In the twilight of the school year, if you listen closely, you can hear the sound of teachers coming up for air from the deep end of the pool. You hear it when the last of the final grades are entered. You hear it in their voices as they reflect on the highlights of the year. And, you hear it in their contented sighs when the classroom is finally organized again.
It is summer. It is time to write.
It is time to take the glowing irons out of the writing fires and get to work. Among my workable irons are presentation proposals, summer institute planning, blog posts, journal articles, and book proposals. In other words, a lot of writing.
Still, it feels good to have tangible writing goals! But, in my experience, goals without habit and routine can dissipate like summer morning fog.
Fortunately, I know what it takes to meet my writing goals. You know what it takes to meet your writing goals. We need to put out butt in the chair and write. Every successful writer I know establishes a non-negotiable writing routine - and they stick to it.
The routine I am planning scares me. It will shake up my usual morning routine of waking at 6:00 am, scrolling through Facebook, checking Twitter, playing Clash Royale, brewing coffee, and preparing for the day. I am comfortable with this routine. Yet, I know if I want to grow I need to move outside of my comfort zone - and, if I am doing it right, it will hurt a little bit.
My alarm is set for 5:00 am; the NaNoWriMo goal tracker is set for 500 words per day; the "9 Writing Hacks for the Most Prolific 100 Days of Summer Writing Yet" is fully engaged; the TeachWrite Academy "Time to Write" accountability workshop in on my calendar; and my writing territories are visible:
All that is left to do is to put the plan in motion. I'm game.
My habit starts today.
So inspirational! Let's do this, friend!
ReplyDeleteOnward!
ReplyDeleteI am living this right beside you, brother. You got this! Mark
ReplyDelete