how to build a writing habit in three steps

You want to write, but the discipline of sitting down is difficult. Distraction is real. You want to jump up, start another task, look at your phone, pet the dog. I get it. I want to do all those things too. Building a routine takes time, and it takes repetition.

Here are the three things you need to build a writing habit:

1. Find a place.
Virginia Woolf called it a “Room on One’s Own.” Make sure you have a designated place to write. It doesn’t need to be an entire room. It can be at the kitchen table or on the floor of your closet, underneath the coats. Just choose a designated quiet place where you can work.

2. Set aside time in the day to write.
It doesn’t have to be hours and hours, maybe start with 10-15 minutes. Read a prompt and free-write something! Set a timer if you must. It might help you protect your writing time with a concrete boundary.

3. Show up.
And then keep on showing up.
Okay, that’s it. Everything else is crap. Be there for yourself. Make yourself a priority, and get the stuff in your head out. Let it unfurl over the white paper, curve it, and lead it into a place that tells a story and gives you a voice.

Is it true that 21 days make a habit? I have no idea. Maybe? But if you make writing a priority and show up, you will have formed a beautiful habit.

If you want it, it’s yours. Find a place, time, and show up, and the writing will come.
Darling, you’re worth it.