My writing routine

What works, what doesn’t and how to nourish your own

Hello you!

Show me someone more obsessed with routines than a writer.

Writing routines are a thing of coveted dreams. Every writer dreams of the perfect one and faces their own personal battle in trying to find it. We read, watch and listen to what others do (past and present) then try to implement this into our own lives. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. We tend to curse ourselves when it doesn’t. We berate ourselves for not having enough discipline, not being creative enough, that we must try again and try harder. The thing with routines is that they have to suit us individually and they have to fit into our lifestyle. There’s no point in trying to emulate a Tibetan Monk’s morning routine when you’re a mum of four.

For this reason, I share my writing routine with a footnote. This is what currently works for me. It hasn’t always worked for me and it may not continue to work forever. My biggest tip when it comes to routines is to start small, build up from there and remember it’s about what you do a little of each day rather than what you do perfectly once in a while. This is what will add up to something in the end.

So here goes…

I write as soon as I wake up - before my phone has started to ping, before my overthinking mind has warmed up and before I do anything else I will write. I literally roll out of bed, put pjs on because I sleep nude, fumble about in the kitchen (these details later) and then sit down at my tiny table and crack on. No face washing, no teeth brushing. It’s quick, it’s simple and it works.