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Hey Reader,

Like most animals, I am highly motivated by treats.

Get myself to the dentist? Little treat.

Clean the bathroom? Little treat.

Write my daily email? Ring a bell, little treat.

Ring a bell? Salivate at the prospect of a little treat.

Easy peasy; habit formed. Right?

Wrong.

They’re not habits, they’re complex behaviours rewarded with a little treat.

Which is fine as far as it goes but let me ask you this:

Do you want writing to be an unconscious, automatic habit that you have to train yourself to do or it won’t get done?

Or would you prefer writing to become a genuinely pleasurable activity that is its own reward?

I know which I’d prefer.

(The second one, fyi)

The problem isn’t doing the thing. The problem is — usually — starting the thing. That’s where most of the barriers are.

What we want is behaviour change. Identify the behaviour you want to cultivate — writing regularly — and figure out how to make it happen.

I don’t have The Answer for you, sadly, but I do have a place for you to start and it’s twofold.

1. Stop telling yourself you have to have A Writing Habit. You don’t and never will. Writing isn’t a habit, it’s a complex behaviour with many facets, some of which may become habitual.
2. Design your environment so it’s as easy as possible for you to write when you want to write.

If I were you, I’d start with the following 3 steps:

1. Have everything ready before you start: your notes, any papers, notebooks, writing implements, so you can just sit down and begin.
2. Get rid of stuff you know will distract you: put your phone in another room, use an app like Freedom to block social media and websites that will scupper your plans, and write in “basic mode” if you can.
3. Create a ritual of some kind that says “now I’m writing”: a cup of tea or coffee, light a candle if that’s your jam, go to a specific place, put on a specific soundscape or music.

It’s not foolproof but it’s a start.

Give it a go, then tweak it to suit your own schedule, preferences, and environment.

Let me know how it goes.

And share your rituals with me! I’d love to know about them.

TTFN,

Vicky 🫡

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