Let Legendary Writers Inspire Your Daily Routine

Daily Rituals: Women at Work reveals the routines of writers, artists, scholars, and more. The sheer variety in the book makes it clear there’s more than one way to be successful. But if you’re like Edith Wharton, who once noted in a letter that “the slightest interruption in the household routine completely derails me,” you may find it helpful to tinker with your daily routine and add some structure. Because whether you’re writing or just looking to lead a more creative life, routine can help you minimize decision fatigue and make room for spontaneous moments and original thoughts. Below are a few ways you might get started.
Experiment with Time Blocking
Doing the same type of tasks each day can help your brain transition into work more easily. Virginia Woolf was both wildly creative and very regimented in her routine. Mornings were for writing. Afternoons were for revising. She had tea, then took time to write in her diary or keep up with correspondence. Evenings were for decidedly non-writing activities. Rinse and repeat.
Read Every Day
Nikki Giovanni’s routine includes puttering around the house until she’s ready to make her way to the computer. She writes only when she’s inspired. But she reads every day, even if it’s just the comics section of the newspaper, saying “I think it’s way more important to read something than it is to write.” We might be biased, but we agree completely.
Enhance Your Experience
Colette first wrote when her husband locked her in a room and demanded she complete a daily quota of pages. If you’re not keen on imprisonment, perhaps take a cue from Colette’s later years, when she wrote blanketed on a divan. There she took a more languid approach to the writing process. Much better, non?
Travel
Zora Neale Hurston wrote Their Eyes Were Watching God while researching voodoo culture on a Guggenheim Fellowship. Experiencing Jamaican and Haitian life helped her understand American’s race, class, and gender issues in deeper ways. But you don’t need an official grant to see the world with fresh eyes. ­­Take a road trip, book a ticket to a foreign country, or just eat lunch at a place you’ve never been to before. Making travel a part of your routine can enhance every part of life—especially mealtimes!
Scribble Hard
If you haven’t found the right daily routine, perhaps it’s time to think on a larger scale. If you find yourself writing like crazy every few weeks, go with it. Louisa May Alcott burned bright and fast when she wrote, skipping meals and neglecting sleep. She also wore a “scribbling suit,” made of a black apron and hat. The look was designed to say “Do not disturb. Very serious writing business is happening here.” It may been a touch overly dramatic, but it did keep family away while she worked.
Block the Internet
Zadie Smith credits much of her success to resisting the modern requirement to own a smart phone, avoiding social media, and turning off the internet with the help of apps. She doesn’t force herself to write, but she doesn’t let herself get distracted either. Speaking of which…isn’t there somewhere else you should be? Maybe your local B&N, perchance?