In a stupid COVID-19 turn of events, my life’s suddenly been turned upside down.
The thing is, I like to workout. I’ve been lucky enough to have access to a small gym that’s operated by my job. Which means that we’ve been allowed to keep it open almost continually through lockdown (with the exception of a few months when things were really kicking off).
Now however, with winter fast approaching, more and more people are wanting to use it and we all have to conform to a strict booking system.
The evening slots fill up pretty fast, so to make sure I get some regular exercise I have to get in there at 6 in the morning, before work.
That’s not a problem. My alarm rings at 05:45 anyway, and I’ll be out the door in five minutes, back at home with plenty of time to shower and eat before I go to work.
The problem is that this was time I used to reserve for writing. I turned my life around a year and a half ago (which you can read all about here) and since then I’ve never looked back. Getting up early, writing a bit every day has been my jam and I’VE LOVED IT.
Yeah, I still get to write daily, because I still have the time after work that I used to spend in the gym.
But it’s not the same. After work, after a whole day of social interaction at work and loads of time to remember all the extra stuff I should be doing, I’m more distracted. Less motivated.
I still get it done, but it feels slower and harder. The beauty of sitting down to write as soon as I wake up (at least for me) is that I’m not properly awake. I’m not thinking too hard about the story in front of me. I let my fingers do their thing, try not to think too much and suddenly writing a first draft is a dream.
There’s no need for thinking during a draft anyway – that comes later during revisions.
Though it feels good to get the workout out of the way early, I’m looking forward to the day I can turn everything back around and get my words out early. It’s the best!
How do you work best? Do you stick to strict habits or do you write when you find time for it here and there between other things? Let me know!
Trey Stone, Author 
I’m definitely a morning writer. I get my best stuff done before lunch. At one point in my life, I was getting up at 4 AM just to have writing time because I was spent by the end of the day. If I didn’t have the dog to walk, my ideal would be: wake up, write in my PJs for a bit, then start the rest of my day. Afternoons and evenings are saved for the less thought-intensive projects (blogs, a podcast, social media post batching, etc.) because I cannot think straight anymore. Investing in a fold-up spin bike (albeit cheap) has been a lifesaver for workouts at home.
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Sounds like we’re exactly the same! (Maybe I should look into getting some home-gym equipment)
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Trey, you don’t have children, wife or even a dog. You go to bed at 7, get up at 3, write until gym time. It’s my all-time fave schedule. Need less time? Go to bed at 8 and get up at 4. How is you life turned upside down because you have to move things back an hour?
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Not move it back an hour, I have to swap when I write and train. That’s what I meant by turning it upside down. I do have a wife though 😉 and 8 is dinner time
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But now that you mention it, if wasn’t trying to maintain some semblance of a normal social life and keep in touch with my wife, your setup sounds pretty sweet
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I’m a late night writer. It’s when my mind is always moving so I get my best work done in the evening, although I have been known to write in the afternoon on occasion! Although I shamefacedly admit that my exercise routine is lacking so I don’t have to compete with my writing time for that!
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I used to love working late at night. In fact, when I studied I would write whole essays throughout the night and just sleep during the day when I was done. I find now that getting up early works better though!
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