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Writing Habits Practice #2: Set Up a Dedicated Writing Space · The Daily Writer

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Rider Podcast, where we bring you tips and inspiration each day to help you build habits for writing success.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: For more resources, including your free Daily Rider Starter Kit, visit DailyWriterLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: We've just started a series on writing habits here on the podcast, and yesterday we talked about writing habits practice number one, which is establishing a goal for your writing.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't listened to that episode, I encourage you to check it out.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: And today we're going to talk about practice number two, which is setting up a dedicated writing space that is free of distractions.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: So let me ask you something.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever tried to write in a space that you use for other things like eating, entertainment, or playing computer games?
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Now it may seem convenient at the time doing all those things in the same place, but what you're really doing is you're signaling to your brain that you should be doing all those things at once.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: And the environment where you write has a powerful effect on your ability and motivation to actually get the work done.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is why it's important to try and write in a space that you only use for writing.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't have to be anything fancy.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Even just a simple table will do, or even if you just have a broom closet, that's totally fine as well.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you work in that space, the environment tells your brain that it's writing time.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's not eating time, entertainment time, or sleeping time.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now it's also helpful to set up your writing space so that it's free from distractions, which includes clutter all over your desk and around your desk, or wherever it is that you're writing.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: And there's nothing more conducive to great writing, I believe, than a clean, neat, organized desk that's free from the clutter of everyday life.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: In addition, I think it's also helpful to shut off as many distractions as possible from our digital devices.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's hard to concentrate if you constantly have pings from your phone going off while you're trying to write.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: All this might sound like a tall order, but you can start simple.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: You can just sit at your kitchen table or somewhere else in the house.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Myself, I find that I probably work better away from home than at home.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: So I've been a full-time writer for a little over a year now, since leaving my college job last spring.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that would be the spring of 2021.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm honestly finding that I think I'd rather have an office away from home.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm exploring those options.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Or I may just, I may just build a writing space here in my basement so at least I can get out of my regular home office where I pay bills and sometimes we watch movies and do all those kinds of things.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: So what I'm talking about in this episode is definitely something that is aspirational.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us don't have a totally dedicated space just for writing, but it's something that I think we should shoot for, even if it just involves sitting at your kitchen table.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have to do all this perfectly, but we've got to start somewhere.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I encourage all of us to try and find a space that is just even for a few minutes a day dedicated to writing.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's question Do you have a dedicated writing space free of distractions?
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is an excerpt from our brand new ebook, How to Build a Writing Habit.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: You can get this for free along with six other ebooks on writing as part of our free Daily Writer Starter Kit.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Just go to dailywriterlife.comslash free.