Somehow, over the past month, I've become disconnected from my writing routine. I have thought about writing, and I certainly would have liked to have written. Yet, those thoughts never turned into action. The anti-muse that is busyness crept back in, whispered in my ear that there's far too much to do, and turned my attention away from my creative work.
Oops, right?
Over the past week, I have been thinking about this and realized one aspect I needed to build back into my day: habit.
Think of your own habits in your life. Your teeth brushing. Your exercise routine. Your laundry. All fall under routines
While I'm not a fan of habit stacking, I have embraced the idea of writing routines in the past. And it's worked.
So lately, I have made the intention of starting my writing routine as early as possible. Instead of meandering around stories I have no connection to at the moment, I have returned to a familiar routine of grabbing one random picture and five random words to accompany it. And just responding until I have somehow used the image and words in a piece of writing
I have no idea if this will lead to anything, but based on my experience in the past, simply incorporating a regular routine (or habit, if you will) is the key to reclaiming my former sense of writing self.
If you have sort of lost your way this year, don't waste too much time bemoaning it. Dust off the writing notebook. Fire up your laptop, typewriter, or whatever creative sword you battle with, and get back to your stories. Incorporate one act of writing in your day and mark it off the calendar. Hey, even download those goofy toothbrush tracking charts for kids to track your successes and treat yourself to a sticker after five days.
Because what matters is that you aren't giving up. And if you can't seem to get back into it, start a regular routine (or habit) of writing into your day. You might just be surprised.
Nicole Pyles is a slightly overworked solopreneur who somehow can't admit she's running a business and not simply a side hustle. She loves the Lord and spending time with her family. She dreams vividly and loves writing metaphors in her fiction. When she's not checking her email obsessively, she enjoys watching old episodes of Twilight Zone and black-and-white monster movies. If you ever want to be on podcasts, let her know. And if you have a podcast, you could be her new best friend.
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