How to Get Back into Writing After the Holiday Season
The holiday season is a wonderful time to step away from our daily responsibilities and recharge. But once the celebrations wind down, it can feel daunting to jump back into a regular writing routine. Maybe you’re struggling to find your focus, or you’ve lost some momentum during all the festivities. If you can relate, you’re not alone. Here are a few tips to help you ease back into your writing practice and start the year strong.
1. Embrace the Post-Holiday Slump (Briefly!)
It’s okay to acknowledge that returning to “normal” can feel tough. You might be:
Feeling physically tired from holiday travels and gatherings.
Emotionally drained after family get-togethers or year-end stress.
Mentally unfocused due to an irregular holiday schedule.
Don’t fight these feelings too hard at first. Give yourself permission to be tired or unmotivated for a short period. Sometimes, simply recognizing and naming your slump can make it less intimidating.
Quick Tip: Allow yourself one or two days of low-key reentry. Tidy up your workspace, sort through emails, and do a little bit of reading or note-taking. Easing into a creative mindset can be more helpful than forcing yourself to write when you’re not ready.
2. Set Manageable Goals
When you feel out of practice, it’s tempting to set ambitious writing goals to make up for lost time. However, this can lead to burnout or disappointment if you don’t meet them. Instead, break your larger writing goals into smaller, more achievable steps.
Pick a word count goal per session (e.g., 300 or 500 words), rather than aiming for thousands.
Plan short writing sessions of 15–20 minutes to rebuild stamina and confidence.
Celebrate small wins by recognizing each completed writing task—like drafting a scene or brainstorming character ideas.
Quick Tip: Use a habit tracker or calendar to log each day’s progress. Even a simple checkmark for every 20-minute session adds motivation and visual proof that you’re returning to your routine.
3. Revisit (or Create) a Writing Schedule
During the holidays, your daily rhythms likely changed—late nights, traveling, or spending more time with friends and family. Re-establishing a schedule can help you recapture the structure you need to write consistently.
Experiment with timing: Try writing at different times of day to see what works best for your current lifestyle. Mornings might be more peaceful before the rest of the day’s obligations; evenings can be calm once the household has settled.
Block out dedicated writing time on your calendar, just as you would a doctor’s appointment or a meeting. Treat it as non-negotiable whenever possible.
Quick Tip: If you share a living space, communicate your writing schedule to family or roommates. Let them know you need those 20- or 30-minute blocks of uninterrupted time. Boundaries help you maintain focus and respect your writing goals.
4. Start Small with Warm-Up Exercises
If you’re really feeling stuck, get your creative juices flowing with simple writing prompts or journaling exercises. Warm-ups ease you into the writing mindset without pressure.
Freewriting: Spend 5–10 minutes writing non-stop about anything—your holiday experiences, a dream you had, or even complaints about the day’s traffic. No editing, no judgment.
Writing Prompts: Pick a short prompt (like “Write a scene in which two characters argue about a misplaced gift.”) and let yourself explore.
Morning Pages: Try writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness in the morning. It clears mental clutter and primes you for more focused work later.
Quick Tip: Keep a prompt jar on your desk. Whenever you come across an interesting idea or phrase, write it on a slip of paper. When you’re struggling to start, draw one from the jar and write about it for a few minutes.
5. Read to Refuel Inspiration
Sometimes the best way to rekindle your writing motivation is to immerse yourself in the work of others. Reading helps you remember why you love storytelling—or any other form of writing—and can spark new ideas of your own.
Revisit a favorite author: Crack open a classic that always lights your creative fire.
Explore a new genre: Challenge your reading habits by branching out into poetry, memoir, science fiction, or essays you wouldn’t normally pick.
Highlight passages that resonate with you. Reflecting on what you admire in others’ work can reveal new techniques to try in your own writing.
Quick Tip: Set aside 15 minutes of reading before each writing session. It can quiet the mind and transition you into a more creative headspace.
6. Find Accountability
Accountability is a powerful motivator, especially when you’re rebuilding a habit. Share your goals with someone who can check in regularly to ask about your progress.
Join a writing group or workshop. Whether in person or online, a community of fellow writers can be encouraging and keep you on track.
Buddy up: Exchange weekly or monthly word count goals with a friend, and follow up to discuss any successes or roadblocks.
Social media updates: If you’re comfortable with it, share your writing plans or daily progress on platforms like Instagram or Twitter. Let your followers cheer you on (or gently nudge you if you fall behind).
Quick Tip: Use writing sprints with friends. Everyone writes for a set period (like 20 minutes) and shares a quick progress note afterward. These bursts of focused writing can break through procrastination and make it fun.
7. Practice Self-Compassion
It’s easy to get frustrated when you’re struggling to regain momentum. But remember, the holiday season can be both joyful and chaotic. If you didn’t write as much as you hoped during that time, give yourself grace.
Acknowledge that every writer faces ebbs and flows, and that’s normal.
Celebrate small improvements, like writing for 15 minutes when you hadn’t written at all the previous day.
Focus on steady progress, not perfection.
Quick Tip: Try journaling about your feelings around writing. If you’re feeling guilt or self-doubt, getting those emotions on paper can help you work through them rather than letting them fester.
In Conclusion
Getting back into a writing routine after the holiday season can be challenging, but it’s certainly doable. By carving out small, consistent blocks of time, embracing warm-up exercises, and seeking a supportive writing community, you’ll find yourself slipping back into the creative flow before you know it. Remember: perfection isn’t the goal—progress is. Each word you write brings you closer to regaining (and even surpassing) your pre-holiday momentum.
So go ahead, open that document, pick up that pen, and start putting words on the page. You’ve got this.
