How To Motivate Yourself To Write

I was an occupational therapist who specialized in cognitive retraining for ten years, working primarily with people with brain injury, depression, and low motivation. I also have personal experience with low mood and low motivation. I struggled with guilt for many years and still do. With mental training over the years, however, I have become more proficient at crawling out of the quicksand. One of the things that really helped me was finding my passion for writing. It made a world of difference. If you found the joy of writing like I did, congratulations. Before I get into strategies, I would like you to keep two things in mind.

Forgive yourself. I used to feel extremely guilty for not being able to pack lunches for my kids, keeping them at home because I couldn’t get myself out of bed to take them to the bus stop, and reducing my hours at work because I couldn’t handle working every day. Even when I was able to do these things, I felt guilty for just watching Netflix after I got home. I felt guilty for not cooking or not cooking from scratch. All this guilt was weighing me down and made me feel more like a worthless piece of lump.

If you don’t have the motivation to write, don’t be so hard on yourself. My writing journey began with forgiving myself so I could make room to celebrate myself. If you have no lightness in your heart, it’s difficult to write anything that people would want to read. It’s challenging to be engaging and near impossible to be inspiring. So, first step, take a moment to forgive yourself. It’s okay if you don’t want to write today. Try my strategies and see if they work. If they don’t work today, try again tomorrow.

Having said that, if you never want to write and would rather do something else, then re-evaluate where writing falls on your priority list. If you never want to do anything anytime, maybe seek professional help.

Motivation often surfaces after you begin the task. Have you dreaded going to the gym but felt pumped once you got there? You really didn’t feel like reading a book but couldn’t put it down afterward? Often motivation comes after you begin a task. So, don’t wait for the motivation to come to you.

Start with the task you enjoy. You don’t want to sit down and write but like thinking about a new story line? Start with that. Continue with whatever inspires you. You may be drawn to one story because it’s what most inspires you. Sometimes when we are not motivated to write, we need to evaluate if it’s the subject matter that disinterests us. If you don’t have a choice in terms of what story you can work on, the next few suggestions might help.

Divide writing into bite sizes. Set small goals such as writing one paragraph or doing research for your material for ten minutes, or even just sitting down with a pen in your hand or a laptop in front of you. Repeat this everyday so it becomes a habit. Don’t get into the habit of surfing the internet or doodling mindlessly. Keep your activities intentional and purposeful. Keep your goals manageable and realistic. We should associate writing with good sentiment whether it’s feeling fulfilled after writing, loving what we wrote, or loving your idea for a story. Avoid negative association with writing by ending with something positive.

Make writing enjoyable. If you enjoy walking, go for a walk, and dictate your story. If you don’t enjoy editing, have an editing session with friends. Or join a writer’s group that reviews each other’s works.

If you are an introvert and love to be alone, this advice is not for you. If you tend to feel reenergized in the company of others, turn writing into a social endeavour. If it’s too distracting to write with others in person, try writing together online or on the phone.

Getting started can be easier when you do it at the same place, same time. I like to sit at my dining table to look out the window while drinking coffee in the morning. One morning, I happened to have my laptop on the table where I was sitting. Without thinking much about it, I found myself typing away. Choose a place that is accessible. Place your writing materials there. Start at the same time, same day, near your morning ritual. Eliminating the choices your brain needs to make will facilitate getting started.

On the contrary, if you are already writing at the same place, same time, but can’t get started, the opposite could be needed. The mundaneness of writing might be killing your inspiration. You might need to stir things up a bit by changing where you write from and the time of day. Take your laptop to a café or a park bench. Maybe you’ll get inspiration from watching others. Go to your old high school or a place you remember fondly. Stir up some memories and get your brain excited.

Have a chant in your mind. Any saying from a song, poem, story, or interview that is relevant to how you feel that day might be the tiny nudge you need to propel you forward. “Be your original self” was something I heard in an interview, and I repeated it in my mind. I was feeling insecure and the pressure to conform to what was trendy to write, trendy book covers, and trendy marketing. I had to remind myself to forget all that and do what is true and valuable to me. When I felt discouraged, I chanted, “In my darkest hours, I stumbled on a secret power,” modified from a song by Lorde, Writer in the Dark. I find that chanting something of my choice does two things. One, it sends me a message that I need to hear that day whether subconsciously or not. Two, it replaces a lot of the unrelenting negative thoughts in my head.

Exercise. It can give you the energy you might be lacking. It sometimes seems impossible to get off the couch to start exercising or writing. Start by putting your running shoes on and walking around the house. See if you can jog but if not, just walk. Some of the brightest and the most creative people in history got their ideas while walking. Beethoven, Winston Churchill, Hemingway, all walked for new ideas. Try it. The worst that can happen is that you’ll get fitter.

If you’re feeling low, all the above suggestions can seem overwhelming. Choose one that seems most doable and break it down into smaller tasks that you can handle. Do it daily, adding a bit more when you can handle it. Be consistent as this will help you form a habit. The habit then becomes something you miss if you don’t do it. That is the true power of habit.

Follow me if you want to learn strategies for how to maintain your concentration while writing.

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