Turn Your Morning into a Creative Powerhouse with This Simple 3 Step Writing Routine

If you want to have a continual flow of ideas to share then you need to develop a routine that produces ideas on tap.

I remember when I started my first blog. The only time I would sit down to write was when I needed to write a blog post.

I constantly had writers block, judged my ideas to the point I gave up on publishing them, and went months without writing because it all felt too hard.

Things only started to change when I began a daily writing routine.

I've been following this same routine for the last 3 years and it's helped me produce hundreds of articles, essays & content for the internet (compared with a few failed blogs and a handful of blog posts).

It's not one of those complex routines - it consists of just three distinct blocks. And I can fit it into a single hour or stretch out to as much time as you have.

Each of the blocks build on each other to create a potent environment for your ideas to flow freely in. Here is what it looks like:

Block 1: Spark Writing

Like I said when I first started writing on the internet the only time I ever sat down to write was when I needed to produce something.

Things changed when I started a new practice which I know call Spark Writing.

And it happened quite accidentally. I had just read the book ​How To Take Smart Notes​ and I wanted to set aside time to review & write about the notes I was saving.

The more I leaned into writing without the pressure of it having to be content -- The more content ideas kept coming up.

What I began to realise is that our brains interacts with ideas in two modes:

• Exploratory: This is a wide open, spacious mode where we are free to explore our ideas without any pressure. If you've ever gone down rabbit holes on the internet- you know what this mode is.
• Focused: This is the kind of mode where you knuckle down on an idea and start to bring it together so you can communicate it. It requires more judgement & critical thinking.

I had only ever been jumping into focused mode with my ideas & they weren't strong enough to survive that mode because I hadn't spent any time exploring & building them.

So now I start each writing session with this exploratory mode. Some mornings I work on a single idea other times I'll review a bunch of notes that I've saved from something I read or listened to.

The most important thing is that none of it NEEDS to be content. At this point it's just an idea I want to explore.

And this spark writing block primes my brain for what comes next - which is content writing.

It gives me space for curiosity and playfulness and that helps me then create focus in the next part of my routine.

Your can read more about ​how I structure my Spark Writing session here​.

Block 2: Pillar Writing

Once I've spent some time exploring ideas I get into my pillar writing block. This block is absolutely dedicated to content creation.

I love working on content everyday. It means that a big heavy lift like a blog post or YouTube video feels lighter because I work a little on it each day.

For instance this newsletter came together in about 5 small sessions.

• Monday I did a 5 minute brain dump using audio to get everything out of my head.
• Tuesday I outlined the post and made sense of everything I had dumped in.
• Thursday I started working on the main points and writing a first draft.
• Saturday I went through and worked on the intro and a final draft.
• Sunday I worked on the headline/hook and got it ready to publish.

By spreading out the work over a few days what might take me a couple of heavy hours seems so lightweight and easy.

And I'm all about making things feel easy and effortless.

The the other benefit of having a pillar writing block each day is you can keep different ideas at different stages. I worked in varying projects throughout the week not just this newsletter.

I find that keep me interested and mixes things up so I don't get bored.

Block 3: Go For A Walk

After my two writing blocks I switch gears by lacing up my shoes and heading out for a walk.

This is my absolute favourite way to end a writing session.

There is a reason that creators swear by walking. Because something happens when we get away from our computers that switches our brains on.

It's like we switch off and our brains switch on. And this kind of rest activity is actually essential for our brain to:

• Process all the information we've received
• Make sense of what we've recently learned
• Receive & Process New Information
• Make unexpected connections
• Solve hard problems in creative ways - easily.

And so you can see why finishing a writing session with an activity like walking is so potent.

Quite effortlessly without me even trying my brain starts to process everything that's just happened during those two writing sessions.

And I literally can't hold back the deluge of ideas that pours out of my brain.

I get busy capturing them all with my ​Tana Capture​ app. Tana sends them all back to my desktop so they are ready for me to explore in my next writing session tomorrow.

And so the cycle goes day after day. Creating an environment where ideas can't help but bubble up to the surface.

I have the luxury of having a fair chunk of time in the morning right now so I spend an hour on each writing block and then take a 40 minute walk.

But at other times I've had far less. So if it each block into the time I have. Whether that be a quick 5 minutes spark writing block or 2 hours.

The time you spend isn't as important as building a routine or environment for your ideas to thrive in & that you really love.

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Whenever you're ready to turn your unique personal knowledge into powerful ideas - here are two ways I can help:

1. Want to get Sparked like this each week? Sign up to my weekly newsletter - The Spark Newsletter where I deliver one actionable tip every Sunday to help you bring your ideas to life & share them with the world.
2. Need a place to capture ideas & insights? You might want to check out my template ​The Knowledge Hub​ where you can turn all that collected information into your own insights.
3. Want a tool to help you think through & uncover your most unique ideas. Check out ​The Spark Toolkit​ with over 130+ prompts & frameworks to help you build & communicate your ideas.

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