The promise of “effortlessly building a lifelong, sustainable writing habit (no matter how busy you are)” was the carrot dangling in front of me.

I’ve had issues with consistency – probably because I have so many interests and so little time! I tend to start something new and leave it alone without having a care for months. Then I’d go back to it again at random.

Activities like writing in my journal, re-reading books and now writing on #Ship30for30 for the second time 13 months later are activities that resonate deeply even when it seems like I’ve fallen off the wagon.

As much as I was exhausted after graduating from #Ship30for30 the first time round, I came back to it because I enjoyed the writing, the supportive community and, of course, the companionship of my accountability partner.

“Second time’s the charm” they say. Well, not for us.

Both my partner and I feel like we’re still struggling much. With our demanding day jobs and being productive only late at night, here’s what went on:

The issue: writing late at night and editing too much.

We write at 11pm – our supposed sacred hour. But it’s a time when our brain cells have depleted from our taxing day jobs and is admittedly more disastrous than beneficial.

  • We realised that we took a lot more time to edit than is recommended.
  • The late nights took a toll on our health.
  • We couldn’t function at our prime the following day.

We’re still committed to creating 30 pieces of writing. Our NEW plan – we’re going to work smarter by following these steps.

  • Brain dump early in the day
  • Write for no more than 45 minutes at night (we use a pomodoro timer)
  • Edit for 15 minutes
  • Publish!

Ship30for30 also promises that we get to build lifelong friendships, which is exactly what we have (that is if we haven’t already killed one another). And to build what’s possible online.

If you’re also onboard @ship30for30, what are some of the best practices that encourage a better writing workflow that worked for you?