Tiny Habits for Writers

Have you read BJ Fogg’s book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything? It’s one of those books I put off reading forever, because I thought surely this could just be a blog post and doesn’t need to be a book. But it does, because Fogg has been studying habits for a long time and has a lot of insightful examples and suggestions to make it easy for anyone to adopt his methods. I’ll be recommending this book to coaching clients and drawing inspiration from it in my own life. I don’t think you need to write every day or be super ridged in how you write. But in my experience it helps to know when you’ll write next, have easy ways to capture ideas, and generally feel happy and healthy, so when you sit down to write, it’s easier. Fogg recommends scheduling tiny habits, making them simple and easy, and celebrating with a smile or a little “Yay!” in your head every time you do them. (Fogg has a whole list of simple ways you can celebrate if you struggle with that.) It feels good to have a plan and eventually a habit that you don’t even have to think about. If you want to see how small actions can have a big impact, try adding one—just start with one!—of the tiny habits below to your writing life. Let me know what happens.

1.     After I wake up, I journal.

2.     After I start the kettle, I think about my WIP.

3.     After I get dressed, I say to myself “I am an artist. The world needs my art.”

4.     After I drop off the kids, I make a to-do list

5.     After I have an idea for a new book, I add it to my idea list.

6.     After I review my calendar, I schedule 30 minutes to write.

7.     After I finish writing, I tidy my desk.

8.     After I make any progress, I text my writing bestie.  

9.     After my writing bestie texts me her progress, I send her a funny gif.

10.  After I sit down to write, I spray my favorite perfume.

11.  After I decide on my goal for the day, I start my Pomodoro timer.

12.  After I open my notebook, I put my phone on airplane mode.

13.  After I write, I put a sticker in my planner.

14.  After I write, I decide on my next step.

15.  After I get a good review, I share it with my audience.

16.  After someone sends me a photo of my book in the wild, I send a personal message.

17.  After critique group, I hug my writing friends.

18.  After I get in bed, I read a page of a book.

19.  After I finish a book, I write a summary highlighting what I loved about it.

20.  Every time I feel stuck, I stretch for five minutes.

Please know I don’t do all of these or even most of them! But I do 5, 7, 14, 19, and 20, and they truly make a big difference. What tiny habits help you write? I would love to hear!

You can buy Tiny Habits here.