What I Wish I Knew About Writing Every Single Day

My seven tips you need to know about as a writer to see success

When you want to be a writer, you have to do some things if you want to write every single day. Life is always going to send you in different directions that are beyond your control. There will be events that you cannot control which will affect your writing time even when you block out that time.

Don’t expect every day to go like you planned. If you have written for one day or several years, there will always be distractions in your writing routine.

I have written every day since June 1. Most days were not a problem. But there were some days that makes you think there is no way you’ll get an article done. For me, today was one of those days since I took my mom to a doctor’s appointment that put me behind several hours.

You could easily say it’s not going to happen today. You tell yourself no one will care if you miss one little day. If you think about it, there is only person who would know you didn’t write.

Any guesses?

That person is you.

Today’s topic wasn’t planned but sometimes your feeling and emotions can be all the stimulus you need. When it comes down to it, you have to be like Nike.

Just Do It

Are these reasons or excuses you use to not write some days?

You may have used these reasons to not write. You may see some that you have used before.

1. You have to take care of your health, so doctor and dentist appointments will take away from your writing time.

2. Your family needs you and that took away your writing time.

3. You have to get your car fixed and driving your car to the car shop also took away your writing time.

4. There were days when you were not in the mood to write. So you stared at your blank computer screen or delayed typing which took away from your writing time.

5. Your internet decided not to work for one reason or another. This took away from your writing time.

6. Your priorities shifted as your child needs you to do something for them. This took away from your writing time.

7. An unplanned meeting or webinar was scheduled right when you’re supposed to write. This only took away from your writing time.

There were probably other reasons that prevented you from writing. If you’re still reading this, you need to keep going to find out some solutions to these problems.

What you need to do if you want to write every single day

“Write every day even if it is just a paragraph.”

Michael Connelly

These and other events will ruin your day only if you let it. A lot of writing is mental so you need to plan for these unexpected events. Your goal is to write, so you need to be ready for these interruptions.

1. Change your writing time for that day. You need to write so you don’t miss a day.

2. If your schedule allows, write your draft on your phone. You can transfer the information to your computer when you get the chance.

3. Your article doesn’t have to be 1000 words. You may have to settle for 500 words.

4. If you planned to watch your favorite television show, you’ll have to miss the episode for that day.

5. Wake up earlier or go to sleep later to write your article.

6. Try writing a listicle. This may not be your normal writing style but you may end up liking this different format.

7. If you haven’t figure out your “why” for writing, take the time to do that as soon as you can.

My final thoughts

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

Nelson Mandela

No one said writing was easy. You went to school to put your ABCs together. Whether English is your native language or your second language, you have to put some work in to be a better writer.

No one is born a natural writer. Everyone has to put in some work to be a better writer. You may have to put in more hours than others, but essentially we all face disruptions in our lives in one form or another.

There will be days when you think you are having the worst day ever. Trust me, there are other writers who are probably having a worse day than you are. They could be going through a divorce. A family member has the coronavirus. They may have lost their job. There are so many other reasons. Just because you have these unexpected events pop up in your day, you can still turn around and get your writing in.

Don’t let your excuses prevent you from turning out your best piece of writing today.

What is preventing you from writing some days?

Tom Handy is a top writer on Medium, former Quora writer, and father of two kids. He retired from the Army and sits on several non-profit boards. You can find him on Twitter @tomhandy1.