Why Creatives Need Routine (Yes, Really)

I’ll admit it: when I hear the words “schedule” or “routine”, there’s a part of me (a churlish, petulant part) that immediately recoils, yelling something along the likes of “but I’m a creative and I cannot be imprisoned by timetabling for it shall surely quash my art!” ⁠

In reality, I’ve discovered that however much I might THINK I’m not a routine person, I VERY MUCH am a routine person. The beautiful thing about routines is that they remove the thinking element of tasks: no more endlessly debating whether you should do X, Y or Z. Routines can free up mental space, help us actually get the things done we want to, and help us break down larger goals into smaller, ongoing tasks. If you, like me, tend to squirm away from the thought of routines, timetables or scheduling, I FEEL YOU. But you might find that implementing a routine can be massively helpful in helping you in your creative work, particularly if, like many of the writers I work with, you are juggling many different roles and responsibilities and time is tight.⁠

⁠Try creating a simple writing schedule for yourself. Take some time to do this: have a think about the time you have available over the next week (or month, if you’re feeling ambitious). Next, WRITE IT DOWN. Add your writing schedule to your calendars. Set alerts on your phone. A mistake I often make is thinking about a schedule but not committing it to paper (or digital paper). Remember: writing sessions don’t need to be long, nor do they always need to necessarily consist of writing; as author and editor Aigner Loren Wilson explains, when creating a schedule, it’s important to set aside time not only for putting words on paper but also for “creative play, research, community building, practice, editing, submitting/querying, or learning.”

Once you’ve worked through your schedule for a week or longer, take some time to reflect on how it went. If you missed sessions, resist the urge to give yourself a hard time and instead, as Wilson suggests, examine why you were unable to complete the session. You can then use this reflection to adjust your schedule for the upcoming week accordingly. Remember, the goal, as always, is to find what works FOR YOU and not to berate yourself for falling short of what you think you SHOULD be doing. Reflecting on our schedules just helps us identify which time slots or activities just aren’t going to work for us, and tweak our timetable in response.