How to Stick to a Writing Schedule
For the writer who wants to write, plans to write, but doesn’t write.
It’s difficult. Like in all the best stories, the protagonist can plan and plan and plan so that everything goes right… only for something to go terribly, horribly wrong and stop all of their forward progress.
Just like those protagonists we can’t help but feel sorry for, we are the main characters of our own story. And for those of us who love to plan, things can always interfere and wreck whatever well-laid plans you had in mind.
And I can think of no other group of people more affected by this plight than the writer.
Well writers and maybe new parents. Crying babies and children are always interfering with a well-planned schedule.
But I digress.
It’s hard enough to write a writing schedule. Trust me on this one.
But what happens when despite your writing schedule and willingness to stick to it, things get in the way?
Like surprise events. Family. Friends. Emergencies. Discovering that the show Stranger Things exists (yes, I know I’m late to the party. Whatcha going to do, sue me? Bold of you to assume I have money you’ll win in a lawsuit).
Anyways. Yes. Despite our best intentions, the real world — and our own self-imposed distractions — make it difficult to stick to a writing schedule.
So, here are 5 of my tried-and-true strategies to staying on task, and meeting those deadlines and word counts.
Strategy #1: Try to start at the same time every day
I know. Dangerous words. What I suggest here is not only a writing schedule but a habit.
I found that once I worked and tweaked my writing schedule a few dozen times, it was easy to start figuring out my best and most productive times of each week, and even each day.
Lucky for me, my other full-time schedule, obligations, and just my basic human nature allow me to start my writing every single day, at the same time.
I start at 6 am. Every. Single. Day. I wake up and begin to write before the sun rises. If I get up before the sun rises (it usually comes up at around 6:30 where I live), it’s still “dark” enough outside for me to fool my brain into thinking it’s still nighttime. For a night owl like me, this is the perfect compromise.
And yet I start my productivity early enough in the morning that by 7:00 a.m. when I’m making breakfast, I already have about 1,000 words already sitting on my laptop.
1,000 words by 7 a.m. is not a bad start to a day, in my opinion.
But everybody is different. Maybe you work the night shift and the idea of writing in the mornings makes you want to actually die.
Maybe you have kids. Or you work two jobs. Or you’re a college student with a job on the side.
Everybody has different circumstances. But I find if it’s possible, that writing at the same time every single day makes it easier to get your writing done without find reasons to not get it done.
Strategy #2: Try to figure out what content you are going to write ahead of time
I roll this part into my actual writing schedule, but maybe you don’t. And that’s fine.
But I find that if I spend maybe 10–15 every Sunday night structuring my schedule simply past “write at X time”, and I add “write (x) amount of words for current novel WIP”, it helps. Then I never have to go into a writing session faced with the paralyzing fear of not knowing what to work on.
If you enjoy spontaneity in your life, disregard this tip. Do what works best for you. However, I’d venture a guess that for a lot of people structure helps boost productivity.
I cannot tell you how many valuable hours I’ve lost sitting at my laptop, telling myself I couldn’t write simply because I had no idea which project of mine to start. It’s a wonder I’ve written anything at all, to be honest.
Strategy #3: Build in reward systems
At the heart of everything a human being is, at the very core of the literary discussion on human nature and folly and vice, I think all the academics and poets can agree on two core principles. Humans love a) shiny things, and b) things that are bad for them.
However because we love these things, they also can motivate us.
Shiny things for a writer? A new book, a new notebook, a new package of pens, a bookmark, or even a new piece of writing or editing software.
Psychology tells us that humans thrive on positive reinforcement, that is, adding something good to a situation based on the desired behavior. You do the good and you write your words? Your brain loves the idea of taking a short (SHORT) break to watch a Netflix show.
Rewards that are used in moderation can be fantastic motivators. Pick things you like, and once you hit certain milestones, celebrate! But be sure to exercise self-discipline and control. 15 minutes of a show on Netflix, not 15 seasons. A slice of cake, not an entire one.
Strategy #4: Never finish a day’s work
I went back and forth on including this one for a while. I agree with it, but not in the traditional sense.
I believe in never finishing a day’s work. But not in the traditional, “don’t finish your last thought so you can return to it the next morning”. I tried that. I didn’t sleep that entire night, not wanting to forget the flow of thought.
But I do believe in leaving the doorway to your work open, or never finishing the day’s work, so you have something to come back to.
For me, this manifests itself in cleaning up my shared desk each day. My sister uses it after me for homework. So, at 3:00 p.m. when I’ve finally finished for the day, I put all my stuff away. Turn off and charge the laptop, put away all pens and pencils, wipe the desk down, bring my dishes to the kitchen sink…
But I never, ever, ever, put my main notebook away. I leave it open and push it to the side of the desk where it won’t bother my sister, and I walk away.
Technically, my day’s work isn’t finished. I should have tucked my notebook away like everything else and moved on to something different.
But that notebook holds all the annotations and ideas I get when I am writing any one of my projects currently in the pipeline.
So, find ways to keep the day’s work unfinished. In a productive sort of way. Don’t leave food and dishes out at your desk and call it the same thing.
Leave your sentences unfinished if you have to. Leave out your writing calendar and planner. Leave a sticky note to remind yourself of where to start.
Just don’t give yourself an excuse to avoid your writing space, and therefore your writing.
The Takeaways
It’s hard to write a writing schedule. It’s hard to stick to one, too. But if writing were easy, everybody would do it.
So, don’t be too hard on yourself if so far you’ve been struggling to stick to your plans. Productivity and self-discipline is a process.
You just have to be patient enough with yourself to get to where you want to be. So do what works for you, try out some of these strategies if you’re stuck, and someday soon you’ll look back and wonder why you were ever worried in the first place.
