WHEN?

The question of when to write was partially answered in the last post. Waiting until after work each day was a non-starter for me.

In July of 2021 I decided to change my routine. I’ve always been a person who wrings the most sleep as possible out of a night. That meant I was getting up close to start time for work each morning, cramming in a shower, breakfast, and coffee. That month I started pushing back my alarm. Fifteen minutes the first week, another fifteen the next, and so on. Over several weeks I was getting up an hour earlier than I’d been before.

That ended up giving me about 75 minutes of writing time each morning to knock out a chunk of words before the workday started. Depending on my state of mind, I usually get from 1,200 to 2,000 words in that time. I also try to end before I run out of thoughts. If I have the next few paragraphs already in mind, then the next day starts easier.

In the eighteen months since I started this routine, I’ve only missed it a couple of times, not counting vacations or travel. I do this Monday-Friday and often on Saturday. I’m very protective of the time, which means foregoing late nights occasionally. For example, I have a friend who wanted me to join in on hockey season tickets, but that means about 40 nights where I wouldn’t get home until after 11 p.m. That makes for a rough start to the next day, and writing takes priority over hockey or most any activity on a weeknight.

That’s what worked for me. Can you work all day and then write in the evening? Plenty of people do. Finding a routine that works for you and committing to it is the key.