Developing good writing routines will help you be successful as a blogger, author, or freelance writer. And when you work from home, establishing these routines is vastly important. You have to keep yourself motivated and focused. So, what are some changes that made the most impact for me?
Well, a lot of them had to do with getting rid of some bad habits I developed over the years. I’m not the content machine I used to be, which is a bit of a shame, really.
It all started with taking on more tasks that had little to do with actual writing and getting sucked into a lot of time sinks, thanks to depression. However, I am in a much better state today than I was about a year ago.
What Routines Did I Change for Writing?
In order to accomplish all of my writing goals, I had to make some adjustments to my routines. As I have some pretty grandiose aspirations, what I was doing in the past was not working well.
That led me to sit down and seriously take a look at my life and where I wanted to go. There was a lot of self-reflection and meditation (yes, I meditate) that helped me focus on what matters most.
What were the steps I used to ultimately change my routines for the better?
1. Taking Myself Seriously
Not to sound boastful, but I’m above average when it comes to writing of various kinds. I’ve spent a lot of time studying SEO and content trends for blogging, took a masterclass on how to write a novel, and am currently an undergrad for a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing.
On a side note, I’m planning out my journey to obtain a PhD in the distant future.
It wasn’t until recently that I decided to truly put thought into myself and what I can do. In other words, I started taking myself a lot more seriously than I had in the past. This includes stepping outside of my comfort zone to explore new options and opportunities.
This is one of the biggest issues I’ve seen as a creator among my fans and followers. A lot of folks either don’t have faith in their abilities or are simply afraid to explore their own potential. Then you have others who are completely content with the status quo.
It’s funny; I spent all this time building up clients in profound ways, but never focused on doing the same for myself. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m turning 50 this year or that I have a lot of underlying personal issues that need more money, but I’ve changed my mindset on how I view myself.
2. Prioritizing MY Goals
After deciding to put more effort into myself, my goals were the next logical step. Instead of working to make others happy, I started putting more time into the things that make me happy.
For example, building up my three blogs to reach their overall potential is a goal I’ve had for years. Now, I’m putting more effort into making them the powerhouses of content they could be by prioritizing their content. Eventually, I’ll be able to hire help, which will make everything much easier.
In any case, prioritizing the things you want in life is critical if you want to make those things happen. Unfortunately, a lot of writers get hung up on instant gratification and shift gears when things aren’t working as well as they want.
Whether you’re a blogger, author, or freelance writer, it often takes time to build unstoppable momentum. But none of that will happen unless you prioritize the things you want most in life. For me, it’s all about the books and blogs. I might throw in YouTube as well, but not as high on the totem pole.
The bottom line is that I’m matching my goals with the same energy I use for helping clients. If I can increase the traffic of a client’s blog tenfold in a matter of six months, I can do the same with mine. That was the difference between 20,000 and 200,000 per month, by the way.
3. Cutting Out Social Media
After spending a year putting in a lot of effort to manage social media profiles, I realized an important fact: they are time sucks. Sure, they are a free method to share your content or try to sell a book or two. But for most, social media is nothing more than a way to melt your time.
Yes, there are some out there who manage to eak out a living using social media. But roughly 48% of creators will earn less than $15,000 per year. Speaking from experience, I didn’t sell a single book in a year of actively posting on Threads, Facebook, BlueSky, and Twitter.
Another fact that made a massive impact on my writing routines was cutting out doomscrolling. I would get sucked into the chaos of the world, which would burn 20 to 30 minutes of my break. When you do it five or six times per day, that’s a lot of hours every week.
Now, I don’t cut out social media completely. I still use automated systems to share content, and will sometimes comment on other authors’ posts, but I stick to more of a “post-and-ghost” format. This means I post something on social media and don’t bother to return for the comments.
I don’t do this all of the time, but probably around 70% of the time.
Also, consider just how rampant bot and AI activity is on social media. The numbers can be anywhere from 5% to 15% of all accounts operated by bots, depending on the source. Some even believe the number is higher. So, you’re not reaching as many of your target audience as you might think.
This is aside from Meta promoting AI accounts to interact with users.
4. Avoiding Streaming Diversions
Streaming services such as YouTube, TikTok, Hulu, Netflix, and many others provide instant content. You can watch what you want with a click of the mouse or tap of a finger. Unfortunately, ultimate access to all of this content was taking its toll on my productivity.
Instead of spending an hour and a half in the mornings scrolling through YouTube shorts, I’ve limited myself to just a few videos from accounts to which I’m subscribed. Then, I jump into developing my own content, whether it’s a blog post or a YouTube video.
Streaming services aren’t necessarily bad. However, they can easily tap your time from writing, making them damaging to your routines. You can be entertained by them, just make sure you’re not disintegrating the time you’ve set aside for writing.
There is nothing on these streaming services that won’t be there when you have free time. Is it more important to watch a reaction video or write the next chapter of your book? Try to avoid FOMO and focus on the things you want to do with your life.
I’m not saying that streaming services should be completely avoided. I’m saying they should be used logically according to your writing goals. If you set aside a two-hour block to write, then write. Watch your favorite content after meeting the obligations to yourself.
5. How I Handle “Breaks”
Over the past couple of years, I’ve been taking too many breaks for too long. Part of this was because of the doomscrolling I mentioned earlier. However, it wasn’t just social media that was taking up my time.
I had a habit of working for 30 minutes on a project and then taking a 25 to 30-minute break doing other non-essential things. Maybe I wanted to scroll along Threads, or maybe a YouTube video caught my attention, or maybe I just sat and played a word game in the backyard.
All of these things are not bad in and of themselves. What makes them bad for writing routines is when they happen consistently throughout the entire day. Out of the eight hours I set aside for working on projects every day, I would maybe hit 50% of that time.
Now, there is no doubt that things come up that need to be addressed, such as friends and family needing your help with something. I’m a proponent of building and maintaining those personal relationships. But then add in the other diversions during breaks, and you rapidly dissolve a day.
Today, I may take a break every 20 to 30 minutes, but I also make sure it’s a quick five-minute coffee run or walking around to stretch my legs. The difference in that behavior helped me reclaim 25% to 30% of my time during the week. That’s a lot of hours.
6. How I View Time
Instead of focusing intently on trying to hit a certain number of hours each day, I shifted my mindset to view it per week. A huge part of the change was because of how I interacted with others. I would be increasingly frustrated when getting interrupted because the clock was ticking.
Looking at my time usage throughout the entire week was somewhat liberating. That’s because I know that if I am interrupted today, I can always make up that time in the afternoons, mornings, or perhaps during the weekends.
Since I love what I do, it’s not necessarily stressful to work on my book for four hours on a Saturday or crank out another blog post on a Sunday. I am happiest at my keyboard. So, I often view it as a therapeutic usage of time anyway.
My point here is that changing how I viewed my time has vastly improved my writing routines. I’m less stressed, more approachable during the day, and am more productive. In fact, I have a great chance of breaking a lot of personal writing records in 2026 thanks to changing this view.
This might not work for everyone, though. Time is often a construct built by our habits, lifestyle, family, and careers. But it’s worth noting that time management skills can make a massive difference in your life, generally speaking.
7. Protein in the Morning
Throughout the vast majority of my adult life, I wasn’t getting enough protein in the morning. Over the past couple of years, it was virtually non-existent, considering my breakfasts usually consisted of a banana, fig bar, and Emerge energy drink.
I started having protein shakes in the morning and trying to have at least 100g of protein throughout the day. The difference in my moods, energy levels, focus, and concentration has been beyond amazing. Instead of being depleted shortly after lunch, I’m still revving the engine.
In my case, protein helps balance blood sugar, which helps control hypoglycemia. And hypoglycemia is an issue I’ve had for about two decades now. So, increasing the protein intake made a massive difference in maintaining my writing routines.
Will this work for everyone? It depends on your physiology. Not everyone requires the same nutritional balance. Before committing to a high-protein diet, consult your physician. You don’t want to inadvertently make matters worse.
The silly thing is that I already knew this would be the outcome. I’ve done tons of research for CrossingColorado.com and even wrote a post about the importance of protein. I just really suck at taking my own advice.
Well, until 2026, when I decided the Year of Action was focusing on making things happen for myself.
Maximum Effort!
This isn’t necessarily a step to improving my writing routines, but more of a mindset I’m taking into the future. I’ve written before about how effort is key to being successful. Without maximum effort, you’ll sit there and spin your wheels.
If you want all of those grand things that come with being a freelancer, blogger, or self-published author, you need to make them happen. Lucrative contracts, book deals, and visitor traffic aren’t going to land on your doorstep.
All of the steps above collectively fuel maximum effort while helping you get the most out of your week. As I said earlier, though, it’s not going to work for everyone. We all have varying elements in life that make any one of these steps more difficult to manage.
The trick is to find what works best for you. That’s where some self-reflection and looking at your life objectively come into play. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but it’s well worth the time to discover things that drive you to succeed.
As long as you’re putting in maximum effort, the endeavor is already a success. It’s a different way to say that you did your best. Just make sure you’re putting your best out there. Don’t just say you did your best, but only put in half of the effort.
It Starts with Mental Health
Your mental health plays a crucial role in just about every aspect of your life. It manages everything from motivation to learning and retaining information to help you succeed. The healthier your mind, the better off you are.
Notice that I said “mind” and not “brain.” Arent’ they the same thing? Yes, and no.
When referring to your mind, most are talking about how you process information, moods, and other elements of thinking. The brain is the structure in which the mind resides.
Mental health can benefit from things like therapy, medication, and methods of boosting one’s self-confidence and esteem. The healthier your thought process, the easier it is to succeed at anything in life.
Yes, the foods you eat contribute to brain health, which then may affect how your mind works. So, a healthy diet is incredibly beneficial. But you also need to address the critical parts of how you think and why you do so.
Depression, trauma, stress, and more can ultimately sidetrack even the best laid plans for creating valid writing routines. That means it’s always in your best interest to address those elements and improve your capacity for rational and logical thought.
Don’t be afraid to confront your demons. We all have them, and taking them out one by one can be life-changing.
The Best Writing Routines Are Subjective
The most important thing to keep in mind is that writing goals, routines, challenges, and experiences are all subjective. While there are some universal truths that can help you get further in your writing, they mostly depend on personal experience and needs.
No one can guarantee any one tip or trick will be successful in every instance. Anyone who says otherwise is simply trying to sell you a product or service. That’s because everyone’s experiences are going to be unique.
All I can do is share what has worked the best for me. Now, we might share a few of the same issues or lifestyle choices. However, your experience is still going to differ from my own in profound ways.
What all of this means is that you can try some of the tips, steps, and tricks others use. Just don’t get frustrated if they don’t work for you as well as they did for someone else.
There are simply too many variables in life to guarantee anything.
What truly matters is that you’re putting in the effort to change your life for the better. You’re only in competition with yourself, and any step to improve on your past experiences is worth taking.
With that being said, let me know if any of the above steps helped you in your journey. Perhaps there are some things you do that I didn’t list to help develop routines for writing.
I’m always interested to hear from my readers.
Make the Most of Your Writing Routines
Developing a routine for your writing will help you progress to where you want to go. While some can experience success by cramming in writing whenever they have a moment, some of us need more structure. And that’s OK.
As long as you’re getting what you want out of your writing, who’s to say you’re doing it wrong? These are simply the steps I took to start hitting some goals while shattering personal records. Find what works best for you and run with it.
There are people out there waiting to read your work. Give them a chance to do so by being more motivated to succeed.
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