The Power of Consistency: Why You Don’t Need to Write Every Day to Be a Great Writer

Stephen King, in his writing memoir “On Writing,” writes 2,000 words every day. And it’s very easy to read that and immediately feel imposter syndrome. But I am here to tell you that you don’t have to write every day to be an author. All it takes for you to write consistently!

And consistency, much like writing, is subjective. You can write every day, 3 times a week, or only on the weekend. But it only matters if you are writing on a regular schedule. This is what I mean when I say you have to be consistent when it comes to your writing.

Now you are probably wondering how you can write more consistently, and lucky for you, I’m going to give you some tips that have helped me as a neurodivergent author (I have AuADHD) to build a better writing routine.

1) Examine Your Current Schedule

To know when you can squeeze in some writing. You must first know what your daily and weekly schedule looks like. A good way to do this is simply to take notes on your phone as you go about your day. Now, I know for my fellow ADHD folks that is harder said than done!

Another tip to achieve this is to open up your phone’s screen time and see what times you are spending on your phone. And where you can cut in. Also, what are you doing on your weekends? Can you get up a little early? Think really hard about your life and find the right time for you.

2) Time Blocking FTW

I swear by time blocking! I block off a certain time in my day that is only for writing. Everyone in my house when I close my partition, which blocks off my office from the rest of the house, that is my work time. I even have a sign that I made just for that. Now, if you have kids (especially young kids) and pets, that can be hard to do. My kids are all tweens and teenagers, so they get why this time is necessary. I would suggest looking if someone can watch the kids or your furbabies for half an hour or an hour.

3) Embrace The Timers

I have ADHD, and I swear by timers. I use the focus timer that comes with Windows 11, but there are plenty of Pomodoro apps for both Android and IOS. I tend to write using writing sprints, and when I turn on that timer, my brain knows that it’s time to write. A writing sprint doesn’t have to be special. It can be simply using the timer on your phone.

Another helpful tool is writing sprint channels which are often a feature on writing Discord servers or writing YouTube videos in which people do group writing sprints. That is a great motivator, and anything that motivates you to write is a good thing.

4) Block It!

I have ADHD, and I have always been easily distracted. I have found investing in blocking apps such as Freedom App, Cold Turkey, or Stay Focused is a godsend not only for my work but for my mental health. I also use the BlockApp that I can download and use for free on Google Play.

I use blocking apps every day to cut down on my social media time, but I also use them to write. The Freedom app will block all of the social media apps on all of your devices, and it forces you to concentrate on your work. Using a timer plus a blocker is a fantastic combination to keep you on task.

5) Give Yourself Some Grace

If you are a fellow neurospicy author, you know that you can only keep routines for so long before you break them. And it’s easy for you to feel down on yourself for breaking your routine. You are human, and it’s natural for you to mess up. Cut yourself some slack, take a deep breath, and then get back to writing. You got this!

And those are my tips on how to stay consistent. Do you have any tips that have worked for you? Let me know down in the comments.

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