Mini-habits.
There’s this thing I do where I set the kitchen timer to run while my tea or coffee brews. By the time the buzzer goes off, I’m usually always doing something else, so I jump up, go into the kitchen, put on my pot holder and open the oven.
Yes, I know. There’s nothing in the oven. But that’s what habits will do to you. I’ve watched myself do this time and again, and yet I still do it without thinking.
That’s why I’m starting to think habits might be the answer to the question of how to get myself writing consistently and regularly long-term.
A few days ago, I started trying to add some habits to my day that will lead to long-term changes. Mini habits. Something I decided to try after reading an article by Stephen Guise at developgoodhabits.com.
Right now, I’m focused on consistency, so I picked a teeny tiny number of words and got started habit building.
My daily goal is to write 50 words (of fiction) before lunch.
I also set a goal to read 2 pages of fiction a day. This fits in with my goal to read more fiction this year. :)
I now have 7 consecutive days of writing behind me. I got my 50 today (133 actually) somewhere between writing the first paragraph of this post and the last. :D
And it feels GOOD. ;)