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Have you lost count of how many writing days you’ve let go by? Here’s how to return to writing after a slip…
We all have slips. From keeping our houses clean. From eating more healthily. From establishing exercise habits.
And from writing.
If you’ve experienced a writing slip, please don’t beat yourself up for it. Doing so only adds shame without helping. It drains your motivation and keeps you stuck in guilt. Mistakes are part of growth. Learn from them, adjust, and try again with compassion.
Here are nine steps you can take to get back into writing after a slip:
1-Resist the urge to make up what you missed
Many people who slip up in their writing plans feel horrific guilt — and have a hard time “letting go” of previous goals. Maybe you wanted to finish your book or dissertation by June 1, and even though you recognize this is now going to be impossible, you can’t let go of your former goal.
Here’s the big problem. If you’d planned to write 500 words a day and you’ve missed six days, you’ll need to write 3,000 words tomorrow to “make up” what you missed. Such a goal is daunting and unreasonable and is only going to make you want to procrastinate. Don’t do this to yourself.
Instead, just return to your former goal — writing 500 words — and be satisfied with that.
2-Troubleshoot what led to the break in your writing habit
Routines help us maintain our habits, and if you’ve had a writing slip, your habits failed you. It’s worthwhile to spend a few minutes figuring out why. Here are five common triggers that cause people to fail.
- Injury or illness.
- Stress from life changes and relationship issues.
- Boredom and frustration with lack of progress.
- Drastic change in environment (e.g., going on vacation, moving house, hosting guests etc.).
- Trying to do too much too quickly.
Instead of blaming yourself for these circumstances (when many are clearly not your fault), figure out what you can do to work around them.
3-Resume the routine that was helping you write
You had a writing habit before, so you must have been doing something that worked. When I’m writing a book, I always start at 6 a.m. and write for 30 minutes. (Don’t copy me unless you’re a morning lark, though.) Whatever you did before should help you construct a new plan for getting back into your writing.
4-Adjust your plan to acknowledge your new circumstances
Odds are high that your former plan demanded too much of you. So, see if you can scale back your commitment slightly while still doing some daily writing. If you’ve had an injury that doesn’t allow you to sit at your desk, for example, see if you can dictate some writing into your cellphone. If you’ve been trying to do too much too quickly, reduce your goals by cutting them in half. In fact, dramatically reducing your writing goals is one of the best ways to increase your odds of success.
5-Stick to your plan, even in small ways
Missing writing for one day isn’t a huge deal. The bigger problem is that this slip-up might mean you never get back on track. For this reason, it’s essential to stick to your new plan, even if it’s only in a very small way:
- Don’t have time to write? Write one sentence.
- Don’t have time to research? Research for five minutes.
- Don’t have time to edit? Edit one paragraph.
There is always something small you can do and, over time, these small actions add up.
6-Have an accountability partner
People who exercise know that it’s easier to live up to their commitment if they do it with a friend. While it’s hard to write with others, you can certainly compare notes after writing. You can find a writing partner and both pledge to write for 15 minutes, then have a brief phone or Zoom conversation afterwards to acknowledge your mutual success. Or you can join a group. My Get It Done group will allow you to have me (and an entire group of other writers from around the world) as your accountability partners.
7-Treat yourself like you would a friend in a comparable situation
We’re all much tougher on ourselves than we’d ever dare be with friends. Instead of chastising yourself for “messing up,” be understanding and compassionate, as you would be for a friend. We all know that honey catches more flies than vinegar, but we’re usually reluctant to give ourselves honey.
8-Recognize the value of breaking a streak
Sure, it can be distressing to break a streak, but remind yourself that extreme rigidity is not a sign of psychological health. And sometimes it even makes more sense to break otherwise healthy habits. For example, if you’re attending a conference that’s going to keep you hopping from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., why would you want to write on a day like that? Allow yourself to take the day off — but make a plan for returning to writing once the conference is over.
9-Embrace imperfect starts
None of us is perfect, so resume writing in whatever (inadequate) way is going to be easiest for you. There’s nothing wrong with easy — especially if it helps you get started again. Once you’ve rebuilt your writing habit, you can make further adjustments down the road. It’s always easier to make changes once you’re already in motion.
Remember, consistent writing isn’t about perfection. It’s about persistence. Each time you return to the page after a slip, you strengthen not just your writing muscles but your resilience as well.
Your slip isn’t the end of your writing story. It’s simply a comma.
If you liked this post, you’ll also like How to overcome perfectionism.
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Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week addressed starting a newsletter. You can watch the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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How do you return to writing after a slip? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the comments section, below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by May 31/25, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the related posts links, below. You don’t have to join Disqus to post! Read my tutorial to learn how to post as a guest. (It’s easy!)
