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Writing Habits Practice #5: Figure Out Your Most Productive Time of Day · 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 Daily RiderLife.com.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: We're in the middle of a series on writing habits here on the podcast, and over the last few days worth of short episodes, we've talked about several practices you can develop that'll help you build that all-important writing habit.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now, today's episode is for all the night owls, as well as the early birds and everybody in between.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: Here is writing habits practice number five.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Figure out your most productive time of day.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of entrepreneurs and leaders will try to tell you that you have to be a morning person in order to be effective.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't really believe that's true.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that you have to lean into the way that you're wired and that you should do what works for you.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I encourage you to experiment with figuring out the best time of day for you to write.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't believe that writing in the morning is the only way to go.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people swear by this, but it really depends on your biology and your schedule and just really what you prefer.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Not everybody is a big morning person.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people come alive later in the day or even late at night.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Now, all that said, Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest writers of all time, of course, he wrote in the morning.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: And this is what he said.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: When I am working on a book or a story, I write every morning as soon after first light as possible.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: There's no one to disturb you, and it is cool or cold.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: And you come to your work and warm as you write.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: You read what you have written, and as you always stop, when you know what's going to happen next, you go on from there.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now, those are words from Hemingway, but you might be a little bit different.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Many creative types like to work late at night.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: But again, you've got to do what works for you.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: So here's your pal, good old Professor Kent, giving you permission to go with the way that you're wired.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now, all that said, you probably knew this was coming.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: You knew I was going to give a little caveat, which I always do.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: All that said, it doesn't mean that you have to stay that way.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: You can always develop better habits.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of successful people do keep an early morning routine, and I think that's worth considering.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: So if currently you're a night owl, go with being a night owl, but keep in mind that there is some evidence to suggest that when you can switch your schedule and become a morning person, that there might be something to consider there.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's all that I'm saying.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: I know this is a podcast for writers, and you guys like to stay up all hours of the night, many of you, but just consider the fact that a lot of really, really successful people are early morning people.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm just saying take that into consideration.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: I think there might be something there.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: However, it doesn't mean that you have to start out that way or that you always have to be that way.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: It just means for now, go with what you're wired to do, get the writing done, but look at some different habits that might suit you better as you go through life.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: That's all I'm saying.
• 3:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today's question is what is your ideal time of day to write?
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is an excerpt from our brand new ebook, How to Build a Writing Habit.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: You can get this for free along with six other books on writing as part of our free Daily Writer Starter Kit.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Just go to dailywriterlife.com slash free.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: And there is also a link in the show notes that is conveniently and handily placed there for you.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: So click on the link, sign up, and you will get that delivered very quickly to your inbox.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening, and I'll see you tomorrow.