Last post I talked a bit about the first new habit Brande assigns us, that of writing immediately upon waking up (Becoming A Writer, Chapter Five, “Harnessing the Unconscious”). I’m still doing kinda so-so at that, oversleeping my alarm frequently but powering up the laptop first thing. Difficult as that is, in the next chapter Brande assigns a task I find even harder: Scheduled writing sessions.

After you have dressed, sit down for a moment by yourself and go over the day before you… sketch out for yourself enough of your program to know when you will have a few moments to yourself. It need not be very long; fifteen minutes will do nicely, and there is almost no wage slave so driven that he cannot snatch a quarter of an hour from a busy day if he is in earnest about it….

Well, then, at [the time you have decided upon] you are going to write, come what may, and you are going to continue until the quarter-hour sounds.

She spends the next page and a half emphasizing the need to keep this “debt of honor.” Excuse yourself from any conversation, take a break from your chores, plead a visit to the restroom–do whatever it takes to be on time for your date with the Muse!

What makes this such a challenge, at least for me, is how easy it is to rationalize delaying, rescheduling, or even canceling my planned writing engagement. Yesterday, 5:00 PM came around and I was still in the middle of a housecleaning task; I chose to keep cleaning so that the task would be done by the time friends came over. (Never fear; last thing before bed I reached for the laptop and spent a solid half hour at the keys.) Today, my date was for 4:30 and I was reasonably on time, but I just had to tie up two or three loose ends before abandoning what I was doing. (But here I am now, and you’re reading the proof, or will be once I post this later tonight.)

Why is the daytime date so much more tempting to avoid than the one at dawn? I have a theory on that. Two, actually. First, there’s nothing we’re right in the middle of doing when we wake up. Except sleeping, of course. It’s tempting to go back to sleep, and I often do, but it’s not like we’ve mired ourselves in chit-chat or started playing a video game which we’re reluctant to leave off.

Second, I strongly suspect that the part of the brain that’s responsible for temptations and rationalization of this sort is a worse oversleeper than I am. And that’s saying something. Seriously, it doesn’t seem to get into gear until I start actually thinking about the day ahead of me. Once I do, then it pounces, whispering any number of fun activities preferable to the more virtuous ones I’d planned. But when all that’s in my mind is the dream I just woke up from, it’s easy to start scribbling. I have something I want to write down and no conscious desire to do anything else yet.

Based on these theories, I have two strategies for meeting the Muse on time.

Arrange the day accordingly. Just as you would for a real date, schedule the other pieces of your day so that you won’t have to abruptly cut and run. Start other tasks earlier so they’ll be finished in time. (Note to self: do not oversleep on housecleaning day!) And be aware of the time approaching so you can exit gracefully, with time to spare, those spontaneous social interludes that can catch you unawares.

Have a reason to write. Look forward to your writing engagement–again, just as you would with a real date. As you’d imagine the good food and fine company, think about the fun you’ll have writing. And decide what to write, so that you aren’t dreading the time when you must face the blank page. You needn’t stick to this decision so long as you write something at least, but making a decision is better than having no idea whatsoever.

Remember: we change habits by use of the imagination. The imagination aids us best when we have details to imagine. Don’t just say to yourself, “I will write,” but see the clock turn to five (or whatever time you like), see yourself open the notebook or power up the computer, and think about the subject you plan to write about or the project you plan to work on.