Using a Routine

I've talked a lot in the past about how having a routine (writing every day, blogging on specific days, etc.) seems to be a major factor in my ability to keep progressing towards my writing goals. Within those routines, though, I don't have smaller routines. For example, I don't always write in the same place, or at the same time of day, or for the same amount of time, etc. Probably the closest thing to another "routine" that I have is that I always do first drafts in Google Docs and then revise in Word. That, plus if I have trouble focusing, I'll put some instrumental music through headphones to help me avoid distractions.

Generally speaking, those things which I might call "micro-routines" haven't seemed like something I've really needed so far. But, as I've mentioned in the past, every writer works differently. So, I found it interesting to read Eric J. Krause's post on his own writing routine. This post focuses on the routine of an individual writing session -- how he breaks it up in half with a little break time in the middle, etc. He, too, points out that the specifics which work for him won't necessarily work for everyone and suggests some alternative ways of arranging your sessions.

Like I said, I haven't found a need to add that type of routine to my other writing routines so far. But if I reach a point where I'm having consistently frustrating writing sessions, I think I'll be likely to come back to this post and see what from it I might adapt for my own writing.

As with so many things I've discussed before, the most important thing here is to find what works for you and stick to it. That probably will mean taking a little piece of advice here and a little piece of advice there and so on. And that's just fine. There's no reason that your big picture writing habits should look much like anyone else's as long as you're making progress towards your goals.

What routines have you found that work for you?