How to Make Writing A Habit (That Sticks!)

Start Building Toward the Future You Want

You want to write because you know that it's an incredible tool to build exposure and leverage your authority as an expert in your niche.

So you sit down to write, but you find yourself distracted. Or your find yourself putting it off, excusing this writing session for other tasks. Whatever the story is, you're not getting any closer to meeting your writing goal.

This is a similar story for all of those people who wanted to exercise, learn a new language, play the piano, or pick up some other fulfilling task that will either help them meet professional or personal goals.

"Here's what you've got to do," the gurus say. "You've got to make writing a habit. Simply drum up the discipline, write for 21 days straight and voila! You've started a new habit and are well on your way to success."

Sound familiar?

Here's the rub: What happens when you lose steam and stop because that habit didn't stick?

Everyone can recommend a strategy that has worked for them, but the fact of the matter is that there's no "one-size-fits-all" strategy. You need to find a strategy that works for you.

Let's do just that - let's build a habit that sticks.

Why We Do What We Do Despite of Ourselves

Pulitzer prize winning author Charles Duhigg shares how to harness the science behind habits in order to build better businesses, communities, and lives in his book The Power of Habit.*

Duhigg maintains that there are 3 elements that create habits:

• The Cue - what triggers the habit
• The Routine - the action or habit in motion
• The Reward - why we keep coming back

In order to change or create powerful habits, Duhigg recommends 4 steps:

1. Identify the routine.
2. Experiment with a reward system.
3. Isolate the cue.
4. Have a plan.

Whether to stop bad habits or implement good ones, changing your habits is all about experimentation and data collection so you can appropriately adjust your routine in the face of a particular cue and still get the equivalent of the reward you crave.

To illustrate Duhigg's recommended strategy, let's tackle one bad habit many authors are guilty of: procrastination.

Breaking Bad Habits

"We all know how procrastination and dilatory tactics help us to stay away from writing. We are only too happy to cover up our follies and blame 'writer's block,' which is nothing but lack of discipline on our part." - Ritesh Agarwal, Turn Off Your TV and Write Articles! Comments

We've all done it. We've all sacrificed a writing goal by making up some excuse:

• "It'll just take 5 minutes to check my messages - you know: voice mail, text, email, etc."
• "I'll check my Twitter feed so I'm not the last person to know about something happening in the world."
• "I need to check my business' Facebook page to make sure no one's comments are unattended."
• "They just released the next season of [insert show name] and I need to get a running start before the Internet releases spoilers."

No wonder we can't get anything done! Ritesh's outlook on procrastination in the quote above is absolutely right - it's a lack of self-control on our parts and we're quick to make excuses and blame lack of inspiration or writer's block. Simple or elaborate, our procrastination may have been born out of a choice we once made (no matter how valid), but it may have transitioned into an unconscious habit we now make.

Here's how you may break the cycle of procrastination using Duhigg's steps. Let's use checking Facebook, the common procrastination flavor of the decade, as an example:

1. The Routine:

You sit down to write. During your writing session, you tell yourself you'll quickly check your Facebook page. You end up on Facebook for 15-30 minutes (maybe longer), taking out a chunk out of your writing time and interrupting your writing flow state.

Cue (????) - > Routine (Checking Facebook) - > Reward (????)

2. Experiment with the Reward:

Consider a variety of benefits you get out of the routine and then change the routine to see if you get a similar reward.

For example, people use Facebook for any number of reasons:

• Socializing with friends, such as chat, posts, or just checking out what they're up to.
• Keeping up-to-date with pages you follow, such as deals, event announcements, promotions, etc.
• Looking for the latest memes, a quick laugh, or a moment of inspiration.
• Needing to assert your presence, such as uploading a selfie or updating your status indicating where you are.
• Leveraging your insights or opinions on posts, such as hot-button topics like politics.

So the next time you feel the Facebook itch during your writing sessions, try doing the equivalent off Facebook for a set period of time, such as 5-10 minutes (many of these will take a little pre-planning on your part):

• Call a friend or write an email to a friend.
• Subscribe to newsletters from pages you follow and review these emails.
• Bookmark the websites of your favorite meme creators or sources of inspiration and check these.
• Take a selfie and post it to Instagram, post a Tweet, or check into Foursquare.
• Find a different platform - such as a forum or blog of a topic you're interested in - and engage in the discussion.

Note: These aren't solutions to your procrastination problem! We're experimenting to identify why you're craving Facebook.

Once you've performed the new routine when you get the itch to check Facebook, consider how you feel, what you saw, or any other reflections that come off the top of your head. Write these down so you can track it.

Next, once 15 minutes have passed after performing the new routine, consider - are you still craving Facebook? If you are, then try swapping out another routine. If you aren't, you're ready for the next step.

For the sake of illustration, let's say you discovered the reward you felt for checking Facebook was socializing with friends.

Cue (????) - > Routine (Checking Facebook) - > Reward (Catching Up with Friends)

3. Discovering the Cue:

Each time you get the craving to check Facebook in order to socialize with friends, fill in the blanks:

• Where were you?
• What time is it?
• How do you feel?
• Are other people around?
• What were you doing immediately before?

After a while, you'll see a pattern emerge in one of the above criteria, such as:

• You're at your desk, which is cluttered with to-do lists, notes, and other writing ephemera.
• It's between 9:30 am and 10:00 am every day, which occurs right in the middle of your writing time.
• Frustrated.
• There are people distractedly talking around you while you're trying to concentrate.
• You took a phone call.

Let's say the pattern that emerged is that there are people talking around you, such as your kids or coworkers, which triggers you to check Facebook to reap the feel-good reward of catching up with friends.

Cue (People talking) - > Routine (Checking Facebook) - > Reward (Catching Up with Friends)

4. Have a plan.

Get ahead of the habit by implementing a plan.

For example, to circumvent the cue of people talking around you, control what you can hear by wearing headphones and listening to music that will help you focus. Try isolating yourself into a quiet space - some authors have even gone as far as creating a writing space in the toolshed of their backyards!

Also, have a contingency plan! Try using an if/then statement ("If I have this cue, then I will do this"). For example, "if I hear people talking, I will write a note to myself to check Facebook at a feasible and non-disruptive time." Here's another example: "If I feel unmotivated, then I will read an article by an author who inspires me." These statements will create positive cues that will also help your brain prioritize tasks and choose writing over checking Facebook.

I know - these 4 steps seem rather intricate and experimenting can take up to 2 weeks, but understanding the cause of your bad habits that prevent you from reaching your writing goals is well worth it. Next, let's talk about getting your writing habit to stick.

Making Writing a Habit: How to Crave Writing

In order to make writing a long-lasting habit, Dr. BJ Fogg of Stanford University asserts that planning for behavior change (creating good or breaking bad habits) is entirely systematic by creating "tiny habits" using the following three steps:**

1. Get specific with your goals by not targeting the eventual outcome, but by specifying how you will adapt your behavior to achieve that goal.
2. Make it easy by making the goal tiny. Set a routine quota for the minimum amount of work, such as write 100 words/day.
3. Trigger your behavior by creating a prompt or cue to make your behavior become an automatic response, such as after my morning coffee, I will write my quota for the day.

It's important to reiterate that Fogg's "tiny habits" method targets designing behavioral change in small increments rather than focusing on the desired outcome. Over time, your "tiny habits" of this will expand into bigger behavior and larger output.

Finally, make it even easier to write by creating shortcuts. These could include setting out your work the night before, creating a to-do list, drafting a rough outline, or using writing prompts like the article templates. These will help you eliminate the "what should I" or "what was I going to write about" delay in the morning. That way you don't have to hem and haw over the choice and you can just jump right to it.

Let's Wrap These Habits Up

If you're not sure where to start to create long-lasting habits, consider this quote by Stephen King:

"A man who can't bear to share his habits is a man who needs to quit them."

Isn't it time to start building new habits you would love to be proud of and share with the world?

What are you waiting for?! You have the tools! Start systematically approaching your habits - good and bad - to achieve your goals today. And before you go, share what habit you'd like to break, what shortcut you'll create to make writing easier every day, or what's your secret to writing every day. We'd love to hear from you!

15 Ways to Boost Your Confidence in Your Writing: Kill the Doubt

Stop Doubting Your Ability to Write

The first blog post I had ever written for this blog scared me senseless. I knew the material after years assisting Expert Authors and leading an incredible group of editors, but that first post ... I stared a blank screen. I wrote a few lines, deleted them, wrote a few lines, deleted them, and continued repeating the cycle. I checked email and caught up on a few other projects. When Penny hinted at my approaching deadline for it, I finally locked the door to my office and churned out one of the worst drafts I've likely ever written in my life.

But that's okay! It's just the first draft, so who cares?! The first draft is always the toughest, but it didn't defeat me and it certainly doesn't have to defeat you. Through confiding in Penny and getting feedback from other writers, it dawned on me, like many of you may have experienced when you began writing or are experiencing right now:

It's not your skills getting in the way of your first draft. It's your confidence in your writing that's holding you back.

Here are 15 ways you can give your writing confidence a shot in the arm to get through any period of doubt and back into the writing saddle.

15 Ways to Boost Your Confidence in Your Writing

1. Read: Besides the obvious keeping the pulse on the world and expanding your knowledge base, reading is like immersing yourself in the laboratories of other writers. You learn their discoveries, shadow their experiments, and can use that knowledge to experiment in your own writing as well.
   
2. Write Every Day: In a journal, spend at least 10 minutes every day free writing - ignore spelling, grammar, or even staying on topic; write whatever is on your mind for 10 minutes. This will help pave the way to write more throughout your day.
   
3. Write with Abandon: In the film world, the "one take wonder" is an incredibly rare thing. Altering this and that, film crews shoot take after take to get what they need. The same is true for writing. You will not have the perfect draft on the first take. Let your first draft be terrible and improve upon it later.
   
4. Understand the Language: Often the most intimidating part of writing is grammar and style. Treat grammar like skill you would acquire for any trade: understand the technicalities (such as apostrophes and rein in ellipses), develop your style, and find your tone.
   
5. Be Reasonable: Don't write as fast as you can to "get it over with." You'll only stunt your growth. You know the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Take your time with your writing, so you can grow. You'll improve your speed as you improve your skillset.
   
6. Re-Motivate: Feel like you've gone so far off your original path that you lack the motivation to write? Was it to help others? Was it to share your enthusiasm? Go back to the source and find the real reason why you began writing. Alternately, your reasons for writing may have changed over time - whatever it is find out why you want to write and renew your passion for writing.
   
7. Connect With People: Avoid isolating yourself and gain a support network - whether composed of other writers or simply those who support you in your writing endeavors. Use the creative energy that you gain from reaching out to other people and feed it into your writing.
   
8. Be Open to Feedback: Many writers cringe at the idea of submitting their precious work for a critique. Find someone you trust (who will be unbiased and honest) to provide suggestions for improvement as well as what they liked or disliked.
   
9. Talk About It: Tell friends, family, peers, and even your fans about your current writing projects. Get their input and more importantly, share your enthusiasm. This will help you believe in your writing. That said, know when it's time to stop talking and start writing.
   
10. Be Okay With the Flow: Writers often get a bad reputation for being wildly exuberant or compulsively frenetic. Go with your flow. If you go through crazy productive streaks of writing, then ride it. Just remember to get out and connect with others to avoid isolation.
    
11. Think of Editing Positively: Writers will often treat editing like they're sending their article to the dentist to drill and fill dozens of cavities. Treat editing like you're sending the article to the spa: a massage for formatting, a manicure an introduction, a pedicure the conclusion, and more.
    
12. Improve Your Focus: If can't sit down without distractions, it may be possible that you are perpetuating those distractions. Identify those habits that steal your time and then adjust your routine. Accommodate the distraction (such as schedule 10 minutes to check your email before you sit down to write) or eliminate it altogether.
    
13. Believe You Can Write: You can be your worst critic. Stop beating yourself up each time you hit a writing roadblock. Cultivate your skills, find the right tools, and get feedback, but above all: believe in your ability to write. You're not going to succeed in writing unless you believe you can.
    
14. Write What You Love: There's the old adage, "Write what you know," but what if what really makes you want to passionately write for hours on end is based on discovering what you don't know? Toss that old cliché. Write about what motivates you and interests you because that passion will help you build confidence in your writing.
    
15. Overcome the Fear: What are you waiting for? Publish your articles. There's that moment before you hit submit, where risk and reward intermingle. Our IT developers here call it "The Fear." When you've crossed all of your t's and dotted your i's, but you still have that hairy feeling like you missed something. It's better to take the risk and try than to never submit. Once you've developed a process and a rapport with your editors, it gets much easier.

Turn Off Your TV and Write Articles!

You May Be Turning Off Your Screens, But You’ll Be Turning On Your Life!

It’s Screen-Free Week! Also known as Digital-Detox Week and TV-Turnoff Week, this is an annual international event to encourage everyone to turn off their screens and “turn on life.”

Consider how much of your days are sucked up by constantly checking your text messages, voice mail, email, social media notifications, news feeds, so on and so forth – all because you just can’t bear to miss something. Then add that to the amount of time you watch television.

12 Hours (Maybe More) of Media per DAY

Last year, it was reported the time spent per day with major media by adults averaged 12 hours and 5 minutes every day.* Granted, much of that may have been spent connected to devices while at work, but that only accounts for an average of 8.4 hours a day on a typical 5-day workweek. This means we spend the majority of our waking moments plugged in for professional and personal gain.

For all of those non-work related media devices this week: Turn. It. Off.

We promise: it can wait. Look up from your televisions, your smartphones, your tablets, and other devices in order to experience your environment and the relationships around you. Use this information to recharge your writing!

Pick 1, 2, or 3 Distractions and Pledge to Unplug

Again, it’s impossible for those of us whose businesses rely on online communications to completely unplug, but you can experiment by picking a few areas to turn off. For example, if Twitter or Facebook are your time vampires, then stop checking these for one week by not checking on your computers and even consider removing the apps altogether from your devices (you can always download them again once you’ve become more disciplined). Rather than binging for 2 hours on television, hang a note over it to remind yourself, “You should be writing!”

5 Tips to Distraction-Free Writing Sessions

Are your writing sessions plagued by media distractions – either by incoming notifications or the compulsory need to be up-to-date in real time? Here are a few tips to stay strong and get some powerful writing sessions in.

1. Don’t put your phone on your desk. In fact, turn it off and “forget” it in the other room. For tablets you use to write, go into the device’s settings and turn off all notifications.
    
2. Simplify. Is all of that gadgetry necessary? Is it for show? Just because you have the latest tech to write at hip coffee shops does not mean you’re a writer. The proof you’re a writer is the writing. If you can save yourself time by using a gadget, then do so. Otherwise, a pen and paper in an area conducive to writing productivity is your best bet to getting the job done.
    
3. Stick to a writing schedule. Rather than writing whenever you can squeeze in an hour or two during your busy workday, plan ahead. Creating writing appointments with yourself and stick to them.
    
4. Plan ahead. Break your writing session into 6 stages: Brainstorm, outline, write, revise, proofread, and submit your ideas. This will help prevent writer’s block as well as help you structure your writing sessions to write faster and more effectively.
    
5. Don’t cave in. Practice self-discipline. If all of your bills and important information is online, then by all means plan 15 minutes every day to get online. Don’t stray by interrupting your writing session to do it. Stick to your pre-planned schedule and then get in and get out without stopping by and dawdling on a social media site.

Turn it off! You’ll find all of those hours that were drained by television and other media snap back into focus and you’ll make great strides using it to write. Rather than fill those quiet moments with your smartphone, tablet, or televisions, allow your thoughts to carry you away. Use that smartphone, tablet, or carry a small notebook to record ideas, notes, or observations. Your writing goals will thank you with great rewards later!

So how about it? Take the pledge: Share what you’ll be “turning off” to have a more productive and fulfilling writing week. Let us know in the comments section below – we’d love to hear from you!

Want a great way to plan ahead and help stay disciplined on your writing tasks? Channel your thoughts and ideas into an easy-to-write format readers love with over 200 Article Templates in a variety of packages or the original 52 Article Templates available at the EzineArticles Shop! VisitShop.EzineArticles.com to get started today!

Article Writing Tips to Retweet: February 2014

Every month @EzineArticles provides over 100 useful tidbits of information, motivation, and training for over 104,900 followers.

We’ve gathered some of the best ones from February right here. Retweet any of them for motivation or to share with your Twitter followers.

Just CLICK on  to Retweet.

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Motivational Quotes and Writing Advice

• When all else fails, write what your heart tells you. “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” – Mark Twain 
   
• Use what you stand for and what you oppose as a foundation to write great content that resonates with readers and creates a ripple effect. 
   
• Stop procrastinating. Start doing. “Once you stop stalling and start working, it takes a whole lot less time to do things!” – Crystal Paine 
• First drafts don’t have to be perfect. They just have to be written. 
   
• Stay focused on what you want. “The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear.” – Brian Tracy 
   
• Finish this sentence: You know you’re a writer when ______. 
   

EzineArticles Inside Information

• Went a little overboard on that article? Find out how to chop one really long article into two (or more): blog.ezinearticles.com/2014/02/qa-how… 
   
• Want to know the secret to your success as an author? Here are 15 ways to do it:blog.ezinearticles.com/2014/02/15-pow… 
   
• Your titles can be better. Let’s make it so: blog.ezinearticles.com/2014/02/title-… 
   
• Bookmark “The List” of writing ideas: blog.ezinearticles.com/2014/02/30-gre… 
   
• You can love your writing – just don’t LOVE your writing. Happy Valentine’s Day to our passionate Expert Authors! youtu.be/esna3r4MaAo 

10 Things You Need to Give Up Before You Can Succeed as an Expert Author

It’s Time to Let Go

Does it seem like there’s a wall between you and your ability to succeed? Are you sure it’s not you?

When it comes to success, we can be our own worst enemy.

Today, I want you to read this list and truly consider, “am I doing this to myself?”

For each point that you are, I want you to write down the last three words of each point that applies to you:
“Let _____ go.”

Post each phrase in a location where you will (consciously and unconsciously) see it as a daily reminder. Rewrite it every time you start feeling procrastination creep in or those negative thoughts niggle at the back of your brain. Look at your note and say it out loud – use it as a mantra to reframe your thinking and begin working positively on your writing goals.

You can do this. Ready? Of course you are! Let’s begin.

10 Things You Need to Give Up Before You Can Succeed

1. Letting the criticism of others get to you.

“You’re no Shakespeare” or perhaps you’re not the best writer in your niche. So what? You know the progress you’ve made and everything you had to do to get to this point. Those critics don’t. Don’t let the negative opinion of others stop you from doing exactly what’s best for you. Keep on writing! Let criticism go.

2. Thinking failure is a bad thing.

“F” isn’t something we want on our reports and writing portfolios, so I don’t blame you. No one wants to fail, but isn’t failure an indication of having tried? Let go of any shame you perceive in your failures. They do not equal your future. It’s your willingness to try and dare to fail that allows you to achieve success. Let failure go.

3. Vacillating on a decision.

Indecision – in business, relationships, and our writing – can lead to any number of problems (like writer’s block or 0 article views). Know what you want by setting a goal and using it as a compass in making decisions moving forward. Ask yourself, “Does this help or hinder my ability to achieve my goal?” Let indecision go.

4. Putting off things that are important.

Procrastination will get you nowhere. Waiting for “the best time to come around,” like making resolutions on New Year’s Day or waiting for the perfect circumstances (such as a quiet home or office), may never happen. If the best time to begin writing was yesterday, then the second best time is now. Let procrastination go.

5. Giving up on things you can actually control.

Take personal accountability and don’t give up because everything isn’t under your command. Sure, you can’t control everything in your personal and professional life, but you can choose to do something proactively about it that will influence positive change. For example: You may not be able to control incoming calls while you’re trying to write, but you can choose whether to answer that call. Every day presents a new opportunity to make an entirely different set of positive choices. Let unaccountability go.

6. Needing to be right all of the time.

No one is perfect. It’s okay to admit that you’re wrong. It humanizes you. If you’ve changed your stance on a particular issue you’ve already written about, it’s okay to publish a new article on your new stance and explain why. It will help you and your readers grow. Let perfection go.

7. Hiding from problems.

Have a strong flight reflex? No one gets poor marks for actively seeking solutions to a problem, so stop running from your personal and professional problems. Fight. Chances are that your readers are facing the same problems. Why not seek out solutions, test them, and share the results (good or bad) with your readers? Let hiding go.

8. Making excuses.

“I couldn’t” write that article because … “I have kids,” “I was so tired,” “I had a meeting,” etc. We hear a lot of excuses and some of them are valid! But here’s the crux: How often are you going to excuse yourself from making progress toward achieving your goals? Little by little (7 minutes here, 2 hours there), you can start taking steps toward achieving your goals today. Let excuses go.

9. Overlooking positive points.

“I only got 100 views. This is taking too long; I’ll never succeed.” Building exposure takes time. Remember that even the smallest wins are still wins. Lose this fantasy that you will be an overnight success – that’s left to the likes of Grumpy Cat – and begin building toward long-term success. Let negativity go.

10. Forgetting about your current audience.

Looking too long into that crystal ball of the future, you might envision new audiences, completely different forms of content, and much more. In your haste to attain that future, you may forget about your current audience. Marginalizing those who helped you get to where you are today will not help you succeed. Never forget to appreciate your present audience and continue to meet their needs while you expand to other areas. Let exclusion go.

What do you think should be added to this list? What else should you let go to be successful in your efforts?

10-Step Spring Cleaning Checklist for Expert Authors

Spring Is in the Air!

Ready to bust out your mop bucket, brandish your feather duster, and rotate your wardrobe from winter to summer?

Hold on! We’ve got something so much better:

It’s time to spring clean your writing routine!

Use this checklist to give yourself relief from clutter and overwhelming disorganization. It’ll help you be more productive in your article writing and content marketing efforts!

1. Tackle your workspace, including clutter on your desk and on your computer’s desktop. Keep only what you need at arm’s length and on your desktop. Lose the piles of paper stacked at your elbows and the dozens of folders and icons on your computer. Toss/delete items that no longer hold relevance, create a home for in-progress items that you’ll need immediate access to, and stow away other items that you’ll need for reference in its proper home.
    
2. Create zones in your workspace! No one wants to scramble to pay their bills and search for that last genius idea because it’s lost to the abyss. If you work out of your home office, then have a zone specifically for writing materials to isolate it from your “paying bills” and “storage” zones.
3. Organize your filing! Do you have a system? How do you keep track of in-progress and current files? Archived files, such as bank records, housing information, and personal records shouldn’t be mixing with your content writing efforts. Active files should be sorted by importance and accessibility. Develop a functional system that works for you to keep things manageable and unclutter your workspace. Go paperless where you can and create a paper-flow system for notes, reports, etc. when paperless isn’t an option. Toss (please shred and recycle!) paperwork you no longer need.
    
4. Take inventory of distractions. Track your time for a week to ferret out those time-wasting tasks throughout your day. Track how much time you spend on social media, each time you check your email or text messages, and much more. At the end of the week, find areas you can eliminate by measuring whether they help you achieve your goals. For example: Is achieving level 101 on the latest swap ‘n match game worth all of that time you invested in it over your goals? Delete the game and consider what else you can easily clear away so your priorities come first.
    
5. Back up your computer files. If your computer crashed tomorrow, would all of your files be safe? Ensure these are backed up to the cloud, on an emergency external hard drive, etc. While we safeguard your articles on EzineArticles.com (as long as you save it!), we’ve heard nightmares about hacked blog accounts or entire accounts deleted on host sites. Is all of your published content backed up as well? It’s always better to be safe than sorry!
    
6. Sort through your old drafts. If you didn’t finish writing it and a few weeks have passed by, are you likely to finish it now? Is the topic still relevant? Toss out those old drafts. For those ideas you’re not ready to part with, jot down the core of the idea in your notebook or journal, but rid yourself of the clutter. For drafts worth revisiting, make sure they are up front and center to your upcoming lineup – plan it in your editorial calendar, add it to the to-do list, or whatever system you use to write!
    
7. Revise your plan. Have you revisited your writing plan, editorial calendar, and content marketing strategies since last year? You do have a plan, right? Unless you write for the joys of writing (which we welcome wholeheartedly!), it’s important to track your articles, measure their successes and failures, and then adjust your plan accordingly to evolve with trends and your audience.
    
8. Whip your reading materials into shape. If you’re like most authors, you’re also a prolific reader. Have your bookshelves reached (or gone over) capacity? Is your Internet browser’s toolbar cluttered with bookmarks to more articles, resources, and tools? It’s time to sort through each reading “pile.” Create a short-term storage solution for magazines, etc. and clean this area out routinely. Create a space that you will notice everyday (bookshelf near your workspace or a “READ ME” folder on your toolbar) and then generate a reading to-do list of the books or content you need to read with the action plan to do it! Once read, move it to a more permanent home or discard/donate/delete it if you no longer need it.
    
9. Create a system for ideas storage. Ensure you have a streamlined system to house your ideas. This will help you avoid that unwieldy mess of paper slips, disjointed voice memos, etc. Although there’s a variety of apps (like Bamboo, Penultimate, and Evernote) and other forms of software and technology that can help you achieve this, there’s nothing as simple, accessible, and ever-reliable as the notebook. We’ve illustrated the two column system below that has worked well for many professionals because of its simplicity:
   
   
    
10. Continue to use your system. Once a week, do a “maintenance” routine by repeating the above steps over again (put things away, toss unneeded documents, clean up your Internet browser, and keep desktop shortcuts under control).

Tip on throwing out items: If you don’t have a good reason beyond “I might need this someday,” then it’s probably not important. Put it in “the round file” (i.e., your trash bin).

What’s your favorite spring cleaning tactic to freshen up your writing space and routine? We’d love to hear from you – please share your comments, questions, and suggestions!

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