5 Tiny Habits That Helped Me Write 30 Articles A Month (With a Full-Time Day Job)

It’s been 3 years since I quit my government job to become a full-time creator. 

This transition wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t started building the foundation of my writing career alongside my day job.

It was challenging to work on both together.

Back-to-back meetings, office events, daily tasks, and monthly targets hardly leave you with any extra time.

While it was hard for me too, I still wrote 30 articles a month, all because of 5 tiny habits that I’ll be sharing in this article.

Before that, I want to share how writing 90 Medium articles in 90 days from June to August 2020 has benefitted me:

• Gained 100+ new followers every day
• Made $500+ every month
• Received comments and thoughtful feedback from readers worldwide.

In the end, the writing sprint of 3 months provided the launchpad to kickstart my writing career. Today, I’m a full-time writer with 174K+ followers and multiple income streams.

Get ready to find out how you can get similar results and write every day without fail.

Daily ideation is the key you didn’t know you needed

The biggest struggle most writers face is consistently finding creative ideas. It’s even harder with a 9 to 5 job, as you’re left with no energy to push your creative side.

This made me realize that simply relying on motivation will only lead me to lose my creative momentum. I found a breakthrough by building the habit of idea journaling.

It saved me from the frustration of staring at a blank screen only to shut down my laptop without penning even a single line.

Here’s how you can develop this habit and create your idea bank:

• Find a comfortable place for yourself with a journal and pen
• Jot down 10 random ideas off the top of your head
• Pick any 2 of them and create an outline by adding relevant headings or pointers
• Do this every day, and you’ll have enough ideas that you can convert into full-fledged articles whenever you want.

Remember, not every idea will turn into an article, but it will give you a starting point when you get to writing.

Let the weekends show you the way

Pursuing creative goals with a full-time job can be draining, particularly for staying organized. I wanted to find a way to write every day without falling off track.

Planning my content helped me be productive and achieve my writing goals without exhausting myself.

• Pick topics you want to work on in the coming week.
• Set deadlines for writing, reviewing, and publishing your selected topics
• Track your progress to stay accountable. Adjust if you need to make any changes.
• Schedule time to promote your content on social media to maximize its reach.

Stick to a fixed time every day for writing

Make writing a non-negotiable part of your routine. 

It’s the only way not to miss out on your consistency even after a long day at work.

After wrapping up my work and daily chores, I chose to show up at my desk to write every day at a fixed time slot. It was 9–11 pm for me (the only time in my schedule my day job permitted).

• Find a time in the day dedicated only to your writing goals
• Keep this writing hours away from any distraction
• Train your brain to show up, no matter what.

Initially, this might seem like hard work, but staying committed to this discipline will give you results that are worth every ounce of effort.

Waiting for inspiration is the mistake most writers make

With a day job, you don’t have the luxury to spend hours waiting for inspiration. You’ve got 2 hours every day, and you’ve to complete your writing in that time.

Here’s how to maximize the efficiency of your dedicated writing hours for optimal productivity:

• Use your idea journal and concise outline you’ve created to begin writing
• Prioritize meeting your daily writing goals over perfection
• Don’t edit while writing your first draft

Key mindset shift — The flow state happens after the first 200 words. Be uninspired and write the first 200 words mechanically. Force yourself. After that, you’ll get into the flow state easily.

Know when you’re going to publishing the articles

While I set up myself for this 3-month writing marathon, I didn’t hit the publish button right after I finished my articles. To make it more sustainable, I created a repository of publish-ready articles.

Once I’ve had enough content, I schedule my posts to publish by submitting them to publications in bulk.

For me, this is what worked-

• Complete a 1000-word article in 2 hours, then let it sit for the night.
• Edit and proofread the next day (before starting on the new day’s article), then let it sit
• Final proofreading round after 2 days, then publish.

Key mindset shift — Your writing will never be perfect. The goal is to publish, not wait for perfection.

Conclusion

I started writing online actively and became one of the top writers on Medium while juggling teaching and researching for my PhD. If I could write every day while being in such challenging roles the entire day, you can too.

All you need to do is develop these 5 habits that will bring you closer to your creative goals.

1. Maintain an idea journal and outline these ideas to avoid writer’s block from getting in your way of writing every day
2. Utilize weekends to plan the coming week’s content by selecting topics, setting deadlines, and tracking progress
3. Show up to write in a fixed time slot every day without any distractions
4. Create systems to meet your writing goals regardless of how demotivated you feel to write
5. Prioritize publishing over perfection by having a publishing schedule

All this feels a bit too much, but it’s in these moments of dedication that your creativity will flourish, your skills will sharpen, and your dreams will take shape.

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.” ― Andy Warhol

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