Biting the Bullet — Tracking my Writing Habit
By Liz Michalski | March 26, 2019 |
Image by Natascha Kranenburg
I’m a writer. I’ve been a writer since I first held a pencil and figured out how to spell, both somewhere around the first grade. (I was a late bloomer.) Writing is as integral to my identity as my name or my face.
Yet somehow this past year, I found myself not writing.
Sure, I was talking about writing. I was reading about the craft of writing. I was thinking about writing all the time. But the words were not making it to the paper.
To be fair, other important activities were being neglected as well. Things like exercise, time in nature, walking the dog (unforgivable, I know!). Things like fun. But who has time for fun these days? Between parenting teenagers, eking out a career as a freelancer, running a household, carpooling, and engaging with my spouse, my days — like everyone else’s — are full. Add in the distraction of social media and time slips away faster than the bubbles in the bath I keep neglecting to take.
So this January, I decided to be more mindful of how I wanted to spend my time. I’d been reading about bullet journals (there’s a great — if slightly salty — explanation of what they are here, and our own Barbara O’Neal talks about her take on them here.) In short, bullet journals are a combination daily planner, journal, to-do list, and goal-setting guide, personalized for your individual situation.
I’m not artistic, so I kept mine simple. No beautiful pencil sketches or intricately decorated text, just a yearly calendar where I list big-ticket items that are happening, a monthly calendar so I can see the overall picture for that month, and a daily calendar that lets me list to-dos. (Although I’ll admit, now that I’m three months in, I’ve started jazzing up the pages with cutouts from magazines and inspirational sayings that catch my fancy. It’s a slippery slope.)
These pages serve as a kind of “brain dump” for me, so I can put down some of the tasks that are floating around in my head taking up valuable space. I’ve found that even though I have duplicate lists/calendars on my phone and computer, there’s something soothing about seeing everything written out in black and white.
I also created a habit-tracker — a simple monthly grid that lists the habits I want to create. Each day that I perform one of those habits, I simply fill in a colored bubble for that date. By the end of the month, I can tell at a glance that I’ve walked the dog 10 times, exercised 11, and meditated not at all. (Life — it’s a work in progress.)
Interestingly enough, it took me three weeks to realize what was missing from the habit-tracker: writing. It’s one of the most important habits of my life, and yet for some reason, it didn’t rate a mention on the “activities that are important for my mental health” section of the journal.
Why? I have a few theories. One is that, because I spend so much time thinking about writing, reading about writing, and talking about writing, it felt like I was already writing. It’s like breathing — I do that every day, too, yet didn’t feel the need to track it.
The second theory is the exact opposite — I wasn’t tracking it because, on some level, I didn’t want to know. It’s been a discouraging year, writing-wise. I’ve struggled to find a home for a book I love, and I’ve found revising frustrating. Maybe thinking I was writing, but actually not, was a mechanism for staying sane.
No matter the reason, I promptly added an accountability line for writing in the journal. And then I filled in a little bubble every time I wrote or revised. At the end of the month, I sat down to take stock.
And was promptly horrified.
The time my butt was actually in a seat writing was staggeringly low. So low I’m embarrassed to admit it here. At first, I was convinced I must have made a mistake — accidentally filled in the bubble for working out, for example, instead of writing. But since I use a different color for each activity, I had to face facts — I had been giving my writing short shrift.
So I set out to make a change. Now, when I fill out my bullet journal I:
Set an intention for my writing at the top of each monthly calendar, so I see it each time I flip to that page.
Decide on monthly and weekly writing goals and write them down.
Examine what my schedule is at the start of each week, then identify blocks of time for each day that I can carve out for writing.
Continue to track each day’s accomplishment in the habit tracker.
Is it a perfect system? No. My schedule is still frequently derailed by school vacations, sick kids, last-minute work assignments, and the other unpredictable factors of a full life. But by planning my writing in a mindful way, I’ve increased the amount of time I’ve been able to devote to it, and made myself more honest and accountable.
Now it’s your turn. Are you a fan of bullet journals? (If you are the artistic type, please share your images with me on social media. I will not, however, be sharing my sad cutouts with you.) If not, what system do you use to track your writing practice?
Liz Michalski’s (she/her) second novel, Darling Girl, was published in 2022 by Dutton. Her first novel, Evenfall, was published by Berkley Books (Penguin). Liz has been a reporter, an editor, and a freelance writer. In her previous life, she wrangled with ill-tempered horses and oversized show dogs. These days she’s downsized to one husband, two children and a medium-sized mutt.
I’ve not done a bullet journal, ever, but since January I’ve used another Mindfulness technique to regain my writing mojo. I basically do small things faithfully, meaning I committed myself to writing 15 minutes a day. That’s all, and I have total permission to stop after 15 minutes, even if I’ve only written two sentences or only edited a paragraph. It was going really well, and then for a couple of weeks in February I started letting myself off the hook. That’s when I found my accountability buddy, and we just tweet each other every day when we’ve done our 15 minutes. It’s not foolproof, there are times where I miss a day, but I’ve had more days of writing/editing for longer than 15 minutes to make up for the times I’ve missed.
The benefits have been awesome. I’ve gotten a lot of chapters edited and started putting the book on Wattpad. The fact that I have people over there reading the story I’m editing reinforces spending the time to get the next chapters up. I have found my creativity well filling up. This last week I wrote a new story (flash fiction). It’s the first time I’ve written and actually COMPLETED a story in a long time. It’s like meeting my goals of 15 minutes a day has encouraged me to meet other goals, too. It was so much fun to have something that reinforces that I am a writer, and even more so, I was enjoying writing and creating. To be honest, it’s been a while that I actually have looked forward to writing.
So, yeah, I total agree with you! Having those goals and being mindful about how we’re achieving (or not!) those goals seems to be key for me. Maybe I’ll have to try a bubble journal, next!
Lara, I’m so glad you’ve found a process that works for you! And how cool is it that you are getting feedback on your work! I’ve done something similar in the past when I’ve been blocked, and it has been a great way to trick myself back to writing. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Small things faithfully… I’ll have to try that.
Hey Liz – Great seeing you, and reading you. Not-so-great hearing that you’re struggling with your writing. Would it help knowing that you have fans who can’t wait for more of your gorgeous fiction? I’m quite sure there are many of us, but I’m absolutely positive about the one typing this comment. Please make us a bullet point in your journal, thanks.
I guess I don’t have much trouble working writing in to my days. But then, no teens here. No freelance gigs (my only other routine writing obligation is WU). Plus, a dog that. Will. Not. tolerate a missed walk (twice a day… or else!). So I’m not exactly an ideal candidate to comment here. Regardless, I will. ;)
I used to have trouble tracking and qualifying my progress. When I started I used word counts (or page counts for revision/editing), but over the years I found that to be a lousy tracking measure. Some days the words just aren’t going to flow. It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m not being productive. Several years ago, my friend and mentor Cathy Yardley and I became accountability partners. We each had a project, and checked in weekly via email. She sensed I was struggling (and giving myself a hard time), and made a suggestion that I’ve used since: to view the process in terms of scenes.
Sounds simple enough. But I can spend a day: developing a scene, writing a scene, revising a scene, outlining an upcoming scene, experimenting with POV for a scene, etcetera. Even though there are a certain number of scenes in the whole (obviously), I don’t know that number, nor do I keep track of it. It’s more about mindset than a quantity thing.
For some reason, even if I’ve only made progress on a scene, but know I’ll likely finish it the next day, I gain a feeling of accomplishment. Perceiving the project through the spectrum of this simple building block has changed everything for me. Hope it’s helpful to you or someone else reading today.
Wishing you the best!
Signed,
One of your many fans.
Vaughn, you are way too kind. Thanks for your uplifting words. (And yes, in case you are wondering, I managed to walk the beast today.)
I’ll keep in mind that tip about scenes, too. I’m in the revising stage right now, and it is torture, so maybe breaking it down will help. (And I’ve added a gratitude page to my bullet journal, and your friendship and the WU community will be listed
there stat!)
Liz, I hope you’ll end up writing more and more as the months go by. I have teenagers too, and their years in high-school are busy, but less so than in middle school. Alas, the fact they drive themselves everywhere is also a source of worry…I cannot sleep until I hear the garage door open! We have one who has flown the nest but comes home periodically with carloads of friends and another who can’t wait to be on her own. My husband and I are looking forward to this quieter phase in our lives.
I use a catch-all spiral notebook for both the mundane and creative. But to stay organized I have a weekly planner–it’s very helpful for me to see both on a monthly and weekly basis, what I HAVE to do and what I want to do. Give it a look-see on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/2019-Planner-Weekly-Monthly-Inspirational/dp/1948209365/ref=sr_1_17?crid=2VBAYL7IU9IEO&keywords=weekly+planner+2019&qid=1553609776&s=gateway&sprefix=weekly+plan%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-17
I have 3 non-negotiables in the morning–writing, rosary-walk with dog, daily Mass. If I miss, due to appts. or illness, I feel out of sorts and never quite myself. It’s a good thing we have afternoons too. I probably do my best writing then. I’m definitely a creature of habit and routine.
Vijaya, for some reason I feel as if I have less time than I did when my kids were in elementary and middle school — I think it is just that they take so much more mental work. (And yes, I hear you on the driving. It is terrifying.) I’m glad you are enjoying a slightly quieter time of life.
I love your notebook, especially the cover! And I agree on the importance of routine. I’m trying to make working out, writing, and walking the dog (which combines exercise and outdoor time) the cornerstone of my mornings.
I wish I had something to add, Liz, but I’m afraid I need to try your bullet point system. My days are spent editing other people’s manuscripts. When evening comes, I’m slightly burned out (ok, lazy). I find myself watching tv with the kids versus writing for myself.
I think it’s time for a bullet journal. LOL. Thanks for the great post!
Dee
Award-winning author of A Keeper’s Truth
Nights are definitely so much harder for writing, Denise! What I’m realizing is that if I don’t get it done before noon, it doesn’t happen. And I feel you on the editing gigs — some times when I’m working on an assignment, even when it is one I’m really fascinated by, I feel like I use up all my best words for that day. Good luck finding the time to write!
Liz, I’m so thrilled to know the bullet journal method is helping you see what you need to see. It’s been a godsend for a scattered mind like mine.
And I’ll echo everyone else who says this means more books for us! Yay!
Hi Barbara! Thanks for your kind words. One of my goals this year is to learn to sketch (I have absolutely NO artistic talent) so that my journals can even remotely resemble your gorgeous ones!
I’m looking at 5 partially filled planners and came to the realization that my brain isn’t wired to work in that manner. I know what I need to do and topping that list is to keep away from social media and not be glued to email.
Yesterday, I kept to that plan. Lo and behold, I was actually productive. I worked from 9:30 until 4 pm with a small lunch interruption and got everything done. Today, I’m not doing as well (I had to block FB) and I’m waiting for an email so I have to check it occasionally, but I managed to get two projects out of the way. So we’ll see how the rest of the day pans out.
It’s always good to know what works best for you, Rebeca. It took me a while to figure out that I need the structure of a plan, which is surprising bc back in the day, I used to love my journals and desk calendars. Wishing you a productive day!
I’m retired, so should have all the time in the world to write but there just don’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done. I did finally finish a first draft of a novel and immediately felt overwhelmed by the rewrite. But I created a schedule giving me a week per chapter. First chapter will need more work, but the second went fast and I’ll need those saved days for the third. So far, this method is helping me focus on the bites I can chew without choking.