Why You Can't Find the Discipline to Write (And What to Do Instead)
You want to write, so you find time and sit down at the screen, but then just stare at a blank screen. Suddenly the laundry or your favorite TV show seems much more pressing. You assume you’re just not disciplined enough, or you’re not very good at managing your time. You berate yourself, hoping that will inspire some real progress.
It doesn’t.
Let me invite you to pause and take a step back. You might be approaching the issue backwards. Yes, we need discipline and consistency, but that’s not a good place to start.
No Plan, No Action
Let’s say that you’ve decided to start working out at the gym regularly, but whenever you show up, you stare at all the equipment and weights with no idea where to start. Do you get on the treadmill and start running even though you haven’t run since 5th grade? Maybe you glance subtly at other people working out to see if you can figure out how to use the machines without looking too foolish. Regardless of your response, you’re not going to be very motivated to work out then, nor will you likely show up consistently in the future if you have no idea what to do and how to make the best use of your time and effort.
A more helpful first step would be to look at your goals. Do you want to lose weight, strengthen muscle, or train for a 5K race? The type of workout you do is going to depend on what exactly you’re trying to accomplish.
If you knew exactly what you were going to do each day you showed up at the gym and how those activities would contribute to your overall fitness goals, you would still need discipline to show up at the gym, but you would have much less inertia to overcome!
Writing is no different.
If we show up to the computer screen with no plan, unsure of our goals or how to get there, we’re going to stare at an empty screen for a while and then go clean out the bedroom closet. Any meaningful accomplishment takes discipline and consistency to accomplish, but if we aren’t first clear on what the goal is or how to get there, it’s next to impossible to make any real progress.
Clarity First, Then Discipline
If you’re struggling to find the discipline to write, don’t start with trying to conjure up more discipline. Start by gaining clarity about what exactly you’re trying to do and how to get there.
As a writer, sometimes those goals take time to firm up. At first, you might only know that you want to use your love of writing to help and serve others. Great! I would encourage you to start small. Don’t plan to write a book just yet. Going back to our workout analogy, that would be like jumping right to running a marathon after not running much at all. Posting blog posts on a website, starting a Substack publication, or writing articles for other publications are all great ways to get your feet wet and start writing regularly. Think of it like starting your gym workouts with stretches and warm ups!
You will also want to narrow down who exactly you want to write for and decide how you want to help that person. This also can take some time to work out and that’s OK. Consider your life experiences, passions, and gifts.
Who are you motivated to help and how?
What type of person do you have a burden for?
What have you been through that you can help others through?
Having a specific audience in mind and a specific way that you help them both allows you to be clear and genuinely helpful, and also much more motivated to write.
Here are 10 questions to ask yourself to help you determine your ideal reader.
Then, once you have a goal in mind and some idea of who you want to serve and how, you can decide each time you sit down to write what you hope to accomplish. You might need to start by journaling through some post ideas, outlining an article, or researching places to post your work. It’s like showing up at the gym with your exercises all planned out and ready to go. It still requires discipline, but you’ve reduced much of the inertia and given yourself a better chance of success.
Returning to our gym metaphor one more time, you may find that you can make progress much faster if you hire a trainer to talk through your fitness goals with, teach you how to use the machines properly, and guide you in where to focus your time and effort based on your goals. You could research it all on your own, or watch other people work out and try to copy their routines, but it will probably take you a lot longer and be a source of frustration in the process.
A writing coach is like your personal trainer. You can talk through your goals with her and she can give you guidance and help you plan a path forward to reach those goals without the same level of fumbling around in overwhelm and frustration that would happen if you tried to figure it out alone.
I have helped many writers define their goals, uncover their reader and message, and make progress in serving God through their writing. If that sounds like your next step, book a free 30-minute discovery call. I would be honored to be your personal writing trainer to help you find clarity and direction in your writing journey.