Write Every Day: Here’s A Trick

Write every day means create a writing habit. Face it, sometimes it’s just not possible.  Case in point. Last Friday I woke up with a scratchy throat.  I didn’t feel great, and because I hadn’t had a cold or anything for longer than I could remember, I took a few Wellness Formula herbs and ignored my symptoms.  Saturday morning, I knew I was coming down with something so I went to Hallo, the local herb shop, bought another concoction, and went about my business.  By Sunday my joints ached and my chest felt heavy.  Monday morning, I was an untouchable with a full-blown cold, and a cough that scared the dog.  I could barely think let alone write, so, I succumbed, and took the rest of the week off.  I’m still not 100%, but I’m coming around.

If I didn’t already have a well-established morning writing habit, taking time off could have sabotaged my efforts, but instead I’m back on the horse. It’s a lot like getting back on track when you break your diet.  One piece of chocolate cake leads to another and before you know it, you feel like you’ve failed, that you’ll never lose the last 10, 20, 50 pounds. Your inner saboteur says, “What’s the use?”, and you believe him.  We’ve all been there.

For some of us, getting back into the write-every-day habit is easier than for others. If you’ve fallen off the writing path, here’s a trick to help you get back on track.

1. Grab the kitchen timer. If you don’t have one, find one online like http://www.online-stopwatch.com/large-stopwatch/
2. Sit down at your computer or at your desk with pen and paper close by.
3. Close your eyes and take five slow deep breaths in and exhale slowly.
4. Imagine the words flowing like water from your hands onto the screen or onto the paper.
5. Picture your screen or the paper filled with good ideas and well-crafted content.
6. Set the timer for five minutes.
7. Let the words flow, non-stop.
8. Repeat daily.  You’ll be surprised at how much you can write in just five minutes.