Writing habit

My writing habit is quite intense. I’ve written a blog about Finding the time and mentioned how bad I can be at taking a break. I wasn’t doing well at this for a long time, and I still struggle to find a balanced way to write. But generally, my writing habit is much better now.

Since I have a day job, the weekdays are devoted to that, and my schedule varies depending on whether I have a deadline. If I do, I tend to write quite intently on the weekends and whatever time I have in the morning before I go to work and when I get back home.

If I don’t have a deadline or writing that needs to be done at a specific time, I try to balance my breaks better, making sure I schedule at least one day on the weekend to see my family.

A typical writing weekend with a deadline tends to begin with me setting the alarm quite early, around 6 am. I wake up, make tea, and then sit at my desk. My posture is and has always been lousy since I don’t have a proper office chair to work in, and I often type away with one or both feet pulled up on the chair. I like a view, so I’ve always tried to put my desk up against a window. I also always like to sit outside whenever I can.

Since I work quite intently, I often sit for six to seven hours at a time without getting up, meaning I shift my sitting position a lot, but don’t even bother to stretch. It’s at these times I have to remind myself to eat or get up, or I’ll easily forget the time entirely and not realize the day is over until the sun begins to set.

If I don’t have a deadline, I tend to move the laptop around the apartment with me. Sometimes after work, I put on an episode of Downtown Abbey to then pause it while I spend a few minutes writing. On the weekends, I can write for a few hours and then do other things.

I always work without music, pods, or noise. I can do birdsong and nature noise but have a hard time writing at a café or areas where people are talking. So I like my silence since it helps me focus.

Oh, and I love tea, and always have a cup next to me as I work away. But the most important thing apart from my laptop is my notebook. Each book has its own notebook, and each notebook is next to me while I write in case I need to draw, note, check, or remember a page number. Without my notebook, I don’t feel complete.