Just over 5 years ago, I started publishing to my blog every day. Before that, I was writing daily for over a year.
Many people have asked me the secret to creating a writing habit. They’ve asked me how long it takes to make it a habit.
Here’s my response:
It’s not a habit.
And if you’re trying to create a writing “habit” you will set yourself up for failure and disappointment.
First, let’s define habit.
What Is a Habit?
A habit is an automatic response to a trigger event. It is any action we take that is on auto-pilot. We do it without thinking. Less thinking about the things we’re doing means we can free up bandwidth to think about other things.
Why Habits are Useful
I want to acknowledge that “habits” can be helpful. And when most people talk about wanting to create better “habits” what they really mean is that they want to do the things that matter without going through the decisions about it every day.
Decisions are cognitive drains. They require bandwidth and energy. The more we can resolve in advance, the easier it is to move through our day.
This is the appeal of habits.
Examples of Habits
We can apply this concept to many parts of our day and our routine. Here are some examples from my morning routine:
- As soon as my alarm goes off in the morning, I get out of bed and turn it off.
- If it’s dark outside, I turn on the lights.
- After I turn off my alarm in the morning, I go to the bathroom and brush my teeth.
- After I brush my teeth, I put in my contact lenses.
- After I put in my contact lenses I put my hair up.
- After I finish in the bathroom, I make my bed.
- After I make my bed, I get dressed for the gym.
These are all habits.
If I had to think about any of these things much, I’d waste a lot of time and energy. I used to hit snooze every time my alarm went off. That was a habit. But with that habit came a constant negotiation with myself about how much longer I could sleep. The entire process left me more tired than if I had just woken up when the alarm went off.
Habits can be extremely useful.
That said, not everything we do consistently is a habit. Nor should it become one.
Why Writing is Not a Habit
Writing doesn’t happen on autopilot.
To the extent it does, for me, it’s usually because I’m escaping the moment to open my phone and journal about something that is happening in the moment. It’s an escape. A reaction.
The type of writing that I want to publish to a blog, or for a book, is intentional.
This intentionality means it’s not a habit.
Intention is the opposite of autopilot.
Why Thinking of Writing as a Habit Will Set You Up to Fail
Writing is hard. It’s a practice. And it requires intentionality to show up every day.
If you think it’s going to become a “habit” like brushing your teeth or making your bed, you’ll be in resistance to the reality that it doesn’t just “happen” the way those things happen.
How to Remove Decision Fatigue Without Creating a Habit
If what you want is consistency without the tax of decision fatigue, then there’s another way:
Decide. Decide you’re going to write every day. Commit. Commit to the practice. Put it in your schedule and show up. Resolve. Resolve that this is what you’re going to do. Once you resolve something, it’s settled. There’s no going back.
And then just show up to practice daily.
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