Do these 11 things before giving up consistent writing

I’ve wanted to quit writing a hundred times.

The urge hits when I’m staring at a blank page, when my last piece got crickets, or when that voice appears, whispering that nobody gives a crap about what I have to say.

But certain behaviours and mindset shifts now have me thinking I was crazy to even consider quitting.

There are always ways to get re-motivated.

Try these before you throw in the towel:

1. Learn about something novel and fascinating.

Get re-inspired. It doesn’t matter what the topic is about. We put too much pressure on ourselves often to study within our lane. Screw that.

Dive into a topic that lights up your brain. How about quantum physics, ancient philosophy, or how to make sourdough?

Then use that inspired energy and infuse it into your next short piece.

Curiosity is the antidote to creative death.

2. Get off-screen for a day or more.

We live in a unique time where most of us confuse screen overload with laziness.

Re-configure by giving your mind time away from the usual stimulations. This fires us up more than endless scrolling.

Your brain needs space to breathe and make connections.

Walk. Sit. Think. Heck, pick your nose. Let your mind wander without a device in sight.

3. List 10 reasons writing still holds a place in your life.

I won’t tell you what they are because you already have two things:

1. Your instinct knows

2. You are a creative human.

Dig deep. Why did you start?

What does writing give you that nothing else does?

Write it down and keep it visible.

4. Realise that more intelligent people than you have been beaten by their fears.

Thousands of brilliant minds have surrendered to the same doubts you’re facing right now.

Are you next?

Or are you the one who pushes through when it gets uncomfortable?

5. Understand writing’s power for well-being.

Forget AI, money, and results for a moment. What does writing do for you as a consistent writer?

If you knew writing was proven to help with dementia, mental diseases, confidence, spiritual connectedness, discipline, creativity, and mental health, would you stop?

Heck, no.

Writing is therapy that pays. And even when it doesn’t pay, it heals the soul.

6. Read a few pages each week about the craft of writing.

Shift your role from a ‘dabbler’ to someone on the path of mastering writing.

Re-establish your identity through a commitment to getting hot-shit at the craft.

You’re not just writing, but you’re becoming an outstanding writer.

That slight mindset shift changes everything.

7. Multiply your output through repurposing.

You can squeeze so much more out of stuff you’ve already put time into writing.

You can turn one essay into five social posts, a newsletter, and a thread.

Externalise your content across platforms.

Research shows you can write AND do two-for-one content distribution for bigger results.

8. Challenge yourself with a 30-day writing experiment.

Test yourself. Use prompts, set word counts, and try new formats.

Make the commitment, and see it as a fun challenge. Constraints breed creativity.

When you have fun rules to follow, the paralysis of infinite choices disappears.

9. Read voraciously in your genre and beyond.

You can’t only be a writer if you plan to influence many. You gotta be a reader too.

This is the craft you chose, and you needn’t be restricted by your ‘topic area.’ Go beyond. Now even that kitchy airport novel is part of your ‘research.’

You’re immersing yourself in the essence of other writers. You learn through a kind of osmosis. And when you do, you’ll find your enthusiasm building.

10. Let go of needing conditions to be good.

• The dishes will always be dirty.

• Your writing space might be a little too noisy.

• Your inbox will always have emails to attend to.

• Your mood will never be perfectly aligned with creative flow.

Write anyway. Lean in slowly if you need to, but don’t hold back.

11. Write for one person you like.

Forget your ‘audience.’

It’s the facelessness of it that’s a turn-off. Great writers write with sincerity, and you can’t do that if you can’t visualise the dude on the other end.

Think of one specific person — someone you know — who needs exactly what you’re saying.

Now it’s real. It’s buzzing. It’s electric.

When you write for everyone, you connect with no one.

Writing consistently isn’t about motivation. It’s about re-immersing yourself in the identity of a writer.

These tips will help with that.

But the number one thing that will help with that the most?

Just write.

If you’d like more strategies for building an unstoppable writing practice, you’ll love my course: Online Writing Alchemy.

Alex