Routines

I tend to do everything in my life as a routine.

I get up at the same time each day. The first thing I do is feed my cats, then I head to the kitchen for coffee. While drinking my first cup, I log on to the computer, check my email, Facebook, and Twitter, getting caught up from the overnight crowd. By the time I am on my second cup of coffee and have a bagel before me, I've moved on to beginning my editing work for the day.

After I edit for a few hours, I'll break for lunch. During lunch, I'll think about my current WIP and try to solve some problems in my head or something of that nature. Once I've finished eating, I feed the cats again (I've got a kitten who needs three meals a day), fix myself a glass of iced tea, and move on to writing.

Writing fills my afternoons, and in the evenings I either get time off (a rarity), or I do more writing or editing (whichever is more pressing at the moment).

By having a routine, my brain tends to be better prepared for whatever task I'm asking it to perform. I've learned through years of writing that I do NOT do creativity in the mornings, so afternoons and evenings are much more productive writing times for me. I can be analytical before my caffeine has fully kicked in, so a good way to get myself into work mode is through editing.

I'm trying to develop some new routines. For example, I've had a really bad habit over the last few months of not even showering or getting dressed before I start working, and so some days it doesn't happen until mid-afternoon. Yeah, not any more. These days, I do all of that as though I'm going to a "real" job, even dressing in slacks and blouses or something of that nature...then heading out to the coffee shop to work. I also have a very, very bad habit of incessantly checking my email. A new routine I've developed? When I sit down for a writing or editing session, I'll log out of every browser or email client first, then enable Freedom for a set period of time, so I can't procrastinate by spending too much time on my email or Facebook.

I find it is easier to develop new routines than it is to break bad habits. *sigh* That's something I'll have to work on.

Do you have any specific routines? Do you think they help you to achieve what you want to achieve? Or do you need to set some routines?

**Originally published at Lady Scribes**