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147: The Daily Habit of the Most Successful Writers

The most successful writers have a strict morning routine that is integral to their success. It’s important to stay consistent with your daily habit if you want to have your business recognized.

Welcome to another episode! We’re talking about a daily habit of the most successful writers that I have seen since starting my business in 2013. The key thing is a morning routine. 

The most successful writers have a strict morning routine that is integral to their success. They wake up and immediately set out for a walk, take time to read and write and observe silence to prepare for writing. It’s important to stay consistent with your daily habit if you want to have your business recognized.

morning routine is not a cookie-cutter type of thing. I’ve learned that over the many years of having a freelance business and from the seasons of life that I have gone through. I noticed in all successful writers, business owners, and people in this remote space, wake up and do something special every single day. They go out for a walk, take time to read, meditate, they write a journal and it’s important that they stay consistent with it because that is how their business grows.

Let me share what I’ve done but let me show you what I’ve done in the past and then what I do now.

What does a morning routine consist of for successful writers?

I’ve tried the morning routine where you get up at 5 AM and try to work out get a good breakfast and then later on in the morning sit down to work. It didn’t work for me. I also used to try to get up super early when I was on the night shift. This also didn’t work for me.

Morning routines are heard of, and always a necessity if you want to become a successful freelancer. But your morning routine should work for you. For now, my morning routine consists of getting up early and working 1 to 2 hours before my family get up. After they get up, I do my household chores, get the kids ready for school, and enjoy my quiet morning with them. After they go to school, I stick in my gym time, and then I come home and work until they get home from school.

My morning routine always consists of a cup of coffee and good hydration. I always have to have water by my desk, so I stay hydrated throughout the day. But I always try to keep in my morning routine some sort of exercise, and quality good food.

The importance of consistency in your writing and business habits

Consistency is important, especially when you tend to wake up early. I used to be a night owl heck, I worked the night shift for ten years. But now, I need to be in bed by 10 o’clock, or 10:30 am so I can get up and have that work time before my family wakes up. You also have to find out what is your most productive time of day.

If you’re a person who can’t focus very well when you first wake up, maybe going to the gym would work best for you. When I first wake up, I am very focused on my work, and I like to wake up slowly with a cup of coffee and stay in my pajamas for just a little while longer. Over the years, I noticed that my workout schedule was always in tiptop shape when it was about 9:30 in the morning. So that’s when I work out now. Consistency is key, though. It’s easy to slip in, it’s easy not to work out, and it’s easy to work when I want to. But none of this will keep you growing.

Now, mind you, I’ve already been up for probably six hours instead, still not starving to death. Sometimes if I feel a little foggy, I will eat. I sometimes put on music. I may put on some focus music just to help myself stay in the moment and set a timer for a Pomodoro method, which I talked about in other episodes

How to stay consistent with your daily habit, even when you’re traveling or on vacation

This is one of the hardest things to do because many times we were traveling. It’s hard for me to wake up early if I’m up late the night before. In those times, I do prioritize my sleep. The best thing I can tell you about this is to get back on track ASAP. When we go to Florida for that week, I get up early every day except on the weekends when we’re out later. But try to stick to your schedule as much as you possibly can to be your best.

My Morning Routine

4:30 – 5:30 am —– wake up, coffee, plan the day
5:30 – 7:30 am —– work
7:30 -10:30 am —– kids, workout, clean, start some laundry, plan dinner, run an errand or two if needed
10:30 – 2:00 pm —– work
2:00 -2:30 pm —– check social, do some “fun” projects before picking up my son
2:40 -3:30 am —– catch up with my youngest, homework
3:30 – 5:00 pm —– work a little more
5:00 – 8:00 pm —– dinner, kids stuff, etc
8:00 – 9:00 pm —– try to get caught up if needed for work
9:30 – 11:00 pm —– shower, wind down, and bed
Examples from real writers who have successfully implemented their daily habit into their lives

 

Advice for what you can do if you haven’t been able to implement a successful morning routine yet:

Maybe you’ve tried as I did in the past to implement different morning routines when you hear them from the top gurus. I’m going to know that many of these gurus I would try to copy in the past. They didn’t have children the ages of mine and didn’t have a lot of the household responsibilities as I do.
 
Do you have to do the routine again that works for you? Experiment a little bit. If you have a hard time getting up in the morning, don’t set your alarm for 4:30 am the first time. Maybe set it for 5:30 am if you don’t make it up at six. And try not to set the snooze button. Try to work out at the time, so you need to work out what’s best for you and only start with two days a week.
 
Once you find that two days a week is super easy, add more. But the quickest way to Brno in inconsistency is to go all in and get overwhelmed. I only learn my morning routine through experimentation and time. You will, too. Just take your time with it.
 
A final word about the benefits of having a solid morning routine that will help lead to success in all areas of life:
 
Now, this podcast episode is all about daily habits, but I want to tell you that routines and having them are important in general. Whether it’s just in the morning or throughout your day with different tasks, household chores, and whatnot. For example, when my kids are out the door for school, I always do a 15-minute clean-up downstairs. It makes me feel so much better when the house is clean from the start of the day.
 
I also always do our laundry on a Tuesday. Some people do laundry every day. I’ve tried it it doesn’t work for me. I also do all my meal planning on a Sunday, and I get the groceries delivered the same day. These are just as little as I’ve done over time. If you need a good book for this James Clear atomic habits is a great book to get you started on a good daily habit routine.

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