At the beginning of 2022, I committed to writing at least 20 minutes every day. Three months into the year, I am pleased to report that I have not missed a day of writing, which has been a delightful surprise.
Plenty of my writing attempts in the past have been abandoned within a week’s time. What’s different this time?
Focus on the input, not the output.
In the past, I would set a target on the output, say, a polished essay a day. While finishing a piece is possible on a good day, but it is simply unsustainable. Some topics take longer to think, write, and revise. How long it takes is beyond my control. When I fail to meet the daily goal, I am demoralized, which makes writing the next day more challenging.
A better approach is to aim at how much time to put in instead. I have control over the number of minutes I dedicate to every sitting. As long as I put in the time, the output naturally falls into place.
I used to “go big” when I made a new resolution. Once I set my eyes on a new thing, I’d work non-stop for hours for a couple days and became completely exhausted. Then I’d lose steam as other things in life demanded my time and attention.
It’s better to start with the absolute minimum. I started with writing three bullets in my journal, which took a couple of minutes. When I feel encouraged, I keep going.
Do a little bit every day.
It’s easier to commit to a habit 100% of the time, instead of 90% of the time. I tried writing only on certain days or weekends only, but I had trouble keeping track which day it was.
My conclusion: I must write every day, but only a very manageable amount.
As I experimented further, my writing practice evolved from a page in my journal to writing 20+ minutes on my laptop. It’s a meaningful amount of time to create. Most importantly, I am able to sustain it, even on an off day where I don’t feel too good for whatever reason.
Twenty minutes usually pass in the blink of an eye, and I always want to write more. That means it is the right amount.
Do it first thing in the morning.
I have the most creative energy in the morning. At night, I’m too mentally tapped out to be useful.
So I have reconfigured my morning routine to support my writing. I now start my day with a 3-minute workout, a 10-minute meditation, and a 3-minute daily reflection. This pre-writing routine helps to awake my body and get the creative juice going.
To avoid distractions, I don’t do anything else before I’m done with writing. I don’t eat breakfast. I don’t check my phone. I don’t get changed.
Stop when time is up.
As my strategy is to sustain a habit every day, it’s critical that I don’t overextend on any given day at the expense of the next day. When I am in the flow, it seems counterintuitive to walk away. But in the long run, knowing when to stop is as important as anything else.
Before I write, I set a 20-minute timer (I love the Time-Timer, which gives me a clear visual how much time is left). On weekdays, I allow a 10-minute extension. On weekends, I cap my writing at one hour.
Make it an enjoyable experience.
When I write, I always have my favorite oolong tea, which I love deeply. I put on my noise-cancellation headphone and listen to same playlist, featuring piano pieces by Ludovico Einaudi. I only write about topics that are meaningful to me. I use a distraction-free writing application call iAWriter. I turn off my wifi.
Every day, I look forward to enjoying this quiet time with myself, my tea, and my mind. In that moment, there is nothing else, but freedom.