“It seems to me that those songs that have been any good, I have nothing much to do with the writing of them. The words have just crawled down my sleeve and come out on the page.” – Joan Baez
When Becoming Minimalist first began, I had little writing experience. Other than school assignments, articles for a company newsletter, personal letters, and e-mails, I had little experience with the written word.
But as of today, I have written over 500 posts for this blog. I have become a regular contributor to one of the highest-rated organizing websites, Organizing Your Way. And I have written several books including Simplify (a #1 Best Selling book on Amazon).
One of the reasons for the success in writing is because I have become far more thoughtful and intentional about which habits benefit my life and which detract from it. I have learned to establish healthy life habits that improve my overall life and make the process of writing easier. This process has both made me a better writer and has made the discipline of writing more enjoyable.
These are the life habits that I incorporate to improve my writing:
• Waking Early.
I have found that my best writing happens early in the morning between 5-8 am. The house is quiet, my mind is slower, and the busyness of the day is yet to begin. As a result, the words flow with less effort. As a side note, I was not always an early riser. When I first began developing this habit, my trick was pretty simple: I would smile, put my feet on the floor, and look out the nearest window. It took some effort at first, but after a couple weeks, my sleeping habits had adjusted. And I would never go back to sleeping in late.
• Running.
I have written countless articles jogging along the side of the road in my neighborhood. Because I rarely run with music, running provides quietness and opportunity to think. The blood is flowing and my mind is free to wander. Some of my best ideas have come during the longest runs of my life. Interestingly enough, lifting weights rarely has the same effect… only running.
• Reading.
I prefer biographies. They challenge me and inspire me to make the most of my life. But it doesn’t matter if I’m reading fiction or non-fiction, books or magazines, something good or something bad, reading always produces better writing. Good writers are almost always good readers.
• Eating Protein for Breakfast.
While I am not a nutritionist, I did learn early in life that protein for breakfast makes me more productive. It gives me better memory, sharper thoughts, and longer concentration. As a result, I have eaten two eggs and one piece of toast at breakfast for as long as I can remember. The whole process (cooking, eating, cleaning) takes me approximately 15 minutes and always starts my day off right.
• Drinking Coffee.
There is a reason coffee is one of the highest consumed beverages in the world. While the stimulant of caffeine certainly helps coffee make an appearance on this list, it seems there is something that can’t be beat about just the whole experience of sipping a fine cup of coffee. It adds pleasure and richness to my day. And at the age of 36, it still makes me feel like a grown-up when I drink it.
• Finding Solitude.
There is a direct correlation between the intentionality in my life and the amount of time I spend in solitude. By electing to intentionally withdraw from human relationships for a period of time, I am able to reevaluate the assumptions, claims, and messages of our culture. Solitude provides opportunity to rediscover my life… and these new discoveries often find themselves into my writing. With that as the backdrop, there’s no wonder why Leo Babauta called it The No. 1 Habit of Highly Creative People.
• Changing my Environment.
Whether it be writing in a local coffee shop, at the library, in a bookstore, or outside in the summer, changing my environment almost always provides a fresh look at the words on the screen. The new environment encourages new connections and synopses in the brain that help stimulate the writing process.
• Attending a Religious Service.
I have always embraced spirituality. I have found that it inspires me to think beyond the physical aspects of our everyday life and search for deeper meaning in the world around us. Going to church causes me to intentionally think about issues of the heart and soul. And because of that, it almost always pushes me further in my writing.
• Using Pen/Paper.
While the actual words of posts/articles/interviews/books are always written on a keyboard, most of them are brainstormed and outlined on a piece of paper. I prefer one blank sheet of paper and one black pen. By the end of the outlining process, it is always marked with words, arrows, circles, numbers, and scribbles. But the marked up sheet of paper provides the perfect first step and foundation for putting the actual words on a finished product.
• Traveling.
Traveling provides opportunity to experience new people, places, languages, foods, and customs. It has allowed me to see life from a new angle and appreciate different aspects of it. I’ve had the privilege to experience a number of different countries and cultures over my short lifetime. Each of them have made me a better person… and a better writer.
• Setting Goals.
In all walks of life, goals move me and shape me. Whether it be running a marathon, finishing a book, or planning a party for 10,000 subscribers, goals always provide an added dose of motivation and momentum to my writing. When I have a desirable and achievable end goal in mind, my writing always benefits. And when I don’t, it suffers.
I have found the 11 Life Habits above to be the most helpful and instrumental in my writing process. As a matter of fact, when even one of them is lacking, I can sense it immediately in my personal creative process. But we are all different. No doubt your list will look different than mine in some regards.
Consider sharing below in the comment section which life habits improve your writing.
If you don’t have a list, I encourage you to find one. Start by implementing some of the habits above and give them a 2-3 week trial period. If they are not helping, that’s okay… just try something different (for example, I know a number of writers who write better late at night rather than first thing in the morning). The goal is to discover which life habits stir up the creative process in your life.
Because when you are writing at your best and sharing your life experience with the world, we all benefit.
Further Reading
Interested in writing online? Here’s a helpful guide on how to start your own blog.
http://kimsimplified.weebly.com/ says
This is a great post. Reinforced some things I am already doing right now. Appreciate this post a lot!
Graeme McNee says
Thank you, this is a brilliant list and a great one to pass onto my friends who are starting to be creativeand looking for pointers. I’m definitely trying out the protein for breakfast one, ha ha ha!
My own list has one item that is a little similar to your running tip, rather than plunge directly into getting the idea on paper, I try to compose as much of it in my head as possible. I sit next to the paper and I look at it, and I let the idea grow in my mind, and hold it and hold it untiI it’s ready to burst out and then BANG! I release it and enjoy the momentum that comes with it. It sounds similar to what is happening while you are running, and I imagine when you get back to the house the idea is just begging to be caught on paper, and that gives you a boost to get the whole thing out on paper as quickly as possible. It’s not a technique for everyone but it’s definitely worth trying!
I think I will go running this week too!
Thanks again, great list!
Angela says
For me, the one thing that helps me write more than anything else is having a goal combined with a deadline. My life is so busy with school, work, etc. that whenever I have a spare moment, it’s hard to convince myself to sit down and write; I tell myself I’ll find time for it later, and spend the time doing something less productive. Having a goal, and a deadline, gives me the motivation I need to focus and write. It works even better if there are other people depending on me meeting that deadline.
Aside from that, being around other people who are writing tends to motivate me.
Sian says
Love the blog! Great list – totally agree with all of this, apart from I have to add that swimming is even better than running for me. Being submersed in the water makes me feel like I’m completely alone (which ties in which the solitude point) and in some ways even on another plant – really gets the creativity and imagination going in me.
serenity says
Totally totally love all the thoughts here. On some level I think that I have found solitude to be the most powerful for my creative process. Instead of people sitting and daydreaming at a bus stop, they now get out their iphones and play/chat/whatnot. How many book ideas could be fermenting and come to fruition if we would be quiet for a bit? I have found the application of seeking solitude as extremely countercultural, and yet so necessary to get clarity. Humans are easily swept along the current of groupthink, whether from work, home or family- taking quiet times solidifies who we are, gets us back to the center. I am finding how much resistance this faces. I think people are afraid to be quiet, afraid of what they might hear from their own minds, their own selves that know the truth.
Andrew Butterworth says
Thanks for sharing these points. Very insightful. I’ll be sure to RT.
Daniel Mihai Popescu says
An accurate personal list, closed to everyone’s soul. They say coffee isn’t good, but I’m a coffee lover myself. Oh, also personal, I found lately a lot of artificiality in religious services, one can achieve the same spirit, or even greater in the middle of nature. Great post, Joshua, :)
joanne mallon says
really useful/thoughtful post, one that keeps occuring to me – shouting at me in my sleep to make the necessary changes to my routine. Would you mind if I quoted your post in my blog? (I would of course put the source etc)
Joanne
Joanne H. Dippel says
I think find this list to be packed with very helpful ideas. I use some of them but seeing them written down affirms their value for me. I think I might try getting up early. Yikes. I totally agree that drinking coffee makes one feel like a grown-up. I think I’ll go have a cup now. Thank you for this wonderful list!
Joanne
Dinah says
I feel the same way about having little writing experience in the beginning, and compensating it with changing my life habits. Being surrounded by nature (hiking), reading everything, watching the history, food network, and travel channel (for writing inspirations and quotes) helps me improve my writing. I always keep a pen and notebook to jot down ideas. When I have writer’s block, I listen to instrumental ukulele music which calms my nerves and gives me the feeling of being in a tropical island.