5. Keep A Simple Writing Log
Becoming a writer takes practice. The fundamental practice of writing is sitting down and writing words. The more you do it, get feedback, and then do it again, the more that you will grow as a writer. Here are a few suggestions for developing good habits as a doctoral student.
Step 1: Establish a Baseline
A first step is to get a baseline by keeping a simple writing log. We know from research on writing that prolific writers often write 1 to 3 hours a day. Take a month and see what your current habits are, without any additional attention or effort.
Step 2: Try a Routine
A second step is to develop your own routine that makes it easier to get started. Writing is like exercising. The hardest part is getting started, but once you take the first few steps, the deed is largely done. Work happens. Similarly, great writers have gotten in the habit of practicing day-in-and-day-out. It may even help to have a routine that you enjoy.
For example, Neil Gaiman likes to write with a fountain pen. He has only one rule: “You can do nothing for as long as you want, but during this time, the only thing you can do is write.” He may sit for a while and get bored, but eventually motivation builds, and he writes words. This is the fundamental behavior of all writers. The courage to sit in front of the blank page and write words. Once bad drafts are being generated, progress is bound to happen.
To get started, here is one that is as good as any. Nathan DeWall is a prolific author and here is what he taught us:
Start-up: write anything that comes to mind for three minutes.
Make a list of six tasks that each take about 15 minutes.
Complete the list.
Complete a cool down task that involves summarizing progress for the day and making a list of the next six tasks to be completed in the next writing session.
Simple enough. You can’t write a hundred articles today, but you can do six tasks. Let the “law of the pile” work in your favor. After 352 days, you will have done 2112 things.
Step 3: Form a Writing Habit
Once you find a routine you like, aim for about 20 hours of writing per week (2 x 5 days per week). Try doing this for one month.
Some students balk at the idea of increasing discipline. We also admit that we have seen people write a dissertation using other strategies, but it always looks hard. When it comes to dissertations, the tortoise always wins. The tortoise writes every day, and if she feels like it, will sprint ahead and binge from time to time when she gets into the flow. The hare sprints when he feels like it, and as inconsistencies pile up, so does stress, which causes a terrible doom spiral. As they say in the military, “slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”
I wonder if we all balk a bit at the idea that writing requires discipline. It sure seems like something as creative as writing ought to feel easy. We want to feel inspired. Honestly, I like this idea too, and wish it worked that way. The experts spoil all the fun. They all say the same thing. If writing ever feels easier, it happens because of discipline—not in spite of it.
For this reason, I like training athletes or musicians to write, because I know that I can appeal to their prior training experiences. They already know what it feels like. At first, the drills are awkward, and every movement requires full attention. After a few weeks, effortful shifts to effortless.
Writing everyday increases momentum. All the little tasks get easier and easier when repeated. We get into a flow state. As the mundane tasks require less effort, we start to enjoy the process more and more. We experience “flow,” a sense of timelessness and intense focus. Logging two hours of flow day after day will result in massive learning and progress.
Step 4: Track the Behavior
The next step is to track your behavior over a year. Instead of focusing on work per day or even week, Jim Collins focuses on what he calls a 20-mile march. Writing requires consistent energy. His goal is to make sure that his last 352 days involved at least 1000 hours of productive work. Jim also rates the work each day on a scale of -2 (not very meaningful) to +2 (meaningful day) and writes a few words about his day, which helps him look for patterns.
Establishing this habit is easy. Any excel sheet will do. I use a google form. Some people track words per day. I like to track hours. I wrote down what I worked on, and also rate my sense of purpose and vitality, similar to Jim Collins.
What I like about Jim’s 20-mile march idea is that it takes the long view. I don’t need to feel guilty for taking a week or two off, as long as my last year adds up to at least 1000 creative hours.
Experts on execution focus on clarifying both lead and lag measures. I like logging my time as a lead measure that guarantees some degree of productivity. It gives me a good read on whether my writing is getting the priority it deserves.
Question for Discussion with Mentor
Do you brush your teeth? (Apparently, this is a similar indicator of health).
These four steps might not work for everyone. What do you want to try this year?