Commit to 1000 words a day

1000 words a day is a significant commitment; this can mean anywhere from 2 to 5 hours of writing, depending on your process and purpose. Remember that it doesn’t have to be good. It just has to be useful to your future self. You can get there with:

500 words of notes on everything you read and learn and watch and listen to
250 words journaling your state of mind and your goals (journaling is a great way to time travel)
250 words of actual writing meant for others to read: documentation, blog posts, etc.

That doesn’t look so bad, does it? Of course, tweak it however you like. The way you count words is really up to you. When Nathan Barry committed to 1000 words a day, significant acts of creation, like recording a YouTube video or podcast, counted towards his quota. For me, tweets and code do not count. Brain dumping a list of ideas, like I did before I wrote this essay, counts. Writing summaries of articles and private journal entries count. You might hold yourself to different standards. Your life, your rules.

If 1000 a day pace is too much given your existing commitments, take it slower for longer. 800 words a day for five years. 666 words a day for six years. 400 for ten. Adjust to taste! ...