When I was offered my first ongoing writing position, I never thought about having a schedule for my writing time, unless procrastinating until the last minute was a plan. Each Thursday night I would phone around looking for article ideas from my local contacts so I could write two articles about the community for my Friday morning deadline. And each Thursday at midnight I would swear I would never wait until the last minute again.

I have a better process for working now and keeping on top of my assignments, but it's still not perfect. Recently I was longing for an email bankruptcy where my emails, unread and unanswered for three weeks, could be wiped clean and I could start fresh. Since I couldn't do that and stay in business, I spent three hours reading and answering emails today. It went surprisingly well. Sometimes the anticipation of problems is much greater than the reality. In case you've ever felt that your writing life could use a little routine organization and some motivating rituals, consider adopting some of these tips from my writer friends.

* For Parents: Write when the baby takes her nap.

This won't work if you don't have any small children, but it does work for new parents. It's just as easy to pick up the mess, fold the laundry and fix meals when the baby is awake. Really. But it's hard to still our minds enough to focus on writing when we have to supervise toddler shenanigans. Let the mess go and use those naptime hours (or fifteen minutes) to read, write, and create.

* Take advantage of late night silence to work on that novel.

One beginning novelist told me he didn't have the luxury of writing only when he felt like it so he trained himself to sit in his office chair and write from 10 until midnight each evening. It wasn't always easy but after a while, as he saw his novel grow and develop, he found it became natural to turn on his creative juices according to his writing schedule.

* Trade a bad habit for a writing habit.

A dear friend who writes for magazines and newspapers decided to trade her nightly glass (or two) of wine for writing. She told me at the end of the day she needed to relax and found herself assuming the nightly drink would do it. Instead it made it harder for her to sleep at night and left her exhausted and groggy in the morning, looking forward to the next night's "relaxation time." Ending her evening tradition allowed her to have an extra two hours in the evening AND more time and energy in the morning to write. Your bad habit could be too much television or it could be self-pity (like my fear of being late reading and answering emails because someone might be mad at me.) Give up your bad habit and gain a greater success with your writing.

* Create a ritual.

We all studied Pavlov's work with dogs in high school psychology classes. What if we trained ourselves to feel creative and excited about writing by creating a ritual that triggered that response? Maybe it's a cup of coffee and freshly sharpened pencils. Perhaps you meditate for 15 minutes, or walk around the block to clear your mind. Some writers read the pages they wrote the day before; others research magazines they wish to write for. If you don't have a ritual that revs up your creative juices, then create one! Put your lucky bracelet on, or light a candle, slip on your headphones or put on your favorite team's baseball cap. Personally, I like to wake up at 5, and snuggle into our recliner, a blanket over my lap. I rev up the laptop and write until I have to get up to do something else. And yes, I have my lucky coffee cup (filled to the brim) nearby.

Find your own best ritual or routine that supports your writing life.