Ashley Hanson

A Daily Writing Habit Can Improve Your Life Photo by ​Aaron Burden​ on ​Unsplash One of the most important habits I’ve established in my life is writing every day. It’s brought me great things like self-improvement, fulfillment (most days), and the ability to share my thoughts and/or what I find interesting with you. If you say, “I want to be a writer,” start writing straight away. These five big reasons drive me to write at least one thing a day: 1. Better Decision-Making A lot of the time, we find ourselves doing something without understanding all of the reasons behind it. How many times have you told someone “I don’t know” when they question why you did something? This is a sign of weak thinking. It’s not possible to know everything, but it’s important that you’re aware of that fact. You’ll gain more awareness of the “why” you do things when you start writing your decision-making process out. 2. Better Self-Discipline Living a life of pure pleasure is so simple. It’s easy to “Netflix and chill” all of the time. But, this won’t give you satisfaction forever. Nothing easy every does because you get bored. One of the biggest reasons why we don’t do useful things with our time is a lack of self-discipline. Writing every day helps to strengthen it. You can then apply this self-discipline to other areas of your life. 3. Get To See Compounding’s Power in Action When you dedicate yourself to doing something every single day, you may not notice any difference at the moment. You can find yourself wondering what the benefits are. But, when you do it day after day, positive effects start to compound. You’ll see this as time goes on. 4. Boost Self-Awareness Few things will help you know yourself better than turning your thoughts into words and logical sentences. When you force yourself to sit down and write day in and day out, you’ll start becoming more aware of your thoughts. Self-awareness is a hugely essential skill to help predict your success with your career. 5. Improve Persuasion Skills When you think about it, writing is trying to persuade your readers with your words. You have limited tools, and you’re only allowed to use your words to/ get your point across or tell your story. When you start writing for yourself, you’re working on convincing yourself of your thoughts. The more you write, the more persuasive you get. Writing is also excellent for helping with anxiety. It’s a great way to sit back and reflect and come up with new ideas. You can use writing as a vehicle to achieve your goals and inspire others. How, Exactly, Does One Form a Habit to Write Daily? Photo by ​Tachina Lee​ on ​Unsplash This is the multi-million dollar question, and here are four quick tips that can help. ● Set a Reminder ​— I’ve found that having a routine is essential. First, what time of day is better for you to write? Do you have more time in the morning, afternoon, or evening? If you have kids, before or after they wake up? Pick a time, set a reminder, and make a point to write when that time comes up. ● Study and Read​ — Read other people’s work and look at their writing styles. You may even get ideas for topics to write about. After all, with the billions of written pieces around, inspiration can’t be an excuse. Consider taking workshops or courses, or read to improve your skills. ● Get Rid of Distractions ​— Tell people about your plan to form a daily writing habit. Ask them to leave you alone during your set writing time. This could be 30 minutes, or it could be a few hours. During your writing time, flip your phone to do not disturb mode, don’t answer messages, and don’t take calls. ● Lower Your Expectations ​— Your goal, especially when you first start, is to write a single true sentence. The beauty of this goal is the first sentence that comes to your mind and spills on the paper is always the truest one. Never tell yourself that you suck at writing. Don’t set goals to write x words a day. This puts pressure, and it can block creativity. Instead, lower your expectations to writing a single sentence. Then, write two. Three. Four. Keep going. People like to tell you to “just start!” Starting ​is​ important, so there is truth in this advice. But here’s the truth. Virtually anyone can write or for a single day, or two days, or three days. But, there is a very low number of people who make it a practice to write for years on a consistent basis. You have to write for a longgggg time to see the benefits. So, don’t just start. Keep writing.