Brain Hacking

I believe it was Timothy Zhan who once said "If you want to be a writer you have to show up for work." It's less ethereal and more daily grind than many people realize. Habit > Motivation. Motivation and inspiration are a fickle mistress who is guaranteed to leave you. Habit will be there for you. Here are some brain hacking techniques that might help you establish a habit.

Start the day with a habitual routine. Program yourself with conditioned stimulus, such as coffee means it's time to work. Much like Pavlov's bell associate a stimulus with a response. Fast tempo inspirational songs (or even the same song  on repeat will work as a conditioned stimulus) to shift yourself into the "mood" to work. At the end of the day switch to something to signify the end of the day. Often times during breaks I will listen to a lot of fast paced music to relax as well. Program yourself with your music. Much like how parents use soft lullaby's to put children to sleep.

Brainwave hacking sounds also work with frequencies. Just look up brainwave hacking and utilize soundwaves of a specific frequency to stimulate specific brain patterns. Suggested brainwave frequencies for writing would be beta and gamma.

Start your pomodoro even if you don't feel like doing anything set your timer and focus. Make a note in your planner that you don't feel like doing something. Though do take a break if you are approaching burnout. Stress can knock you out for longer periods of time rather than if you take well-timed breaks.

Often times I don't listen to songs if I am writing unless it is a song inspiring the mood of the scene. Though I do wake up and listen to songs on my break. There are sites that I would consider if I were to listen to songs while writing like brain.fm or musicforprogramming.net

Final note: beware eating large meals in the beginning, or middle of the day as it can bog you down and hinder productivity.