For developing good writing habits you need to accomplish two things; first, start writing regularly. Write in a journal, start maintaining a diary, write letters, write small passages on your social media accounts. Make a beginning by ensuring that you write regularly. You have to actually write. I suggest write with your hands that using the computer key pad. Second tip is – select minimum five topics on which you will write regularly; by writing regularly, you get plenty of writing practice, and your work improves.

You cannot write without having the knowledge on the topic; so read up as much as you can recurrently on the chosen topics by you. By reading and discussing you will gather lot of knowledge on everything related to your topics which you might want to mention in your writing. Remember lack of reading will be apparent in every sentence that you write. Therefore, for good writing skill reading as much as you can is very important. Both habits go hand in glove. For example, if you want to write on the topic of ‘present digital advertising scenario’ you might want to write the emergence of digital media – time line – it’s strengths and weakness, other media vehicles – it’s cost advantage and the strong players in digital advertising. Now you see a writer has to educate himself before writing on a topic like this. Your writing has to be realistic, lucid and stimulating. People will not read if it is dull and recurring. You need to have original ideas to make it interesting. Good writing needs intuitive mind also.

What are you writing – a report, a letter, a power point presentation, a note, an introduction? And, whom are you going to present it to? Remember nobody has time to read lengthy and prolonged writing. You need to be sensitive and you need to have keen understanding of the nature of people to whom you are going to present your work. Your written communication needs to be crisp and accurately worded. It should be a thoughtful discourse.

Finish what you start. One of the worst habits is leaving your writing halfway. If you take breaks you should be smart enough to reconnect to where you have left your work. Shiny new ideas are always tempting to add. Don’t go out of the context. Your communication must be understood; therefore, concentrate of the choice of words, the grammar, spellings, punctuation, logical flow and ending of the communication. I once again stress on the point of avoiding lengthy writing, nobody has time to read. Be specific and crisp in your communication.

Read what you have written twice/thrice and correct your presentation. Show your work to some senior colleague; ask him/her to correct your work if possible. Polish your work before you make a final copy. You should be good at editing your own work. Again, it comes with regular writing practice. Format your document correctly.

Some people detest writing. All across the world people say that writing is one of the most difficult, most underestimated activities. Some people write as a profession while others write because it is required for them in their education or career. There are even some unique people who write because they enjoy writing; no matter what you are writing for, developing a daily writing habit can be extremely beneficial to different areas of your life.

You must develop writing as a daily habit because it’s a great ability to have. It is a great skill of ably and coherently getting your thoughts onto paper in an interesting and engaging manner. It is no small feat. And my dear friends, once you get the hang of it, you start to see how it helps you communicate with others in an effective way. And, when you write daily, you develop a bigger sense of self. Even when you’re not writing about yourself, you become skilled at understanding how you perceive things or what your outlook is on certain subjects.

 Another great reason why writing daily is beneficial is because it helps you develop critical thinking skills that you learn through your writing and it helps you become a better orator, thinker, and doer. It certainly heightens your outlook and perspective on any given topic. Once you begin to write your thoughts and feelings on paper, you feel compelled to write about them again the next day. Please try doing it for a month.

And last but the least reason that I have for you is that writing trains you to learn about the English language, you automatically start using a better diction while talking because of your daily writing practice. You learn more words (synonyms and antonyms), your learn punctuation, grammar and spellings, whether it’s indirectly through contextual examples or directly from a dictionary. You automatically start to develop your thoughts with best words, ideas, and phrases that you can use at any given time. In fact you can start talking extempore. This gives you more of a chance to make a real difference with your words, not only on paper but orally as well. Start writing everyday; do it for a month and see the difference.

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Bridget Jones’s Diary is a 1996 novel by Helen Fielding; the novel is written in the form of a personal diary, the novel chronicles a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a thirty-something single working woman living in London. She writes (often humorously) about her career, self-image, vices, family, friends, and romantic relationships. Bridget not only obsesses about her love life, but also details her various daily struggles with her weight, her over-indulgence in alcohol and cigarettes, and her career. Bridget’s friends and family are the supporting characters in her diary. This novel later was filmed with the same title as “Bridget Jones’s Diary. The novel brought the diary writing back in vogue.

For many writing a diary is like chores. They will write, come what may before retiring to bed. And let me tell you, writing diaries is not as easy as you think. It takes a lot of patience to sit and record things. While recording those things in your own diary, how transparent are you to yourself. It matters a lot. The habit of diary writing comes easily to some and for others it doesn’t. To put it in plain words, usually the people who don’t have the patience to write something down will not maintain a diary. And the ones who can, record the whole lot of things in it. It is a very good habit of maintaining a diary.

It plays a role of mind-balm

Jot down everything that happened in the day in it. Good, bad and the ugly also. Recall, each event in a day; your thoughts, experiences, impressions, news, names, dictums, quarrels, fun and jokes. It’s your diary and therefore please jot-down everything as it is. All that you wanted to say but didn’t, why, when, how – follow your thought process and see how relaxing it is. Writing gives a vent to your emotions. Psychologist, Nalini Nair, says that writing diaries is a form of catharsis; which is a process of cleansing or taking away our emotions out. She emphasizes on the fact people who record daily events and jot down everything that they feel are more in touch with their inner emotions. It helps them to introspect more than those who don’t write.

You know, putting our feelings into words kick-starts an area of the brain involved in rationalizing ideas and impressions.  Whatever is upsetting you, keeping a diary could help put things into the right perspective. Research has proved that writing daily in diary allows your ideas to bud, gives a lot of clarity to blurring thoughts. Writing about your feelings can help the brain overcome emotional upsets and leave you feeling happier. Few psychologists took brain scans on volunteers who wrote diaries and those who dint. The result showed that putting feelings down on paper regularly reduces activity in a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for controlling the intensity of our emotions.

It allows you privacy

You don’t want share all of your ideas and thoughts with everybody. But you want to explain yourself why you are doing something, how it’s going to matter you. You want to write about your own opinion, do write it. In today’s ever more connected world, privacy is becoming a constant threat for everyone; a personal diary is a boon. Over some time, you will find your own thought process changing, strengthening, intensifying, maturing, derailing, devastating – it’s fun to read. Your diary is your mirror image.

You can love yourself, hate yourself, pamper yourself – it helps you to track events. If you read your older diaries, you will discover how you thought and felt about things, your relatives, and friends at the time. It is also a humbling exercise.

Dr. Jeffery Lieberman – Psychiatrist at Columbia University says “Writing seems to help the brain regulate emotion unintentionally. Whether it’s writing things down in a diary, writing bad poetry, or making up song lyrics that should never be played on the radio, it seems to help people emotionally.” I know many people who are authors, poets, lyricists but only in their diaries.

Let me tell you, your diary is your travel companion. As you travel in life your diary too does it along with you. It plays a role of a friend, philosopher and guide. It is becomes a custom, once you start writing. And, it is good habit. It allows you to be yourself without any make-up.

Make it a habit: Write it daily at the same time, make it a trigger.

Some write it in the night, some during afternoon, and some early in the morning. It’s advisable to have a certain time of the day to start writing. Just be sure it’s a time that won’t obstruct your writing by other activities.

Once you make up your mind about making it your habit, please announce it to others. I think once we announce our intensions it is difficult to go back on our words.  It’s crucial to be fully committed to forming this habit. To do that, it’s best to not make it a private thing, but to commit yourself publicly. Tell everybody around you and you will be surprised that your public commitment will give you the inspiration you need to stay on track.

Stay in touch with it at least for a month.

Really give all your focus and energy to forming this new writing habit. Rewards are great motivators. Buy yourself a gift. Do them more often in the beginning. Make a list of these rewards before you start, so you can look forward to getting them.

The more consistent you are with your habit, the more inbuilt it will be. You want the habit to be very strongly associated with your trigger, so that each time the trigger happens, the habit happens. This is what makes it a habit. If the trigger happens, and sometimes the habit doesn’t, then you’re not really forming a habit. Make no exception; because one exception often leads to a second, and then a third. It’s like telling yourself, “Just one day I will not write.” Be firm, start writing and see the result.

Sip a cup of tea or coffee or soup while writing. Listen to some soothing music while writing. See the difference. Writing every day is a energizing. If it does not, if the habit isn’t fun in some way, you’ll lose motivation over time. So keep going at it. Don’t give up. It’s a great habit – you will see only good changes in your life once you get used to writing diary.