If there’s one thing that has held true over the years, it’s that the more I write, the more success I have.
When people ask what I do, I rarely know what to tell them.
Blogger? Entrepreneur? Marketer? Golfer?
They all fit, but the one that often feels the most accurate is writer.
Whether it’s writing content for Location Rebel Academy, emails for our newsletter subscribers, or blog posts — if I don’t write, I don’t make money.
Simple as that.
Yet, lately, my writing has been stagnant.
I’ve put it off, made excuses, or found other people to do it for me.
One of the effects of that is feeling lost.
Years ago, this crazy thing happened.
Remember the guy from the old “Make 7 Up Yours” commercials? His name was Orlando Jones, and this one time, I ended up randomly hanging out with him at a mansion in LA.
But he told me one of the most valuable pieces of advice I’ve ever received.
He said, “Master the craft, not the form.”
So in my case, my craft is writing.
It doesn’t matter if I write blog posts, journal entries, screenplays, emails — whatever.
Once you master the craft, it can take any form it wants.
When I write, I’m able to get my thoughts out. I’m able to work through problems. And perhaps most importantly, I’m able to take the feedback and responses I get and use them to steer the direction I’m going.
When I neglect the craft, it can lead to a loss of direction.
And when I feel that, I do one thing: write daily.
I think this is the best way to find focus and direction.
So if you’re feeling stuck, I’m going to challenge you: get something out there every day.
Rather, not just write every day, but publish every day.
That’s writing on a blog, publishing on social media, posting on Medium, and getting my YouTube outlines set.
The idea of a daily writing habit has always seemed daunting and terrifying, but right now, it feels necessary.
It’s a way to help reconnect with the craft that has afforded me so many wonderful opportunities over the last decade, and even better, by doing it publicly, it offers more chances to connect with the readers (you!) who make our community as special as it is.
The Origins of Location Rebel
One thing you may or may not know about Location Rebel was the reason it began as an accountability tool.
Making a public declaration of your goals and intentions is one of the very best ways to follow through with them.
So, at the suggestion of Chris Guillebeau, I started the blog and published my bucket list as a way to hold myself accountable for the things I wanted to accomplish in my life.
Since doing that, I’ve done dozens of things I’d never have done without hitting publish. Cigars in Cuba, living on a tropical island, climbing a mountain, building a successful online business — the list goes on.
But it was committing to the accountability that allowed me to follow through with it.
So if you’re feeling stuck, commit to doing the same.
Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.
By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Location Rebel. We'll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
How to Start Writing Every Day
Alright, let’s actually set some action steps to get you to start writing daily.
1) Write for yourself first
Ok, first, start writing for yourself. Make it a journal, a Word doc, inside Grammarly. Make it small, even if it’s just a few sentences.
Don’t worry about publishing at first — we’ll worry about that later. The goal here is to get yourself out of your head.
And if you get stuck?
Then check out some of these writing prompts.
You can also try outlining the topic, or if you’re writing for a client, ignore the intro and work on a section that’s easier to get started. You never have to write “in order.”
2) Set a goal
Next, set a goal.
Maybe it’s 200 words or 500 words. The actual number doesn’t matter. But what does matter is making it a number that you can comfortably hit daily.
Way too many people start with an outsized goal and then struggle to meet it.
If you’re trying to learn how to write every day, don’t start with 1,000 words — that’s really hard. Instead, start with something you feel confident you’ll hit 95% of the time.
There are a bunch of writing tools that can help you set up your daily writing goals.
Why does that 95% matter?
3) Build a streak
Because we want to get a streak going.
Gamification, baby.
I love gamifying things. I try to close the rings on my Apple watch every day and get outside for exercise. Because I have the watch, it motivates me to get up and walk around when I know I need to close that last ring.
We’re doing the same thing with your daily writing goals.
Once you start building that streak, it becomes more ingrained as a daily habit and harder to break.
4) Make it a routine
A big part of any successful new habit is making it a routine.
There’s a reason why we all get up and brush our teeth every morning, right? It’s been ingrained in us since we were kids.
Now, it’s so automatic you probably don’t even think about it, you just do it.
Take the same approach with your daily writing habit.
Challenge Yourself
So now I’m doing the same with this post.
Every day, I’m working on putting something out there.
On this site, or the golf or cocktail site, on my Twitter account, and on my YouTube channels.
Yes, it’s a lot. But I also know that amazing things can happen when you start writing and getting things out there, even if it’s just a Tweet.
And in the process, I’ll be working to write 1,000 words a day as a personal goal for myself.
I can’t wait to see where this goes.
Interested in joining me for a 30-day challenge of your own?
This post has been updated for accuracy as of March 2023.
Sean Ogle
Sean Ogle is the Founder of Location Rebel where he has spent the last 12+ years teaching people how to build online businesses that give them the freedom to do more of the things they like to do in life. When he's not in the coffee shops of Portland, or the beaches of Bali, he's probably sneaking into some other high-class establishment where he most certainly doesn't belong.Join over 40,000 people who have taken our 6 part freelance writing course. Sign up below and let’s do this together.
By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from Location Rebel. We'll respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time.
