7 Ways to Trick Your Brain Into the ‘Writing Zone’

Your brain won't be mad...promise!

Ah, the writing zone—that mythical place where words flow like a perfect pour of coffee, time bends in your favor, and distractions? What distractions? When you’re in it, writing stops feeling like a battle and starts feeling...inevitable.

Sign me up! Right? If only it were that easy.

Honestly, if I had a magic formula for getting into the zone, I wouldn’t have spent half the morning scrolling cat videos (so cute!) before starting this post.

But! (you know I love the ‘but’) What I do have are some expert-backed strategies to help set the stage—because while the zone may feel like luck, turns out it’s actually strategy.

1. Make a Pre-Writing Ritual (Yes, Even a Weird One)

Brains love patterns. That’s why athletes have pre-game rituals, and why you always crave a snack during your favorite TV show. Whether it’s making tea, lighting a candle, or listening to the same playlist, a little pre-writing routine tells your brain: Hey, it’s go time. (Just don’t let the ritual become its own form of procrastination—we’ve all been there.)

2. Warm Up Like an Athlete (But Less Sweaty)

Diving straight into high-stakes writing is like trying to sprint without stretching—painful and regret-filled. Start with low-pressure writing: morning pages, freewriting, or journaling. No pressure, no perfection, just words on a page. Like a casual little chat with your keyboard before the real work begins.

3. Eliminate Distractions (No, Seriously, ALL of Them)

I know. Telling a writer to remove distractions is like telling a cat to stop knocking things off tables. But science says deep work requires zero interruptions. Silence the phone, block social media, and maybe even go full-screen mode to stop your brain from clicking between tabs like a manic DJ. (And yes, I see you opening another tab right now. Close it. I’ll wait.)

4. Write When Your Brain’s Actually Awake

Not all hours are created equal. Research shows most people have peak creative times—often early morning or late at night. (If you’re a mid-afternoon zombie, maybe don’t schedule your deep writing sessions then.) Figure out your brain’s best window and guard it with your life.

5. Move Your Body, Trick Your Brain

Exercise boosts dopamine, blood flow, and all that good stuff that makes focus possible. Even a quick walk or some chaotic kitchen dancing before writing can shake off the mental cobwebs. (I swear by this. If my neighbors have seen me pacing in my backyard muttering plot ideas... no, they haven’t.)

6. Set a Timer & Sprint Like a Writing Olympian

The Pomodoro Technique is your best friend: 25 minutes of focused writing, short break, repeat. No overthinking, no staring into the existential void—just go. Often, you’ll keep writing long past the timer because momentum is magic.

7. Stop Being So Damn Hard on Yourself

Seriously. Perfectionism kills flow. Treat writing like an experiment, not a performance. Play with words, let yourself write badly, and trust that the good stuff will come. (It always does.)

Final Thought: The Zone is Fickle (Write Anyway)

Some days, the zone waltzes in like a dream. Other days, it ghosts you completely—even when you’re doing everything right. The ritual, the warm-up, the distraction-blocking... and still, nothing. Write anyway. Even when it feels clunky, even when every word is a struggle—because words on the page are still words on the page. Keep showing up, keep priming the pump, and eventually, the zone will show up too.

Now—go trick your brain into cooperating.

(Do you have a ‘zone’ hack you swear by? Share it in the comments! I honestly want to know!)

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On the Writers With Wrinkles podcast: We have a new episode dropping Monday where we answer a listener question about shaking up a writing routine to be more productive.

Reading: We Solve Murders. By Richard Osman. I can’t lie, I don’t love it as much as the Thursday Murder Club series. *sigh*

Watching: Severance. My eldest made me go back and try it again and this time..I’M IN!

Something random I love: The Jones Road Beauty concept of clean, no make-up make-up speaks to me. I’m especially into this product: Miracle Balm. It’s a workhorse that solves many ills.