I’ve been working on setting up some realistic goals for 2026, and time management is at the forefront. This means a lot of other things should also click into place by utilizing my time better. So, I’ve decided to see if I can break my writing record by hitting 3100 words per day in December.
Part of what prompted this particular challenge is something I saw on Threads. Apparently, there are some people out there who think that if you publish more than one book per year, you “must be using AI.”
Do these people not know who Stephen King, Nora Roberts, or Danielle Steel are?
Anyway, it got me thinking about whether I can truly write more than a million words in a single year. Back in my prime of writing for various content mills, I was easily hitting two million, but that was a decade ago. And a lot of things in my life have changed greatly since then.
Why Challenge Myself to Write 3100 Words Per Day?
For the most part, I want to see if I can still crank out the content as I had in the past. This particular record of 95,393 words was set back in December of 2022, and I think I can break it.
The challenging part is being able to balance life, school, work, and hobbies while writing. It hasn’t always worked out well recently, but I am relatively confident I can make it happen this time.
If I can manage to maintain a good flow for writing, this would also demonstrate that I can hit one million words throughout 2026. Think of it as a trial run. To write one million words, that’s only 2,740 words per day. That’s a lot of writing, but it’s not outside of my wheelhouse.
How I Plan to Write 96,100 Words in December
OK, saying that I want to hit more than 96,000 words means nothing without a clear action plan. While you can still achieve goals by making it up as you go, it’s always best to have an idea of how each day will unfold.
Then, you need to find ways to keep yourself motivated, especially on the days when you get the I-don’t-wannas.
Step 1: Emphasis On Weekly Time Goals
I’m trying to get into the habit of viewing my time as a weekly element instead of doing so daily. That’s because there are a lot of things that can sidetrack me on certain days, which made me feel like I was “burning time” in the past.
Well, this is a problematic way to approach each day for me. For one thing, it’s affecting those around me to the point where people are afraid to ask me for help throughout the day.
Instead, I am focusing on a certain percentage of my time spent “working” throughout the entire week. That way, if I need to drive someone to a doctor’s appointment or if someone needs my help hanging something on the wall, I can make up that time at any point within the seven-day window.
Step 2: Scheduling At Least Two Writing Projects Per Day
On average, I write at a rate of 2,200 words per 2-hour block of time I schedule. If I can schedule at least two writing projects per day, I should be able to hit 3,100 words quite easily.
So, what am I going to focus on for the month of December?
Blog Posts a-Plenty
I have several blogs that could use some new, fresh content. That’s including some of the updates I’d like to publish on WriterSanctuary. Needless to say, there is always something to write, whether it’s self-publishing content, health and fitness information, gaming-related, or information regarding YouTube.
Besides, if I can get some decent blog posts up on the websites, I could make a few extra dollars per month next year.
Violently knocking on wood…
Working On My Next Two Books
Now that Shadows of Atlantic City is published, I can start working on wrapping up VII and Fury. Both are close to being done anyway, so a few weeks of solid writing time should be all that I need.
Considering that college classes end on December 13th, I get back two weeks of solid time I can spend working on those books. And the sooner these are done, the sooner I can start working on some of my new writing projects in 2026.
College Essays and Final Projects
I’m counting the essays and the work I’m doing on my final projects toward my word count goal. Not only are they added to my “portfolio” at the University of Colorado, but they are also projects that center around improving my ability to write.
For this challenge, I only have the two finals that are due. So, college work won’t play a major role in hitting my word count goals. But they will contribute a couple of thousand by the end.
Client Projects
Now, let’s not forget that I still have paying clients. They are the ones who let me pay my mortgage and credit card bills. This month, I am working on a couple of new projects that should contribute greatly to the word count.
At least, that’s the goal. We still have to see if these new projects are going to pan out as we hope.
YouTube Video Scripts
One of my goals is to get the YouTube channel back on track with regular content. And although I plan on using the blog for a lot of video content soon, there will be some unique videos coming up. That means I need to write out a few things I’d like to discuss.
Yes, this means the videos might take a bit longer to produce. However, they might be of better quality. Perhaps I’ll track the video content to see if it’s worth writing out the scripts or not in terms of views and retention rates.
Step 3: Working On Shattering Bad Habits
Over the years, I’ve developed a few bad habits that have become time sinks. For example, I addressed spending less time doomscrolling once I saw that I wasted eight hours throughout the week. The result was having one of my better weeks for productivity this year.
That’s one of the benefits of using a spreadsheet to keep track of time throughout the day. I can see when I get sidetracked and see just how much time I am wasting on things that don’t really matter.
I also have a bad habit of working for about 20 minutes or so and then taking a 20 to 30-minute break. Part of that was from doomscrolling on social media, but I don’t need to take five breaks before lunch.
Back in the day, I wouldn’t take a break until I was done with a writing task or at the 90-minute mark, whichever came first. That was back when I was averaging more than 6,000 words per day working with content mills.
The bottom line is that we all can accumulate some bad habits that exhaust time rather quickly throughout any given day. The trick is to identify them and then take steps to rectify the issue.
In the case of doomscrolling, I found that if I leave my phone on my desk when I go out to walk the dog, my breaks are shorter and I am not nearly as depressed or stressed from world events.
As for taking too many breaks, that is one I am still working on. But I’m trying to get back into the habit of what I used to do a decade ago.
Step 4: Taking Adequate Personal Time
Personal time is important, as long as you don’t want to burn out. As they say, “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” If you’re not taking time to recharge your own batteries, how can you expect to help anyone else?
However, taking time for yourself doesn’t necessarily mean slacking off for the entire day. It’s a balance you’ll need to establish for yourself, but a mental health break shouldn’t give you carte blanche to not work on anything.
In other words, don’t use mental breaks as an excuse to avoid working on tasks or goals.
Nonetheless, taking adequate breaks will help keep you from burning out. You don’t want to grind yourself into a puddle of goo at the end of a challenge. You want to test your limits, not break your brain.
Is This Challenge Practical?
Just because I was able to write more than 3,100 words per day 10 years ago, it doesn’t mean that I’ll be able to do it this December. Remember, a lot of things have changed from the days of belonging to numerous teams on Textbroker.
Nowadays, a lot of what I do for income doesn’t require a lot of writing. But I would love to get back to that point. I am happiest while typing at my keyboard, and I’m starting to think missing that aspect of my life is what’s fueling a lot of my personal issues as of late.
Anyway, depending on how I perform with this challenge, we’ll see if one million words is practical and logical for 2026. I might stumble across a perfect strategy for my weeks and crank out tons of content in short order. Or, I might crash and burn.
But I won’t know what will happen until I put in maximum effort to see it through.
On a side note, 84,932 words in December is what I would need for aiming at one million words in a year. That’s something to think about if I don’t quite succeed in this challenge.
With all of the different projects I have going on at any given time, the only thing holding me back is myself. How I use my time throughout the week will dictate my success.
At the end of the day, the challenge centers around how productive I can be without the use of artificial intelligence. Some of us write for the love of the written word and have grown exceedingly good at it.
No, publishing more than one book per year is not an indicator of an author using AI. It’s called being a prolific writer.
How Do You Challenge Yourself as a Writer?
I challenge myself quite often. Not only do challenges help me realize my potential, but they’re great for getting various projects done, which have the potential to make money down the road.
Besides, you don’t really know what you’re capable of handling until you push yourself to the limits. Just make sure you don’t push yourself too hard. As I said earlier, you don’t want to inadvertently burn yourself out.
I think I’ve established a good plan of action and look forward to breaking a record this year. All that’s left is to follow through and not waste time getting sucked into social media.
Coincidentally, this post is 1,843 words long and took less than 90 minutes to write, edit, and publish.
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