Last month, I talked about how I deal with Procrastination. I thought maybe it would be a good idea to speak about what my writing routine typically looks like.

Routines are important in a writer’s life because they not only ensure that the writer is able to get everything completed but also because it helps to enhance creativity. The brain knows that at a certain time or after a certain thing it is time to switch into the mode that allows us to create these fabulous worlds and characters that readers fall in love with.

I, personally, am a creature of routine. On days that my routine gets messed up, I feel out of sync for the rest of the day. This is true for every aspect of my life. I have a set routine for my entire day, leading me to not focus too much on the clock but more on what comes next.

When you typically read a day in the life of a writer, you hear about how they wake up and instantly get words on paper. They also have the same schedule for most days. I’m different because I have chosen to focus my writing life around my husband’s work schedule.

He is a truck driver who is gone for most of the week. Because of this, I make it a point to spend as much time when he is home with him. On the days that he is gone, that is when I work on my writing. It means that I take Friday after noon until Sunday afternoon off. Unless there is something important that happens, I don’t do anything writing related during those time.

This means that from Sunday until Friday, I focus 90% of my time on my writing. This allows me to be fully focused without the worry that I am neglecting my family.

Because of how my schedule is, I have a different routine for three out of the six days that I am in author mode. You would think that it would mess with my routine, but it actually ends up working pretty well.

I think the reason that different routines depending on the day works is because I don’t follow the clock. Each day, I follow a routine, and the time only comes into play a couple of times. My mind has become accustomed to the signals of what is going to happen that day.

I start every day that I have an author day the same way… without an alarm. I have found that with my schedule and routine, I typically wake at the same time, anywhere from 6:30 am until 7:30 am.

Once I am awake, I get ready for my day and do my household routine of taking care of our furbabies and getting the house straightened up. From there, I climb onto my exercise bike while watching one of my television shows. It is only then I make myself breakfast and take some time to focus for the day. Sundays, I typically spend some last minute time with my husband before he prepares to leave for the week.

When all these things are done, I turn on my computer, load up my tablet, and check over everything I on my to do list for the day.

Now, I am a planner girl. I feel lost without knowing what I need to do from one day to the next. I tried using paper planners, but they were too bulky. Another reason I don’t go that way is because I have never found anything that works for me. I needed something that actually worked for my method.

Switching to digital has allowed me to create a planner that works for me. For one, it allows me to make tweaks to the page when something isn’t working. Basically, I have one page for an entire week. I have a section for my household tasks and another for my work. I use OneNote, so I am able to have both pages side by side.

On my work side, I divide it into specific projects, such as my daily tasks, marketing, books, business, etc. I write down the items that need to be accomplished in each section, then highlight the days of the week when it needs to be done. This way I can move to each section and see what I have to accomplish that day.

Just this past week, I changed my household section to match how I have my work section set up. I have a list of my chores for the week in a table and highlight the days that I need to get them completed. And there is always room for odds and ends that pop up throughout the week.

Another thing that I love about using digital planners, is the ability to include images. I can reuse ones and also create my own to go along with my weekly theme. It allows me to express my creative side, while not costing me a lot of money.

Below is an example of one of my planner pages:

Switching to a digital planner has allowed me to improve my organization and also be more productive since I have everything that I need to accomplish in a week right at my fingerprints.

Once I know what needs to be accomplished, I start my daily tasks. First, I do a journal post. I talk about anything that happened the day before, what my plans are for the day, and anything else that is on my mind. This usually allows me to get my mind cleared for the day ahead. From there, it is checking email and doing marketing things that I need to make sure are done every day.

One of the things on my daily tasks is to check my Facebook Saved file. Typically, when I scroll through Facebook, anything that I don’t have time to read through or want to look at further, I save to this file. This way, in the mornings, I can take the time to fully focus on these things.

One my daily tasks are completed, I do one of four things depending on the day:

• Sundays, I do a weekly check on my book sales and make any notes. From there and for the rest of the day, I work on outlines for any upcoming books.
• Monday, I am usually done for the morning since it is grocery and errand day. I don’t come back to my desk again until after my evening break (more on that later). This is the one day during the time my husband is working that I take some time for myself.
• Fridays, I start a new planner page for the upcoming week and plan it out. From there, I work on my current professional development project until my husband gets home. This involves reading books about the current topic I am looking into for my writing business and also reading any articles I have collected.
• And then the rest of the week (except for Saturday which a complete day off), I go into whatever marketing or business items that I need to get done that week.

On the marketing and business items days, I have divided up the items I need to get done throughout the month, such as preparing my newsletter, accounting, and planning for the next month. When I prepare my plans for the week, I write down the items I need to get done that week and plan it for the three days.

An example would be that this week is when I do my accounting and then have scheduled for the rest of the week to get this month’s writing reflection post completed. Today, I got my accounting done and then moved onto working on this post. I should get it pretty much written before my scheduled break, but if not, I still have two more days to work on it.

Once my scheduled items are completed for the week, I then use the rest of the business and marketing time to get small things from my misc list completed and also work on some extra professional development.

I do this until 1 pm, one of three times that time comes into play with my daily routine. Thankfully, I have been able to set up our Google Nest to let me know when it is time for my break since I am focused on my current project.

For the next hour, it is personal time. It typically starts with getting our dogs out for a potty break. Once back inside, I turn on a true crime show and start working through my daily household tasks.

Like with my writing, I schedule cleaning according to the day. Each day, I focus on one aspect of our home. Doing this allows me to keep the house clean without having to take the entire day to do it. When those items are done, I grab something quick for lunch and typically scroll through social media while eating.

Taking this time allows me to get needed cleaning done and reset myself for the upcoming writing time. One of the most important things for me is giving myself time away from work. Even doing something like cleaning gives me that boost to keep me working all day since I have a terrible habit of distracting myself with other things when I should be writing. Knowing these items will be completed keeps my thoughts on what I should be doing.

After an hour, I am back at my desk. And from here until my evening break at 4 pm, I am in creative mode. This is when I work on my current novel, whether it is drafting or editing.

Now, I know a lot of writers typically get this done in the morning when they first wake up. I can’t. I have tried, but I find that my most creative times are in the afternoon. I can get double amount done in the time I work in the afternoon and evenings then I would if I worked in the morning.

My evening break is two hours, with me getting supper around and taking some self-care time even if it means relaxing on the couch with an episode of the current television show I am binge watching. I spend some time cuddling with our animals and just being focused on anything but work.

And then, at 6 pm, it is back at my desk for another round of working on my novel.

The rest of the evening I finish up my schedule project work. This is Monday through Thursday. I tried to plan a specific number of words to be written on drafting days, but I found that having chapters works better for me. Mondays I need to complete 2, while Tuesday through Thursday, I have to get three. This averages roughly 4000 to 7000 words.

I work until the numbered of chapters are completed or until I am completely tapped out. This is anywhere from 10 pm until 11 pm. And let me tell you, our one cat knows this because she will walk back and forth across my desk until I shut everything done.

Then, I wrap up my day by curling up on the couch for an hour or two of television with the impatient furbaby curled up on my chest for belly rubs, and another one curled up between my feet until I finally head off to bed.

I typically end up working a forty-hour week, although it can be a little higher when a deadline is looming. There are also days when I work less if everything is flowing perfectly.

Now, I know that my schedule isn’t typical, but it is what I have found that works for me. And it didn’t come about quickly. There had been plenty of trial and error. I have switched things such as having Mondays be my outlining day, but soon realized that I always ended up procrastinating and not working on it. And, as I mentioned, I even tried getting my novel work done first thing and doing my marketing and business items in the evening, but it wasn’t long before I discovered it wasn’t the right fit.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about how routines have become an important part of my author career. And now, it is time for me to take my afternoon break and grab something to eat.

Take some time to reflect on your own personal routines. Consider how flexibility and finding what works for you, and not following what everyone else does, can be a benefit.

I would love to hear your questions or even your routines. Send me an email (beverly@beverlyrearickauthor.com) or leave a comment.