the day. I find that I am most creative and focused right when I wake up so this is what works best for me, but I know some people who do better work at night, so play around with it and figure out what works best for you.

The main goal here is to be consistent. Figure out the time that you like best and stick with it. Write every day around that time and don’t let excuses take you away from it. I treat it like a trip to the gym, you are exercising a skill and in theory getting better every time you sit down to do it. Not everything you write will be great, I write things all the time I don’t deem worthy of being put in front of others.

How Much Should I Write?

I would suggest one of two things: Pick a word count to aim for or set an amount of time. I personally set a word count for myself. I find that writing at least 500 words per day of content for this blog as well as another 500 in the book I’m writing fits well with my schedule and the amount of content I strive to produce. This is all currently a passion project for me, so at the time being I have to fit it all in around a work schedule as well as college classes. I find that I have to cut myself off in order to fit everything else in, and if I didn’t have these other responsibilities I could easily see myself writing double or triple this amount.

The other option would be writing for a set amount of time. I see a lot of people try to sit and write for an hour or two, this works for them and lets them get into a flow where they aren’t worried about goals. Sometimes they write far more than me and sometimes it’s less but at the end of the day they are writing and that’s what matters.

What Should I Write About?

This is the part that is completely up to you. If you have a blog or an idea for one I would start there. Write drafts of posts you might want to make and see how they sound. Don’t be afraid to write something that will stay in the drafts folder. Like I said earlier, not everything will end up in front of other people.

If you ever wanted to write a book, why not do it now? It might seem daunting, but there is no better time than the present to get started. No one has to see what you write unless you decide to let them. This is something I always remind myself. Creative writing is different than articles like this or reviews I post. Writing creatively gives others a glimpse inside you, writing a book is like putting part of you on display for all to see and that can be scary. It really does help to remind yourself that it is only for you, until you decide it isn’t.

Journaling

Journaling is something that I have always been interested in exploring. So many of the people I follow look at journaling as an integral part of their routine. They say it helps with getting thoughts out of your head and down on paper, and that it helps them clearly define goals they want to achieve. This is another way you could be sure you are writing everyday.

I think I want to start journaling a bit in the morning and then again right before bed. It seems like it would help me clear my mind of all the clutter and organize myself in a meaningful way. The one method that has been catching my eye lately is the Bullet Journal, I see so many creatives using it that I can’t help but feel intrigued and want to try it for myself. Whatever the case is for you, journaling might be a good alternative to the other things I’ve talked about in order to get you writing.

Just Write

When it comes down to it, it really doesn’t matter what you write about or the manner in which you do it. The act of writing every single day will open your mind up and help you grow as a person in more aspects of your life than you might realize. It can settle your mind in for the day and keep all your thoughts organized. It can allow you a space for your creative endeavors to flourish in front of you, once you get your creative juices flowing it might surprise you how hard it can be to turn them off!

Just start with one day, then try for two and so on. Make it as simple and easy as you can, this should be fun. I think a lot of people hate reading and writing because of the experiences they had in school, they never got to do it for fun and were never exposed to it in a way that they could enjoy. It’s a shame that people look at these activities as chores when in reality they can become such a magnificent tool to let ourselves free creatively.

As always thank you so much for reading! If you have a daily writing routine, or are thinking of implementing one I would love to hear from you either in the comments down below or on Twitter. Reach out to me and lets connect! Check back (at least) every Wednesday and Saturday for new posts, and sign-up via email to make sure you never miss a post!