A little motivation for daily writing

Part of any researcher’s work is writing — writing proposals, writing applications, writing reports, writing up findings, and so on.

The best advice I’ve ever had on writing is this:  Don’t put it off.  START NOW.  It’s never too early to begin drafting your work.  All the same, it can be a slog to set one’s mind to writing, and to accomplish one’s writing targets.  It’s something that you really need to get into the habit of, and that takes time, repetition, endurance, and determination.

I’ve recently begun to use an online tool that is helping me develop a writing habit.  It’s called 750 words, and it’s a site worth trying if you are interesting in getting motivated to write on a daily basis.

Here’s how it works.  You set up a profile on the site, and, at your request, the site will send you a daily reminder to log in and write.  The writing that you produce is private — nobody sees it but you. You are held accountable for writing 750 words or more a day.  When you meet that goal, you get various virtual high fives from the site.  After a certain number of days/words, you also begin to get little (virtual) badges.  You can also set up your own private goals and rewards for yourself.

There’s something very pleasant about seeing your daily goals met, and getting that instant recognition (of sorts) of the accomplishment.  If you simply need a bit of a prod to sit yourself down and get those words out of your head and onto your computer screen, then I highly recommend it.