As a freelancer, writing forms a major part of my work activity. To keep Fashion and Style Police up and running, I need to make sure that there is a steady flow of content everyday or almost everyday. I also have to do a good amount of writing for my clients, so I am always writing.
What has helped me in creating content consistently is my habit of writing. Let’s face it. No matter what medium you use in your business, writing will always form an important place in your life. This is a skill that does not come by chance. The greatest bloggers or freelancers we have now are diligent writers. They make it a point of duty to write everyday.
If you’ve not been the type who writes consistently, then this post is just for you. Here are 8 ways you can train yourself to be a real content machine.
Set aside a specific time everyday to start writing
Sometimes it is only when you have a specific time of the day to write that your creative juice flows. If you are the type who wakes up early in the morning, then let writing be the first thing you do before anything else. The same goes for if you are a night person. Or you can get super specific by setting a particular time in the day like 2pm everyday.
Keep your writing materials near by
You may have the desire to write everyday, but when you know that you have to walk a distance before you can write something down, there’s a high possibility that it will cool you off completely.
Keep your writing materials close to you so that you can be more motivated to write. Put a notebook and a pen near your bed or make use of the notepad on your phone, that is what I use 90% of the time.
Get an accountability partner
Having someone who can keep you accountable will help you write more often. Tell a friend who can keep you accountable and check on your progress everyday. This will keep you on your toes everyday. You wouldn’t want to disappoint that friend of yours, would you?
Come up with a list of things everyday
I heard about this tip and it’s quite effective. Come up with a list of 10 things everyday. For example, “10 ways to sleep well” or “10 travel ideas you can try out”. These lists will help you push your mind to build content around your ideas. No matter how long or how short your list is, it will get you in the mood of writing.
Keep a journal
A journal is where you write events that happen to you on a daily basis. What better way to get in the writing mode than by keeping a journal? Write something about what happened during the day. It’s not always a must to be able to write something relating to your business everyday. It could be on personal things. The idea is to keep writing.
Have 30-day challenge
Challenges get you in the competitive spirit. The idea is to be able meet a target. What makes this effective is, if you could make your 30-day writing challenge public. Share your progress everyday with your friends on Facebook or Twitter and even on Instagram. When you share your progress with your audience, it keeps you publicly accountable.
Mark your calendar
This is an easy exercise that will keep you going in your writing efforts. Have a spare calendar. Each time you write something, take a red marker to put a big X on the day. Try this the next day and then the next. The aim is to not break the chain of red Xs. Since you do not want to break the chain you will be more eager to write. It works!
Aim to write a certain number of words everyday
Start with 100 words a day. 100 words a day should take you less than 15 minutes to write. Train yourself to write 100 words everyday. Do this for 30 days. Before you know it, it will be a part of you. The day you skip this exercise, roll it over to the next day. For example, when you miss one day, that means you will have to write 200 words the next day. That will serve as punishment whenever you miss a day.
Do you write everyday? How do you train yourself to write?