People who have trouble sleeping are often advised to establish a routine, go to bed at about the same time every night, get up at the usual time even if you didn’t get to sleep till late, avoid distractions near bedtime, keep TVs and books out of the bedroom, and so forth.

People who have trouble writing should take parallel advice: write about the same time every day, sit down to write at the usual time even if you didn’t finish your to-do list first, avoid starting a chore or project right before your writing time, don’t take phone calls during your writing time, and keep TV off or in another room. And for goodness sake, don’t clean up your desk before you start! It’s as lethal as trying to sleep immediately after working out at the gym.