Daily Writing Habit Key #1: Creating (Not "Finding") Your Sacred Hours

"I just can't find the time to write."

The truth is, people don't "find" the time to write. Just like you don't try to "find time" to see your significant other, and you don't try to "find time" to go to the gym, or see your old friend from college with they are in town, or see your parents on Christmas. When something matters to you, you MAKE the time. And then you organize the rest of your day around the thing you decided to make the time to do.

So, that's what you need to do, first and foremost, to build a sustainable daily writing habit.

To write every day for 30 days, you need to carve out time in advance.

We call these your "Sacred Hours": the time of day that is set aside to write.

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Sacred hours are blocked off chunks of time that are, you guessed it, sacred.

  • Unreachable.
  • No distractions.
  • Fully off the grid.
  • Defended ruthlessly.

Just you and your work for at least an hour.

To find your sacred hours, there are two questions to answer:

  • What time of day am I most productive?
  • What time of day can I be least responsive?

This will be different for everyone in every circumstance.

If you are a college student, your sacred hours are going to be different than someone who works full time, versus someone juggling work and kids, versus someone who is retired. What matters is that you find the time of day that works best for you.

Then, once your sacred hours are chosen, send yourself a calendar invite.

Treat this hour as a meeting with yourself (that you can't cancel!). Defend this hour ruthlessly. Let no one intrude on your sacred hours.

Do this, and you will not only succeed in the Ship 30 for 30 writing program, but you will create the foundation for a life-changing habit.