For many writers every writing session is a negotiation with their future self. Do you find yourself asking, Should I write now or later? For how long?

When I was a graduate student, I asked myself these questions every day and the answer was almost always: later. After all, the great thing about being a student is that you have all this free time. You can literally do your work at any hour of any day of the week. Why do it now?

The predictable result of my approach was a decided lack of productivity. I was slow to get things done. I thought I wasn’t motivated enough or didn’t have enough willpower because so often I thought about doing my writing but didn’t.

And then something miraculous happened.

My wife finished her master’s program and got a job. She worked 8 to 5 in downtown Boston. I started taking the train in with her - getting off a few stops before her and making it to my desk at about 745am. I would work until 5 or so and then meet her as she was coming home on the train in the opposite direction.

Suddenly, I was getting more done than ever before. And yet I no longer worked nights or weekends as I had been doing for the two previous years. What changed?

Simple: I had a schedule for the first time in my life.

When I was in “student mode” without a schedule, every hour was a battle: do I write or not? The constant decision-making drained my energy and left at the mercy of In the Moment Me, the part of me that loved coffee refills, chatting with my friends, and shiny distractions. Too often, this meant I didn’t get anything done.

Once I had a schedule, Routine Me was in charge. My schedule told my brain when to write, no debating required. I simply worked while I was at school and didn’t worry about it when I was at home. Without ever working evenings or weekends, I shifted from wondering if I could finish my dissertation to knowing that all I had to do was keep showing up.

And the cherry on top: I no longer felt stressed about getting my work done. Before I had a schedule, anxiety about writing could strike at any hour, seven days a week. Once I had a steady schedule, I stopped worrying. When it was time to write, I wrote. When I went home, it was time to be home. I can’t tell you what a huge relief that was.

Today, when people ask me about the keys to being a productive writer, establishing a rock-solid weekly schedule is one of the first things on the list.

A good schedule does more than block time on a calendar. It:

• Makes it easier to sit down and write by training your brain and body

• Makes it easier to protect your time from interruptions

• Helps you focus and find your flow more readily

• Keeps your output steady, even when life gets hectic

• Reduces stress and anxiety

• Helps promote work/life/writing balance

If you want to build a powerful writing routine, start by locking in a weekly schedule you can sustain—even if it’s just 30 minutes a few times a week. Consistency, not intensity, builds momentum.

When you have a schedule you trust, your writing will flow.

Happy writing,

Trevor