How a calendar can help you write
On implementation intentions, my calendar habits, and a variety of possibilities.
In How long does it take to write a book? I shared how much I wrote every day in 2021-2022 (spoiler alert: a little per day, quite a bit in total). I managed to put together those numbers thanks to the habit of keeping an Excel sheet, which made me think of the tools I use for writing and how they work (or don’t) for different people: in Habit trackers, I go into detail in the pros and cons of keeping a spreadsheet—or any tracker at all.
Another tool that I use to keep on writing is my calendar. Here is how that works.
🗓️ Implementation intentions
In chapter 5 of Atomic Habits1, James Clear writes of an experiment that researchers did in the UK to see how people could build better exercise habits over two weeks. The people undergoing the test were divided into three groups:
✍🏻 The control group—they were only asked to track how often they exercised;
💪🏻 The “motivation” group—they were asked to track their workouts and to read some materials on the benefits of exercise;
🗨️ The “planner” group—they tracked their workouts and received the same motivation materials as the second group, but they were also “asked to formulate a plan for when and where they would exercise over the following week. Specifically, each member of the third group completed the following sentences: During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [DAY] at [TIME] in [PLACE].”2
91 percent of people in the third group exercised at least once per week, against the 35 to 38 percent of people in the first and second group (yep, motivational content didn’t make much of a difference, it seems).
The sentence the people of the third group had to say is an “implementation intention”:
“[…] a plan you make beforehand about when and where to act. That is, how you intend to implement a particular habit.”
Atomic Habits by James Clear, page 70
Something about the example stuck with me. That’s when I decided to try to put my writing sessions on my calendar.
When to write
At the beginning of each week, I look at the week ahead and plan it out: I see when are my shifts at work, check if there are any events and appointments already planned, and I adjust the rest accordingly. Specifically, whenever I have a morning free, I block 1 hour and a half/two hours for whatever project is due that week.3
It’s a visual, colorful reminder on my phone of the limited time I have at my disposal. Now, I don’t look every single day at my calendar and I do not always follow the plan. But even just the act at the beginning of the week to stare at these seven days and realize, here, this is when I have the time to do this, helps.
It loads off my mind of having to think about it. James Clear puts it perfectly:
Many people think they lack motivation when what they really lack is clarity. It is not always obvious when and where to take action. Some people spend their entire lives waiting for the time to be right to make an improvement. Once an implementation intention has been set, you don’t have to wait for inspiration to strike. Do I write a chapter today or not? Do I meditate this morning or at lunch? When the moment of action occurs, there is no need to make a decision. Simply follow your predetermined plan.
Atomic Habits by James Clear, page 71
When not to write
The other pro of this habit is that I know when I don’t have to write.
Before putting my writing sessions on my calendar, writing was an ominous ever-present task on my mental to-do list. But now that I have it planned, I don’t have to constantly worry about it anymore. Is it an early evening in the middle of the week, and I have some free time at my disposal? Great, I can read or watch whatever I want without feeling regret: my writing session is anyway planned for tomorrow, two days from now, or next week.
I may be different from other writers, from this point of view. Writing isn’t a passion that I need to do to survive—I survive very well without it. It’s a continuous choice instead, that takes energy to make and that doesn’t come automatically. Still, is something that I want to do.
I found out that knowing when I don’t have to write is extremely important for my mental sanity health, just as much as knowing when I should be writing.
Different people, different calendars
This is how it works for me. It’s great because it just fits the way I tick: structure helps me a lot, and it just… works. Though, there are drawbacks to being this way: flexibility, for one, isn’t my strength. By following my strict schedule, I’m missing out, you could say.
What I’m trying to say is that my method isn’t perfect: it’s just mine. I don’t think that putting your writing session (or whatever habit) in your calendar the same way I do it is the only way. Everyone is different: if my method doesn’t convince you, then listen to your guts. You may be right.
But, I still believe that the concept of implementation intention is valid. It’s just that there must be different ways to use it. In my case, it’s through a calendar. What is it for you?
I had to think of a great post on Breakthroughs and Blocks (great newsletter on Substack, I highly recommend it if you’re a writer). In How writers find time to write, Bec and Chris go through four different patterns they have found asking thousands of writers:
Writing daily — Some writers write daily, at the same time and in the same place;
Time boxing — Some writers (like me) book time to write depending on their schedule;
Binge writing — Some writers binge write for long chunks of time over more or less days;
Spontaneous — Some writers take advantage of those 10-15 minutes between things.
And remember, no approach is better than the other - it’s just what works for you right now.4
Depending on what kind of method works for you right now, maybe your implementation intention will sound different. Instead of opening up the calendar app, maybe you’ll say something like, “I will write every day for 20 minutes at 6 p.m. at my desk”, or “I will write for eight hours on that specific weekend in a cabin in the woods” (I wish I could do that), or “I will write for 5 minutes every time I pull out my phone to check social media” (in which case time and location depend on another action, which is also an idea approached in Atomic Habits).
What kind of method are you using right now? Do you find the idea of implementation intention useful? If you have any thoughts on what I shared, let me know by simply replying to this email or leaving a comment!
Take care,
Rye Youbs
See also
Atomic Habits by James Clear — all the quotes are from the paperback edition printed by Penguin Random House (2018)
The quote explaining what the third group of the experiment had to do is on page 69 of Atomic Habits by James Clear.
On how I plan my week — I love calendar blocking (meaning, putting everything you want to do in your calendar app). A great video about how to go about it is How I Manage My Time by Ali Abdaal.
On four different ways to approach your writing time — here again the link to How writers find time on Breakthroughs and Blocks. I see some overlaps in the “Depth Philosophies” that Cal Newport writes about in Deep Work: different methods to make time for activities that require deep focus. These are the “Monastic Philosophy” (a rather extreme system that doesn’t appear in Bec & Chris’ post), the “Bimodal Philosophy” (I see similarities with binge writing), the “Rhythmic Philosophy” (a combination of writing daily and time boxing), and the “Journalistic Philosophy” (which reminds me of spontaneous writing).
Wow you’re so organized! I have no calendar whatsoever in my head with when I need to write and do publishing. I just have a sort of mixture of a written down checklist and a mental one, and according to my mood, I choose whatever task I feel like from those lists to complete.
Good points, but particularly good is the one about knowing when you don't have to write reduces stress. The work-life balance is critical.