Daily Writing is a guest post by my long-time friend Sally who has just launched her own blog – learn more about her at the bottom of this post!
Do you want to improve as a writer? Perhaps you want to find your voice and grow your blog.
What if I told you there was an easy way to improve?
Here’s the thing: you can improve by doing one thing consistently – daily writing.
You may think writing every day sounds impossible! The idea of putting words to a page each day might sound like a daunting task. However, there are many tips and tricks to make daily writing a habit that sticks.
Why you should practice daily writing, whether or not you have a blog
Writing has been proven to have many benefits such as helping unemployed people find jobs faster, helping students perform better on final exams, or even improve health. By starting a daily writing habit, you’ll be able to make the most of these positive outcomes. Let’s break down a few of the biggest ones.
Improvement overtime
How long have you been writing? Look at your work from a while ago, whether it’s several months or several years prior, like the last essay you wrote in school. Do you see any improvement from your older work compared to now?
By writing daily, you’ll train yourself in a new skill. It’s like running a marathon – you have to train consistently to improve over time. You wouldn’t be able to run a marathon if you practiced sprinting, and only every few days at that!
The same goes for writing. It takes a consistent effort to find your voice. Over time, you can hone your writing skills to craft impactful stories that resonate better with your audience. You’ll become more efficient at finding the right words to match exactly what you are trying to convey.
Greater self-awareness
It can be a struggle to find a topic to write about each day. As writers, we’re often told, “Write what you know.” Jotting down something about yourself is an easy way to complete your daily goal. With a daily writing practice, you’ll have more opportunities for introspection. It can be a great opportunity to figure out what you’re feeling and reflect.
Discipline
Writing daily takes effort. It trains you in discipline. This discipline can also transfer to different areas in your life. By being consistent with this practice, you’ll see how easy it is to consistently seek out self-improvement in many other aspects of your life.
Sense of accomplishment
By doing a little bit each day, it’ll add up over time. In the beginning, you may think that writing daily is a small goal compared to what you’d normally set out to achieve. However, when you turn around to look back, you’ll see that you were actually able to accomplish a lot!
It’s a lot like compound interest in a bank account. If you deposit a bit of money regularly, it’ll compound an amount that’s greater than the sum of its parts. This idea of compounding also applies to writing.
How to start a daily writing practice
Now that you know all the benefits, you want to begin as soon as you can! But where do you start?
Use these easy, actionable steps to kick start your new habit:
- Set a SMART goal – It doesn’t have to be a big goal, but it does have to be measurable and achievable. Start small. You can always change your goal to add more later. Begin by trying to write 100 words each day for a week.
- Have a designated time – Give yourself at least 15 minutes for this new habit. With practice, you’ll discover how long it actually takes.
- Find a calm space – Try to find a place with no distractions. If your main distraction is the Internet, you can install software that blocks time-wasting sites and applications.
- Have writing topics ready – If you struggle to find something to write about, you can keep a list of prompts ready. This list could be in any format that works for you. It could be a Pinterest board full of ideas to journal about, a content calendar for your blog, or a list of milestones and anecdotes if you’re writing a memoir.
How to stick with your daily writing goal
Sometimes, the most difficult part isn’t starting but rather following through with your goal. You can plan a couple of different things to help your daily writing practice take off. So don’t just start, keep going!
Prepare yourself
Set daily reminders on your phone to help you accomplish your task. You can also tidy the distraction-free space to ensure it’s ready ahead of time.
Find an accountability partner
Do you know someone who also wants to start writing daily? Perfect! An accountability partner can help motivate you so you follow through with your plans. Start together with the same goal. It’s more fun when you can ask each other what you wrote about that day.
Put something on the line
Challenge yourself by putting something on the line:
- Donate to charity – Commit to donating to a charity if you do not achieve your goal within the specified timeline. For example, “If I do not write 100 words a day for a week, I will donate $20 to charity!”
- Hire a writing coach – By investing financially, you’ll have more skin in the game, and you’ll want to stick with the goal to see its full return in value.
- Make a public announcement on social media – Followers are sure to notice and ask about your progress.
Starting the habit of daily writing is easy once you know about the benefits, how to start, and more importantly, how to stick with your plans.
What’s your daily writing SMART goal? Let us know in the comments and we can be your accountability partner!
Liked this article? You can check out Sally’s new blog at Sally Lu Writes. Sally is an experienced writer in the areas of travel, finance, and nonprofits.
