1. Coffee, Books & Oxford Commas // 2. Oxford Comma Society // 3. Future Bestselling Author // 4. Writer // 5. Writer (in leopard print)

Major hat’s off to you for participating in NaNoWriMo this year! Your only goal this month should be writing those 50,000 words. If that means ordering takeout, eating cereal for dinner and letting the house chores fall to the back burner, then so be it.

You’re not meant to be a superhero who gets it all done this month, so feel free to let go of anything that isn’t important these next few weeks — even if that means buying a pumpkin pie from the store instead of slaving over a homemade pie for Thanksgiving dinner. You’ve got words to write!

So, how exactly can you keep your head above water during NaNoWriMo this month? I have five tips:

1. It’s not too late to start a writing calendar.

   You’re still in the early days of the month, so if you find that your writing plans haven’t quite worked out the way you wanted them to it’s time to dig out your calendar. Looking at the entire month of November, you know you need to write at least 1,667 words every day of the month. Figure out how many words you’re behind on, and create your new daily total. From there, set aside a few writing blocks a day to help you get to that goal. If you know you can get all your words for the day on paper in one sitting, then only block off one writing session on your calendar. Be sure to book yourself for the entire month. Can you already feel a sense of relief with your new game plan?

2. Find your preferred writing spot.

   Now it’s time to decide where you preferred writing spot is, and it can be inside your house or outside of it. Maybe you like spreading out at the dining room table for your writing session. If that’s the case, make sure you have everything you need for your writing time nearby. That way, you don’t have to go hunting for your laptop or your favorite notebook to keep thoughts that come to mind. If you like to write at a coffee shop, be sure you have your writing go-bag ready at all times. This way, all you have to do is grab your bag and walk out the door.

3. Use your phone’s “do not disturb” feature.

   Silence is golden — or at least that’s what those old movie theater ads used to say right before a movie started. The same applies to your writing time. Be sure to set your phone to “do not disturb” so you aren’t interrupted with calls, text messages or social media notifications when you’re trying to write.

4. Get some comfy writing clothes.

   Now is the perfect time to snag a really cute “writer” sweatshirt or something equally cute. I included my top five picks from Etsy and you can shop them below, too.

5. Stick to your writing times, everything else be damned!

This is where self-control kicks in. Put your writing time before anything and everything else that may pop up during the month. You owe it to yourself to give your writing all you’ve got this month, and when you cross the finish line with 50,000 words at the end of the month, you’ll be so glad you stuck with your writing until the end!