Habit One: Go into the territory every day

It’s January 2022. Some are on holiday and some are not.

And some of us take a ‘busman’s holiday’.

We think about and even do writing when we are on a break.

(In 1800’s England, the poor bus driver had to get back on a bus if he wanted to go away for his holiday. Hence, busman’s holiday). 

I’m on holiday but still on the writing bus.

For the next few weeks, I’ll be steering the bus briefly here with reminders about three habits to make writing easier, better, and more rewarding. 

The first habit may look hard but really, it’s very easy to build into your life.

It’s also the best habit to start with.

Habit One: Go into the territory every day.

Do something connected with your writing every day.

Read. Think. Question.

You’re not aiming to produce anything but allowing yourself to be a writer in your own mind. 

If you do nothing else, you can improve your writing massively just by adopting habit one.

It doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to be for long. I’ve run through headline ideas in the shower and counted it as going into the territory.

It’s worth repeating. 

It doesn’t matter what you do, and it doesn’t matter for how long. 

What counts is keeping your mind open to the ways and means of writing.

Your mind is where you store all experiences with writing, including anything negative. Going into the territory lets you release any bad experiences and enjoy thinking about writing on your own terms.

Five Simple Writing Habits

These writing habits help with focus, overwhelm and distraction. They are the habits I lean on to be better, happier and more confident with my writing. I’ve written about each in a short series of blog posts. 

• Habit One: Go into the territory every day (the habit covered here)
• Habit Two: Bring something back. 
• Habit Three: Write anyway.
• Habit Four: Ask, what’s next?
• Habit Five: Believe.

I’ve also created a free one-page reminder for you to download and print.

Here’s to happier writing and content creation. Your voice matters. 

Could you use help with your writing?

Feel free to get in touch to talk about how I can help you. Email me, sherene@sherenestrahan.com

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