ADBC Fitness Studio‘s March newsletter featured an article listing keys for weight-loss success. Tips included:  keeping a food journal, incorporating physical activity, and checking in regularly with a weight loss coach.

Personally, I have learned that I am much more likely to exercise consistently if I exercise with friends. Their encouragement and support keep me going when I feel like skipping exercise or giving up!

Caroline’s fitness newsletter got me thinking:  What are a few keys to writing success?

1. First, set realistic, attainable goals. Tabloid covers lie:  there is no easy way to lose 20 pounds before that high school reunion next week. Likewise, writing the first draft of your next novel in a month is probably an unrealistic goal. However, writing 500 or 1000 words a day is completely doable.
2. I highly recommend using a task management tool such as Todoist. A task manager can help budget writing time effectively while keeping track of assignments and deadlines. Plus, it keeps a record of your progress – checking 1000 more words off an 80,000-word manuscript is super gratifying!
3. Find a buddy who will encourage your writing. I am more likely to get up and drive to exercise class if I know Diane is going to call if I sleep in and ask why I skipped. Likewise, I am more likely to write consistently, and to persevere until the manuscript is finished, if I have a friend checking in on my progress. People are made for community – community makes us stronger.
4. Check your environment. If I bury my sneakers underneath a mountain of unfolded laundry in the back of my closet, I probably won’t dig them out to take a walk back on the farm. If my writing area is cluttered with a thousand pieces of junk related to everything but writing, if I write better in quiet but keep the TV on all day, if I leave tabs open for Facebook or Pinterest – well, I’m not going to do much productive writing! Eliminate unnecessary distractions, and make your work area as conducive to writing as possible.

What keys to writing success would YOU recommend?