routines

Actually started writing this yesterday. That’s how crazy life has been getting.

Life right now has become quite busy. It’s still interesting that the next time I open my blog to write it’s once again Monday. Which means I’ve gotten into something of a routine.

It’s been reinforced over the last couple months that one of the “7 Habits of Successful Writers” is definitely “set a routine for writing.” I have found that writing comes easier now that I schedule it.

I’ve had to schedule time to write because there are so many things that I need to do. I scheduled my own projects for weekends. Then my weekday schedule includes editing and writing copy for clients in the mornings. I do my class reading and assignments in the afternoons. If I finish all this by Friday, I resume my weekend personal projects early.

I also have scheduled three standing Zoom meetings each week: one with my professor on Tuesday afternoons, another with a romance writing group on Wednesday afternoons, and a social fandom group (that often turns to writing fanfic) on Thursday afternoons.

I also have set a morning routine that is almost like getting ready every day for work. Up at 5, have breakfast with my spouse, shower, dress for “work”, send spouse to work, read and post on social media (also queueing posts for later sending) til seven. At seven, I prep my son’s coffee pot, talk with him, do my news reading and several puzzles games like online Jeopardy!, the NYT mini-crossword, the local paper’s sudoku until 8 when he leaves for work.

Finally, I prep a pot of hot tea and settle in for my work day based on the day of the week and projects I have in progress and work three and a half to four hours. I take a one-hour break around noon (sometimes a little earlier, sometimes later) where I eat a healthy lunch and watch some Netflix. Total brain break.

After lunch, it’s time for my afternoon scheduled activities: class readings, assignments and the Zoom meetings. By the time these are finishing up, it’s time to plan for the return of my spouse and son and making dinner.

Sitting down seems to set my mind into “task” mode and whatever I have to write, I start working on it. The core of becoming successful really is doing something habitually, not randomly.