Karen Brown Tyson

Tag: #habits

How to Build a Powerful Journal Writing Habit
Updated August 2022 — In my previous blog posts, I focused on survival in, How to Survive Swimming in Strange Water and dreams in, Will You Mow the Lawn to Follow Your Dream. As I continue to focus on making new plans, I thought it would be good to focus on building a powerful journal writing habit. As someone who has experienced my fair share of change, journal writing is one of the critical tools I use to reflect on the present and plan for the future.

Journal about the life you want

I created the life I wanted by journaling.

Initially, I started by writing about my feelings. Then, writing about how my day went – the good, the bad, and the ugly — came easy. Soon I journaled about life’s disappointments. Looking back, I remember how I used journaling to make new plans, become a blogger, and start a business.

Journaling helped me capture my ideas and follow my dreams.

While sharing my journal writing experience with a young lady, I saw the disappointment in her eyes. Not because of my knowledge. She shared how she has never been able to make journal writing a regular part of her life.

But this wasn’t the first time I heard this. I hear countless stories from people about how they tried journaling but couldn’t keep it going for a few weeks.

Trust me, if I could build a journal writing habit, you can too.

So what steps do I take to keep my journal writing habit going? For today’s post, I outline five steps I used to build a powerful journal writing habit.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links.

Journal writing offers many benefits

No matter what happens, any time is an excellent time to build a journal writing habit. Some of the benefits of journal writing include:
- Writing therapy to deal with conflicts
- Stress reliever
- Help maintain and improve relationships
- Opportunity for reflection
- Records new ideas
- Gratitude
Studies show that journaling for 15 to 20 minutes daily, three to five days a week, can improve mental and physical health.

Five tips on how to build a journal writing habit

Although I understand the benefits of journal writing today, I didn’t always feel this way. My transformation involved lots of research. The tips I offer here highlight what I learned over time.

#1. Commit to making small changes

When I decided to get serious about my journal writing habit, I went to a habit expert: James Clear.

In his book Atomic Habits, Clear believes habits are the compound interest of self-improvement. Making a 1 percent improvement every day will add up in the end. My gains came over time with me, starting with writing one sentence in my journal. Over time, I wrote two sentences, then three, until I reached 15 minutes of writing.

“All big things come from small beginnings. The seed of every habit is a single, tiny decision.”
James Clear

Here’s a list of the other books I read to help me build my journal writing habit:
- One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Robert Maurer
- Effortless Journaling: How to Start a Journal, Make It a Habit, and Find Endless Writing Topics (Develop Good Habits) by S.J. Scott (Author), Barrie Davenport (Author)
- Heal Your Self With Journaling Power by Mari L. McCarthy
#2. Use habit stacking

To build a journal writing habit, Clear recommends habit stacking, where you pair a current habit with a new habit. This technique allows you to match your new habit with your already-formed habits. For example, previously, I tried to tie my new habits with certain times of the day, like mornings.

But this approach allowed me to connect journal writing with a habit I was already doing, drinking tea while writing.

#3. Redesign your environment

Habit-building experts believe in the power of visual cues. The idea is to use cues to remember to perform a habit. I have to agree. I put my journal in the same bag as my laptop for my journal writing routine. When I sit down to write, I have all my tools – a journal, a writing notebook, my pens, and my laptop. Here are a few ideas to help you use cues:
- If you want to remember to write in your journal before you go to bed, put your journal next to your bed on the nightstand.
- When you want to write in your gratitude journal before going to the gym, put your journal in your bag.
- For your faith journaling habit, put your journal with your Study Bible and notebook.
#4. Take steps to make procrastination hard

Next, I confronted the unwanted behaviors that prevented me from sticking to my journal writing habit. First, I made a list of everything that prevented me from writing in my journal. Then, I selected one thing to change until I dealt with everything on the list. For example, checking social media in the morning prevented me from writing in my gratitude journal. So I put my smartphone in another room before I went to bed.

#5. Keep track of your progress

As your journal writing habit becomes more consistent, consider rewarding yourself. Positive reinforcement is critical in helping us automate our habits. Use a habit tracker to keep track of your progress.

Reward yourself whenever you complete a journal writing session or finish a week of journal writing.

It doesn’t have to be the same thing every time or anything costly. The point is to connect your accomplishment and the satisfaction that comes with it. Consider buying new supplies for your journal writing practice.

Keep your thoughts and dreams organized

“Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter, and lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.” Jack London

There are several different types of journals:
- Writing journal
- Dream journal
- Travel journal
- Idea journal
- Food journal
- Gratitude journal
Which journal is right for you? Here are a few of my favorite journals.

Whether you pick a regular notebook or a customized journal, the key is to get started building your journal writing habit.

Instead of wondering how long you can keep going this time, imagine yourself writing every day in the future.

You should feel proud of your decision to build a journal writing habit.

Your new journal writing habit might help you write the best chapter of your life.

If you need help, please get support. There are apps available, like the Bearable app, which allows you to log your moods, symptoms, medications, and much more.

Talk to a therapist. Connect with your support systems like your spouse, family members, or friends. Contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at +1 (800) 950-6264.

ABOUT THIS POST: Thank you for reading this post. This information is not a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, medical treatment, medication, or therapy. Always seek your doctor’s advice or a qualified mental health provider with questions about mental health symptoms or medical conditions. Do not disregard professional psychological or medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice or treatment because of this post.
August 27, 2022
Work Smarter, Not Harder: 5 Ways to Be More Efficient

How many times have you heard the phrase, “work smarter, not harder?” I’m guessing you’ve heard this slogan dozens of times. But sometimes, working smarter seems easier said than done.

As a creative entrepreneur, I’m sure you have a lot you need to get done. So it’s easy to think you have to get it all done at once. When I first started my business, I was so excited to see my dream come to life. I found myself seeing every task as urgent. It wasn’t long before I had to return to a few of the efficiency strategies I used in my corporate life.

Fast forward to today, I have more client assignments, more tasks, and less time. Working smarter, not harder, is more critical now than ever if you’re anything like me. If you need a few tips on working smarter, not harder, here are five ways to be more efficient.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase using the links.

Don’t start before you plan

First things first – if I don’t make time to plan, I waste loads of time. I know a lot of people who see planning as unnecessary, especially to the creative mind who wants to flow freely. But the secret to getting things done involves planning. So if you want to get more done, try planning.

Of course, it might seem impossible to plan when creativity will strike. Don’t wait for creativity to strike. Schedule time on your calendar for writing, researching, filming, and all the other components of the content creation process. Planning will keep you on track and ensure that you meet your goal.

Work in smaller bits

The idea of tackling a big project can be overwhelming. When I talk to people about writing a book, some of them admit that the idea of writing a book from beginning to end seems complicated. The best way to get to the end of big projects is by breaking them up into smaller bits.

By breaking up my larger project into smaller bits, I can focus on one part at a time. In addition, this approach keeps me motivated to get each step done. As I check off each smaller task, I gain momentum and feel inspired to get the entire project done.

Master the art of delegation

Let’s not argue on this one. You have a lot of work to do. However, some people have the skills you need to tackle some of the tasks on your desk. For example, if you are a writer, you could consider hiring someone on Fiverr to tackle the research phase of your project. You could also hire a virtual assistant to vet clients for you before you accept projects. By leveraging the time and talent of others, you could significantly increase your productivity.

Fight the itch to multitask

Too many creatives work like circus jugglers. We create videos, write content, have a full-time job, and tackle multiple client projects simultaneously. Rather than working on one thing at a time, we try to multitask. An article by NPR exposes the myth of multitasking. We often think we are getting a lot done because we are so busy doing many things. Unfortunately, this affects efficiency. Instead, focus on one task at a time.

Using a timer to complete tasks

It’s easy to get carried away with the tasks we enjoy. But, ironically, it is also easy to spend lots of time on tasks that we don’t want. An effective way to maintain efficiency is to set a timer for tasks. For example, suppose you have scheduled one hour in the morning to respond to your community or four hours for blog writing. Set a timer on your phone that will alert you when the time is up. This approach will help to ensure that you do not spend too much time or too little time on tasks.

Becoming more efficient doesn’t happen overnight. Therefore, make sure you extend grace to yourself when you have not as productive days as you’d like. Keep working, keep creating, and keep inspiring those who are watching your story unfold.

November 18, 2021
5 Daily Habits to Help Boost Your Creative Confidence
If you had all the creative self-confidence in the world, what would you do? As creative entrepreneurs, we face a lot of obstacles, including confidence in our creative abilities.

Unfortunately, when it comes to mindset as creative entrepreneurs, we sometimes do things that limit our growth. Self-doubt, negative self-talk, and fear are some of the obstacles that block our path.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I say, ‘Enough already.’

Whether you run a full-time or part-time creative business or write, paint, blog, make music or videos, we don’t have time to let self-doubt, negative thoughts, or fear hold us back from reaching our goals.

To help me stay on track, I rely on Isaiah 41:10:

Don’t worry—I am with you. Don’t be afraid—I am your God. I will make you strong and help you. I will support you with my right hand that brings victory.

In today’s post, I’m sharing five daily habits to help boost your creative confidence.

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase using the links.

What is a habit?

A habit is a learned behavior that becomes automatic over time. A specific setting often triggers the behavior. For example, you may automatically brush your teeth before going to bed as part of your nighttime routine.

Habits can be healthy, unhealthy, or neutral. For example, a healthy habit might be stretching for ten minutes a day or writing in your journal at the end of the day. An unhealthy habit could be biting your fingernails or texting while driving. An example of a neutral habit would be eating the same things for breakfast every morning or taking the same route to work every day.

How to break a habit?

To break a habit, especially an unhealthy habit affecting creative self-confidence, it’s important to:
- First, pay attention to the triggers that feed into the bad habit.
- Then, replace the unhealthy habit with a positive one.
- Finally, get help from friends, family, and other professionals as needed.
5 Daily habits to help boost creative confidence

Start the day with a journal

At the start of my day, I like to write in my journal or idea notebook. This has helped clear my mind before I start working on my client assignments. I like to write for at least 30 minutes. If you don’t have much time, write a few sentences. Carry your journal or notebook with you throughout the day. If you need a break or if new ideas come to mind that you don’t want to forget, write them down.

Set daily goals

Every day I like to write down the three most important tasks for the day in my productivity notebook. Each task is associated with one of my goals. When you set a goal, it’s important to review your plan for achieving that dream. You may find yourself forgetting about what was most important because life gets busy, and new things are always coming up. Setting aside time every day can help remind us of our dreams, so we don’t lose focus or motivation when faced with challenges along the way. Once I accomplish my three most important tasks for the day, I feel inspired to keep moving forward.

Use time-blocking to manage your daily schedule

Nothing kills your confidence like losing track of time. Have you ever sat down to work but had no idea where to start? I have, and it can be frustrating. However, I save a lot of mental energy by planning out what I need to work on ahead of time. I like this technique called “time blocking.” Time block everything on your list and see how much progress (in hours) might happen during each specific timeframe; don’t forget about any important deadlines or events either–they need attention too. Through time-blocking, I feel confident and in control of my day.

Set phone boundaries

Do you ever find yourself checking your phone every few minutes? While working on my second book, I fell into the habit of constantly checking my phone. I was checking email, answering text messages, or reading my USA Today app. Before I knew it, my focus and flow were shot. To get back on track to finish the book, I started to limit the time I spent on my phone by setting boundaries. First, I only looked at my emails at scheduled times throughout the day. Next, I dedicated one-hour time blocks to work on projects before taking a break. Finally, I put my phone in a separate room during work hours.

Finish the day with a review

As part of my evening routine, I review the day and plan for tomorrow using a notebook. This 5-minute process helps me to prepare for what’s ahead in an organized manner. After reviewing what I accomplished and understanding what needs to be done, I feel productive and more confident to start again the next day.

As creative entrepreneurs, it’s easy to lose confidence from time to time. But trust the process. Establish a few habits that work for you and help you stay on track. Give yourself permission to learn, make mistakes, and try again. You never know whose life your work with touch. Build your confidence day by day, and keep moving forward.
October 21, 2021
Too Unfocused To Write? How to Help Your Writing in 3 Easy Ways
Every writer, myself included, has fallen into the trap of losing focus while writing. We sit at our writing spaces, intending to get lots of writing done, but we lose focus. Before we know it, we’ve spent two hours surfing the web, and we’re nowhere close to getting anything done. If you sometimes feel too unfocused to write, I will share three easy ways to refocus your writing time to improve your writing productivity.

Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links.

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Too unfocused to write? You are not alone.

When you sit down to write, do you constantly check your phone or your email? It’s no secret that distractions are all around us. Sometimes it’s the phone or doorbell ringing, while other times, it’s us pushing our writing to the side to do something else.

According to a ComScore study, we spend at least three hours on our smartphones every day. So every time we stop writing to deal with our smartphones, emails, or other unplanned distractions, it can take up to 23 minutes to recover. Whether you write full-time or part-time, your time is precious. If we’re not careful, we end up wasting more time doing other things besides writing.

Frustrated with my own unproductive writing time, I decided to monitor what was going on by tracking my steps. I paid close attention to:
- how I started each writing session,
- at what point I stopped writing,
- what types of things distracted me most, and
- how much time passed before I returned to my writing.
As a result, I decided to make several changes, but I’m sharing three easy ways to help you get your writing back on track.

The three easy ways to help refocus your writing.

1. Calendarize your writing tasks

Every morning, I write down my to-do list for the day. I only focused on the tasks I had to complete for my full-time job as a corporate communicator, eventually carrying this habit into my consulting business. But I never included my writing tasks. Without including my writing tasks as part of my daily list of things to do, I easily lost my focus.

Now, I use two tools to keep me on track. First, I use my Google calendar to write down all of my tasks for the week. As I complete tasks throughout the week, I cross them off the list. The second tool I use is a desktop whiteboard which I update at the start of each day. On my desktop whiteboard, I write down the writing tasks I plan to work on for the day.

2. Time your writing sessions

Nothing helps me focus my writing sessions more than doing sprints. As a writer, it would be great to sit down and write for three or four hours non-stop. But life happens, and like many writers, I have to devote my time to other responsibilities. To manage all of my tasks, including my writing sessions, I set a timer for each task.

I have lots of apps in my arsenals like the PomoDoneApp and BeFocusedPro (in the Apple App Store) that allow me to use an electronic timer to time my writing sessions. My favorite program is RescueTime which offers FocusTime, where I can set a timer for 30 minutes or 2 hours. Also, FocusTime automatically blocks distracting websites I might try to sneak in when I lose focus.

3. Walk away from your writing session

After calendarizing my writing tasks and timing my writing sessions, I still had one obstacle to overcome: controlling my movement. After years of sitting at a desk, I was eager to start working at a standing desk with a floor mat. Despite being eager to work in my new writing environment, I still felt the urge to walk away from my writing project when I got stuck or lost my focus.

As it turns out, studies show that getting up and walking around for five minutes every hour can help you regain focus. In the study, employees who were allowed to walk for 30-minutes before working for five-hour stretches were happier and had less fatigue than the employees who weren’t allowed to move. So I made myself a deal. After each 25-minute writing sprint, I take a five-minute break. After five consecutive 25-minute writing sessions, I take a 20-minute break. By walking away from writing, I’m able to refocus and return refreshed.

Find Your Writing Blockers

Every writer must come to terms with the potential blockers that keep them from writing. Find out what causes you to lose your focus when writing. Is your writing environment loud, uncomfortable, or distracting? Within five minutes of your writing time, are you interrupted by something? Are you too tired to write? Once you find your writing blockers, deal with them quickly, or they will rob you of your precious writing time.

[bctt tweet=”The world is waiting for you to tell your story. Don’t let us down.” username=”KBTWrites”]

For more information on how to manage your writing life, check out these articles:

How to Bend Time to Fit Writing into your Busy Life

6 Powerful Time Management Solutions for Time-Crunched Writers

10 Awesome Tips on How to Overcome Time Anxiety When Writing

I’d love to help you as you take the next steps in your writing life. To get started, complete this form to let me know about your current nonfiction writing project and needs.
May 20, 2021
How to Conquer Creative Muse and Write on the Go (infographic)

Do you wonder how some writers can write on the go? Or how they seem to conquer their creative muse to write anywhere like on the beach, or while on an airplane?

You are not alone.

“But you don’t need the perfect setup to do the work. For example, I’ve written five of my books completely on airplanes.” Seth Godin

Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links.

There are several things writers can do to increase productivity (see also ‘How To Use Preparation To Increase Productivity In Your Creative Life‘). For example, consider adopting different writing habits to make every minute work to your advantage.

Here are more ideas.

6 Powerful time management solutions for time-crunched writers
How to bend time to fit writing into your busy life
10 awesome tips on how to overcome time anxiety when writing
How to be a successful writer despite having a full schedule

Tools like Trello and Asana are great for organizing writing projects. You can also use a web-based, Kanban-style tool like MeisterTask.

In addition, there are editing tools like Grammarly and ProWriting Aid to help make our writing clear and mistake-free.

CoSchedule is great for organizing your blog posts, email, and social media promotion all in one place if you are a blogger.

Friends and family ask me all the time how I can get my writing done. I like to keep a notebook or journal with me at all times to record ideas or to write.

I compiled a list of motivational books, notebooks, headphones, and snacks that help me.

I also created the infographic below to offer five suggestions on how to write on the go.

If you have any to add, share your input in the comment box.

After all, we’re all in this together.

Productive Writer’s Guide on How to Write on the Go (Infographic)

February 5, 2019