Become a Writer in One Hour a Day by Jeff Bailey

You want to be a writer? Let me start you off with a simple challenge. Some years ago, I read an opinion ( I don’t recall the source) that if a person spent one hour a day studying any one subject or skill; in one year, he would be a world-class authority on that subject or skill. I thought at the time that the advice was too simple, too generalized. Now that I’m attempting to learn a new skill set, writing, I’m finding the recommendation is not so easy to follow. But, it seems (to me) to be true.

 I’m making the effort to spend an hour a day (most days, several hours), minimum, working on some segment of being a writer. I write. I edit. I proofread. I market and if all else fails, I blog. Most days, I have no difficulty. I enjoy the whole process. But, the letter of the law says, “Every Day.” It is hard to start work at ten at night after an all-day family reunion/n or a Super bowl winner’s celebration. I try to envision a student of classical piano going to his music room in the middle of the night and having the mental wherewithal to practice. So, an hour a day can sometimes be a formidable exercise.

Now, I’m going to throw one more rule into the mix. For every minute in the hour(s), one must do the single most productive item on their to-do list. Before I start each day, I review the list of twenty or thirty things that I want to accomplish that day and pick the one item that I would deem (honestly deem) the most important item to complete. I don't always want to do the hardest thing on the list. Let’s go back to the piano student. Do we suppose he will ever master anything if he sits and plunks middle ‘C’ with his right index finger for an hour? I look at each task and ask myself if I’m plunking middle ‘C’. I have one or two tasks on my to-do list that I rank right up there with plunking middle ‘C.’ I sincerely hope that neither one ever gets to be my single most important task.

So, try the plan. Pick any endeavor that interests you. Try to work for one hour a day, every day, at the single most important aspect of that task that you can find. It’s an interesting study in dedication to see how many days one can keep up with the regime. I can most assuredly promise that no one can complete the year. But, if you really want to be a writer, you should enjoy the challenge.

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