On Writing Habits

How I Wrote Better Than Ever in the Age of Social Distancing

Photo by Florian Klauer on Unsplash

I’ve decided to start writing more and more, and applying the lessons I learned from running to help with that. So here goes:

1. Set a big goal. I’m going to write something every weekday (Monday to Friday) for 1 month, and hopefully longer than that. My goal is to used these articles to start populating my blog, both on Medium and my personal website. I would love to see this habit continue for 6 months, but let’s see how it goes.
2. Start small. I’ve decided to help myself avoid droning endlessly on by setting a 15-minute timer whenever I start writing. I will write consistently for that 15 minutes, and when it is up, I will publish the piece (plus or minus some minor edits). This will help with consistency, doesn’t blow up my whole day with writer’s block, and will prevent very long articles.
3. Hire a coach. I’m still thinking on how exactly I would do that. Does that mean an editor? Take a writing class? Have a friend review my articles? I’m not sure yet. The idea of doing The Artist’s Way has intrigued me, so maybe I’ll give that a go during my journey. I also think there are plenty of great coaching lessons in articles online, so I’m going to dig more into reading those. I’ve got a list started already.
4. Make yourself accountable. The benefit of doing this daily is I can easily put it on the calendar. Did I write today, or not? I told my wife I am doing this and started putting X’s on the calendar for days I have written, and asked her to not let me go to bed in the evening unless there is an X on that calendar. This should keep me accountable, or at least, give me some really weirdly lucid writing as I’m slowly passing out in my chair at the end of the day. But hey, it’s 15 minutes right?
5. Listen to my body. This one doesn’t quite apply as neatly as when I am talking about running, but I think it can still apply. The general concept is don’t push yourself too hard, which is what the 15 minutes is for, but I think that if I’m in the zone, I’ll keep going. I also think gradually increasing that 15 minutes to 20, 25, 30, etc. will be a good way to progress. If I can keep the habit, I’m confident I can increase it slowly and see progress there.
6. Set a time cap. 15 minutes again. How simple is that? You can do anything for 15 minutes (except maybe hold your breath)
7. Focus on consistency. Just like my running practice, it’s the act of showing up that will help me get better. Forcing myself to do it daily means I’m going to level up faster without burning out. Setting a time cap makes it feel like a small chore (like doing the dishes) rather than a big chore (like moving). I don’t mind doing the dishes because it’s quick. I hate moving because it’s a huge hassle. I’m hoping by focusing on consistency I can keep this habit to a small chore overall.
8. A bonus one: notice the world around you. By forcing myself to write everyday, I’m going to have to keep coming up with great things to write about. This I’ve heard as “the I-Spy trick” where things in your house become much more noticeable when you play I-Spy. Suddenly you see the colour of that flower on the plant you have, or the inscription on the binding of an old book (or the dust under the bed). By writing frequently, I’m secretly hoping this helps me be more aware of the world around me and my place in it.

Ultimately my goal is clarity and discipline. Can I maintain a habit for 30 days? Who knows. And why 30 days? Who cares. The point is being present, thinking clearly, and working to develop my voice.

Seth Godin writes:

“Everyone should write a blog, every day, even if no one reads it. There’s countless reasons why it’s a good idea and I can’t think of one reason it’s a bad idea.”

I totally agree Seth.

So here goes.

Brendan is a Mechanical Designer at Nymi, and blogs about startups, mental models and why hardware is hard here. He’s a Venture for Canada alumni, coffee aficionado, and cookbook collector.