In addition to setting goals for the year, I’m also examining habits that help or hinder the quality and quantity of my writing. I’m focused on writing, but I think you could substitute the word for whatever you’re passionate about, and it will hold true. I’ll start with the good ones.

1.    Morning routine. Without a doubt, this is the most important thing I do every day. I get up 75 minutes before my kids, and I’m never grouchy about it. I don’t hit the snooze button. Ever. I’m not crazy, I just don’t want my first waking moment to be someone demanding something from me. To clarify, my children are not monsters; I have a three-year old. When she wakes up, she wants milk, Cheerios and a snuggle. I LOVE this part of the day. But before that, I need time to get my head set. I read from the lectionary, write out the things I’m grateful for, and look at the plans for the day. Then it’s time for coffee and writing until I hear the sweetest voice in the world calling out, “Is the sun is shining?”

2.    Early bedtime. I can’t be ready for 5am if I’m still up at 10pm. I’ve never enjoyed staying up late but getting to bed early takes effort. Our evening routine is fairly consistent, so our kids know when it’s time to settle in. TV is for the weekends, and I don’t have caffeine after 3. I try to have all of my household work for the day finished by the time we start bath time so that when the kids go to bed, I have plenty of time to wind down.

3.    Writing time is for writing. Part of being a writer is reading, researching, Internetting, thinking, journaling, going for walks, and hanging out at coffee shops. But I qualify writing as drafting, revising, and editing. During the blocks that I’ve set aside for writing, I only allow myself to work on those tasks. It means scheduling times for the other things too, but when I’m most fresh or have the largest block of uninterrupted time, I need to attend to the hard work of writing.