The Power of Morning Rituals: How I Transformed What I Do To Write More

Jason Dookeran
4 min readOct 6, 2023

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Disclaimer: This isn’t an advice article; it’s an exploration of something uniquely me. It’s an insight into how I write as a writer.

Every Day is a New Day. Photo by Dapo Oni on Unsplash

I write for companies professionally, but personally, I write on Medium. Unfortunately, my writing has been sporadic over the last two months, and I haven’t been as active at writing and editing as I should. I have two unfinished novels (one completely plotted), several hundred drafts, and just not enough time in the day for everything I want to do. However, I recently set up a new morning writing routine, and I wanted to talk about it a bit. I’ll also include my motivation and what made me want to do it.

Morning Productivity and Me

I’m far more productive in the mornings. Photo by kris on Unsplash

I enrolled in a course recently, and one of the things that stood out to me was when the instructor advised me to find out when I was most productive. I used to think I was most effective at night, but over time, my mind changed, and I realized I was far more productive during the morning period. Instead of wasting this productive time on stuff like social media, I decided I’d make a conscious effort to write an article a day. So far, it’s been a few days in, and I’m keeping up with this routine of writing and editing. An extra hour dedicated to writing each day could be helpful, even if it’s not in writing something I’ve been working on for a long time.

Getting Back the Habit

Habits are important but need to be cultivated. Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash

One of the earliest things I remember about being a writer was when I first started doing this part-time. I hopped into writing thanks to Stephen King’s book (On Writing); he states that you need to build writing into a habit. For a long time, I did that. I created a tradition around my writing, allowing me to write complete manuscripts. Yet recently, I’ve been slacking on my daily writing since I started doing this professionally. Sure, writing something is much more challenging if you’re already working as a writer, but I think making the effort has excellent transformative value.

My Goals Over the Next Month

Set goals. Make goals. Photo by Ronnie Overgoor on Unsplash

I have a few followers on Medium, but I’d really like to grow my following. To this end, I will try writing at least one article every few days. They’ll, of course, be in my niches of travel, emerging tech, personal finance, and game development. I also want to grow some of my followers, so I plan to do some commenting on Medium alongside doing these articles to get in touch with more people in my niches and potentially expand my reach. Finally, I would like to add value to people reading my stuff. While these are my goals, I know some of them are unachievable. But it’s a start. The ideal destination would be getting one of my articles picked up by a publication, but that’s aiming pretty high.

Thanking Those Who Read

A thanks to my readers. Photo by Pete Pedroza on Unsplash

I love writing, and I’d like everyone who reads these to know that I value you as my readers. I won’t post something I didn’t spend the requisite time to research, and I won’t sell you on an idea that I don’t believe in. I think that writing is an art, and it’s something humans can do to help us connect. In full transparency, sometimes I use AI to plot out the broad strokes of my articles, but all the words, paragraphs (and the lousy dad jokes) are all mine. I do that because I think you, as readers, deserve the best of me.

So here’s to my goals for next month and the hope that I’ll complete what I set out to do. I’ve been stuck in a rut for a while, and some people I know told me that the best way to change that is to radically adapt what I’m doing and what I’m comfortable with. So this is me, adjusting my comfort level and aiming for something better. I might even have the time to work on some of my fiction, too, if it comes to that. As usual, if you’re into writing, game development, personal finance, or emerging tech, consider subscribing to my Medium. I’m super glad to create something for you. Comments and questions are always welcome on my posts. And until next time, if you feel bogged down by your routine, maybe you should consider changing it. A fresh perspective can give you a new lease on life.

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Jason Dookeran

Freelance author, ghostwriter, and crypto/blockchain enthusiast. I write about personal finance, emerging technology and freelancing