Rewriting One’s Routine
A simple guide on how to begin and sustain a healthy writing habit.
Before I start waffling on, stop! You should be writing something down. Not any preparatory notes about whatever you are about to read, no. You need to simply dust off one of those old notepads you have loitering and open it. Gather a pen, or a pencil. We will need to begin as soon as. Rules, they are loose at best.
Whatever it is that has brought you here, whatever slither of doubt, whatever crisis of confidence, hardship… Congratulations! Finding this is a start. It is a leap of faith making your intentions known. An important step. But as you know, all of this reading advice malarkey can get tiresome. How much advice do we really need? Well, as it happens, all you really do need are the basics, and with this, the very basics I’ll share here.
For most people, we always feel the need to reconcile our worries internally before we are willing to let on to anyone else that there may be trouble ahead. But just as important as opening up these feelings to our near and dear, is admitting that something is wrong to oneself. We all need to reflect on our lives, to reassess where we stand against the ideals we hold oh-so-very dear. Writing down these thoughts can in fact be more honest than speaking these worries out loud.
The question therefore is; when was the last time you actually wrote something down? A while, eh? We are already very aware that the first obstacle is in fact the start-line. So how exactly do we begin? Well, its a lot easier than you think, so much so I’ve compiled them in point form.
1. Let’s get set…
First off, get comfortable. It’s all well and good if, straight off the bat I tell you to “just get on with it”, but it is never that easy. As with anything you are about to undertake, you will have to prepare yourself within an environment that suits you. This doesn’t necessarily mean setting up a desk or a private study room, rather, in general your conditions have to be conducive to writing.
So find that comfy spot and disconnect your phone in whichever way that pleases you. Yes, this means that for the first few instances you must write within a relatively silent back-drop, preferably utter quiet. In time you can introduce music or the background drone of a throwaway Netflix documentary, but in order to perpetuate a foundation for you to write, your first entries must be in silence. It will compose you and realign your mind. If home is absolutely not possible (screaming kids etc.) find a solitary spot at work, or in a cafe and plug in your headphones to no music. Nobody knows, its fine.
The whole point in hand writing your thoughts is to not be reliant on the multi functionality of our modern devices that will indubitably lead to distraction. This also means that if you lack the stationary to write, pre-prepare. We don’t want to find ourselves flicking down a screen for the finest fountain pen we can find or the most ornate writing book. This is not about that.
It is worth noting that cups of tea and your favourite biscuits are not beyond the remit of distractions.
2. The actual thing
And then, right on cue, the tension starts. We will start mulling over everything about this time. The pen hovers as though repelled to the paper by magic. Your brain is caught in that imperfect storm of everything running through your mind, or, inversely, nothing at all. So what do we do?
It is important to realise that both of the above are forms of procrastination. Our first tendency will be to plot and think about what is most important to you, and although this train of thought will come in handy later on, we cannot do much in these early stages but to simply write whatever comes to mind.
You may think your first entry must be as important as, say the opening of a classic novel, a grandiose mission statement that can be used as an instant IG-ready quotable. You can already picture your first words written in bold font on top a regal profile shot of you taken in silky black and white. Stop right there.
The fact is that your first words could literally be anything. Whatever comes to mind in that instant, jot it down, these are after all your own thoughts. If absolutely stuck, literally scribble the first words that come to you. Be it a comment on what has been a bother today (“I f**king hate invoices…”) or whatever you have been thinking of cooking later on tonight. Just put it down there. It will at least test whether the pen is working.
From here on in the pages are literally yours to scribble over. We already know that overthinking leads to a weird emotional dysfunction and paralysis. We cannot compensate for the things life throws at us, so many tangibles that seem to pop up adding to our cumulative stress. So why not write that down? Exactly as it came into your head just there.
Chances are you are not the next Tolstoy or Dickens yet, so no narrative is needed. How many times have you thought “I should really carry a Dictaphone to record all of these things down”? Here’s your chance, but instead of muttering them into the heavens where the 10G signals of Alexa’s ears may listen in, you are doing it on a drab notepad that nobody would even second guess.
You’ll be surprised at how much you will be able to write after that first haphazard sentence has been committed.
3. Getting the hang of it
As with any discipline, the key to maintaining is being mindful of your own form. What works for you? Note it down. We are trying to form a habit, and against popular belief, habits aren’t all bad.
In fact, the idea of stability is inherently agreeable to us. Believe it or not, even the most die-hard adventurer has something they hold close to keep him or herself grounded. So short of suddenly shedding your stifling vertigo and scaling mountain tops right away, take note of your basic form, and think, does it work for you? Building a sense of discipline sounds as boring as it is vital.
Remember that it is impossible to write any word down without memorising the alphabet first.
There is an importance not to over-plan, this idea compliments many facets of life in general. It is good to have things in mind and to have goals, but do not take too many things on in the first instance, you will get to that eventually. The chances are that these ideas are already on a page somewhere.
4. Pause for air
Now that everything seems aligned and you have possibly the seeds to 3 novels whilst doing so. The next step is simple. Stop.
For a regular person, it is as necessary to come out of the writing process as much as you are in it. Time is precious, what we have written doesn’t have to be a complete mind-map to success or failure just yet. The gradual accumulation of your thoughts is perhaps even more rewarding than a marathon 4 hour self-therapy session. Pacing is essential. It helps you gather thoughts, and possibly build to other things you’ll be desperate to write down in the days and weeks after. This is no race by all means.
Here’s your cue to go out with friends, do something you enjoy, do something that challenges you. Everything needs time to settle down into a pattern. Your self-analysis to form in these early sessions could easily be used as a jump start to convince yourself into climbing rocks, or, more feasibly, opening up to those people important to you.
Writing regularly is nothing more than the healthy management of those bright ideas and stubborn thoughts that do surface. The idea of pausing for air also affords you the time to explore new avenues, activities that may enrich your life, and bring focus away from the everyday strains and also a valuable chance for you to look at the world in a new light.
5. Continue, persist
Writing has to form into a habit or a routine, it is something you have to enjoy, a catharsis of sorts. The idea of constantly redrafting and readdressing ones own thoughts about personal growth and mental health is about taking action. Slowly you will find the balance. It is equally about searching as much as it is the progress you will feel you have made.
This, is actually the essence of creativity itself. Keeping to this basic format will allow you that space to grow. Focus is — by nature — undisciplined, but it is also something we have full control over.
By turning your sessions into an essential part of your routine, and actively making time for it, you will build the tools to take control of your life and manage the trends of overcompensating and the reliance of distraction prevalent in our society.
What you have just read is essentially what you should have already begun doing. It is counter-intuitive for me to tell you this when you could be simply scribbling something down now. So, let’s start.
