Are you a writer? Here are 3 small writing habits that will change your life (and not just your writing life).

Writing habit #1 — Do the thing you say you’re going to do (i.e. write, Duh)

Every time you do the thing you say you’re going to do, every time you follow through on a promise you’ve made to yourself, you build character, self-control, resistance to temptation, and trust.

Writers are completely self-managed, doing it for the love of The Thing, all by ourselves [*insert Celine Dion moment*].

Bonus: Writers have no supervision. It’s just us in our musty writing dungeons, stroking our pet sidekicks and cackling, free to our naughty whims and our sky-high dreams.

This can hurt us. As horrible as it sounds, it’s easy to break promises to ourselves in favor of someone else’s priorities. It’s easy to lie to ourselves, say we’ll do something, then make a laundry list of excuses for why it didn’t happen, why our writing goals weren’t as important as _____.

YOUR 👏🏻 WRITING 👏🏻 MATTERS.👏🏻 Respect yourself as a writer and your writing as art enough to take it seriously.

Keep your promises. Stick to your commitments. Do the things you say you’re going to do. Just do it.

Writing habit #2 — Make a pact to move your body (i.e. creativity reset)

Making a pact to move your body may sound akin to sticking needles in your eyes, but hear me out.

First and foremost, it trains your body that you’re in charge. It’s unfortunate, but a lot of times, we have to do things we don’t want to do. (I know. It upsets me, too …)

Not every day are you going to feel like writing. Some days, you rather swallow an entire sleeve of Oreos and fall asleep on the couch to the laugh track of Friends than work on your writing project. We’ve all been there.

To be clear, I’m not talking about the times when you truly need to rest and recharge. No. I’m talking about the dreaded word—discipline. Followed by the second dreaded word—exercise. *shudder, wince, gag*

The facts:

A simple walk can spike a dopamine. You’ve extracted your atrophied muscles off your writing chair and onto the treadmill/sidewalk. Your limbs loosen. Your brain un-fogs. Blood pumps through your bloodstream. Creativity fills your veins. And—

You will feel empowered. You did the hard thing! You moved your body! You did something you didn’t want to do, but you did it because you’re in charge (not the gluttonous, lazy, trash-goblin living inside your head). You know what’s best for your body. And—oh, deary me, could it be true?—you actually feel better now that you’ve done it.

Writing habit #3 — Journal (I.E. Hello, mental clarity!)

Journaling is seemingly the most mundane writing habit there is, but it’s so incredibly powerful.

All writers should journal. PEE-REE-UD. (Translation: “Period.”)

Journaling clears brain fog and brings clarity.

Try the Morning Pages method, created by Julia Cameron. Three pages of stream-of-conscious writing first thing in the morning. I use this time to plan and prioritize my day, deal with any lingering fears, concerns, irritations, and excitement, pray, and check in with myself. In the words of Julia, Morning Pages make it so that you happen to your day instead of your day happening to you.

Looking for some journaling tools? Check out my ultimate Journaling Tools For Writers List here.

Conclusion

These are the 3 writing habits that will change your life. (1. Doing what you say you’re going to do, 2. Moving your body, and 3. Journaling) They may not seem like much at first—or they may seem like the hardest thing in the world. They are both.

Sometimes, the simplest things in life are the hardest things to do, i.e. sitting at our writing desk for thirty minutes, drinking water, going on a creativity walk, prioritizing rest, and having the discipline to begin again.

Writing life (human life) is about balance. Actively make choices to take care of yourself.

Without you, there would be no writing, no book, no art.

You’re kind of important.

Thank you for reading! Don’t forget to subscribe to The Writer’s Life newsletter, the place for exclusive content, secret clubs 🤫 , and stoking creative fires EVERY CHANCE WE CAN GET! 🔥 (ie. cat pictures and James Clear quotes).

Which habit do you find the easiest? Which habit do you struggle with the most? Any habits you would add to the list? Comment below!