Every author should get in the habit of starting each day by reviewing what they wrote the previous day and what they plan to write during their daily writing session.

Authors can do their daily writing reviews before leaving home for the office or while settling into your home office. The reviews can be very short; they shouldn’t take more than 10 or 15 minutes. But, the habit of daily reviews can have a profound impact on your writing productivity.

• Review what you wrote the previous day. This helps you re-establish momentum and makes it easier to pick up where you left off. It also creates positive feelings of progress.

• Review what you plan to write each day. This engages your brain, priming the pump for your daily writing session. While performing routine tasks, your subconscious brain will be processing and organizing ideas. When you finally sit down to write, your brain will have already done a lot of the heavy lifting.

How to make the most of your morning review each day

1. Print out your work. Review your previous day’s output on paper, rather than on screen. This makes it easier to notice areas needing a little extra work. Add editing ideas in the margins. This helps you resist the temptation to prematurely edit what you’ve written.
2. Review the details of your writing session. Visualize the details. Think about when you’re going to work on your project (i.e., the time you’ve set aside), where you’re going to work (i.e., office, home, etc.), and what you’re going to write (i.e., specific topics you’re going to address).
3. Cultivate a success attitude.  Stress the right words; don’t think in terms of “goals” or  “plan to write.” Instead, use terms like “will write,” “will explore,” or “will finish.”
4. Set the right goals. Think in terms of topics you’re going to address, rather than the number of words–or pages–you hope to complete. Two printed pages that describe new insights are more valuable than ten pages that simply restate what’s already known.
5. Make it visual. Use tools like mind maps, white boards, index cards, or sticky notes to track your progress and display topics you are going to write about. Cross out topics or add check marks to track your progress.
6. Marketing. Don’t limit your daily working sessions to just writing your book; allocate time for marketing tasks like creating blog posts about your latest ideas. By the time that you’ve finished your book, readers should be primed to purchase your book.
7. Big-picture reviews. Once a week or once every two weeks, review what you’ve written. Evaluate it in terms of schedule–i.e., deadlines–as well as quality expectations. Identify obstacles and problems you may have encountered, and ways to address them.

Cultivating the daily habits needed for writing success

Every author should start each day with a brief review of what they wrote the previous day and what they plan to write about. Writing and publishing success involves keeping your brain constantly engaged and making consistent progress each day. Let me know if you’d like to know more about cultivating the daily habits of writing success, or ask a question. Share your opinions and comments, below.