The Stephen King Ritual That Can Help With Your Clutter

When it comes to writing legends, Stephen King is pretty high on the list. He's been churning out hit novels for years. With a bibliography that spans decades, featuring novels that have both thrilled and terrified readers, King’s work ethic and dedication to his craft are things of legend. 

One of the well-publicized cornerstones of his disciplined approach to writing is his ritual of penning at least 1,000 words every day. It's a seemingly simple practice that, trust me, is harder than it sounds. But stick with me here, because this little habit of his isn't just about cranking out words. And we’re not here to talk about taking small actions toward big goals. In this habit lies a profound lesson that could even be used to help you tackle that mountain of clutter you've been meaning to get to.

A while back, I was reading an email sent out by Ali Abdaal (he’s a big YouTuber that I enjoy learning from), and he shared about his chat with other big-time entrepreneurs who swear by writing 1,000 words per day and how he was going to start doing the same. This, again, is something that Stephen King and Ernest Hemingway famously attributed a portion of their success and productivity to.

So, as I read this email, I knew that a daily habit of writing 1,000 words would 100% help me out in my own business and life goals. Everything I do in my business is also downstream of writing- my YouTube channel, these lessons, my outreach and collaborations, my website, etc. If I wrote 1,000 words daily, I would be ahead of the game and would, for sure, find more free time throughout the year.

Here's what happened

3000-5000 one day, zero the next. Even in trying to challenge myself to a habitual system of small incremental achievements, I found breaking the peaks and dips of activity very difficult.

Here’s what I ran into:

1. The lack of muscle memory made it feel like a big task
2. Other things took priority
3. My system kinda sucked 

The problem with baby steps

The problem with baby steps is that they’re too big and too small. If you’re drowning in clutter, and I tell you to start by decluttering a single drawer or a cabinet every day, that task will still feel huge because the habit hasn’t been built yet. It’s new terrain and, therefore, feels hard.

They’re too big

You might get 2 days' worth of drawers in, but by day 3, you're feeling a strong pull to not do that anymore. It was the same thing with my writing; 1,000 words sounds like a lot when you’re not used to writing every day.

So many habits and lifestyle goals follow the same pattern of building: taking small, incremental actions until the habit is formed and consistency becomes easy. 

Stephen King didn't just write 1,000 words per day for the sake of writing, achieving specific writing metrics, or completing any one book. If that were the case, he would have stopped doing it a long time ago. He writes every day because it's the consistency that's important. Strengthening that muscle. Building that change, that growth.

Now, I'll be honest, I've never actually read a Stephen King book- although I've watched a ton of his movies- but from what I hear, he's a pretty stellar story-maker. How many creations, stories, worlds, and personalities- would never have existed if not for his daily consistency in growing that creative story-building part of his brain?

So, when I see people talking about the value of doing a "little bit at a time", things we all know and have heard a million times in one form or another:

"Rome wasn’t built in a day"

"One day at a time"

"Baby steps"

"Slow and steady wins the race"

"Every little bit helps"

"Brick by brick"

Rome wasn't built in a day could have been reimagined to say, "Rome wasn’t just built with bricks but with the growth and habits of its builders." But, I get that it doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

They’re too small

At the same time, the task wasn’t big enough to take priority. Every other upcoming thing on my schedule edged out the writing routine, and because it wasn’t big and important enough to divert time from these other activities, it just didn’t get done.

You don’t have to tell me this happens to you with decluttering; of course it does! There are 100 things more urgent than decluttering your kitchen at any given moment. It doesn’t mean that the return on investment isn’t there or that creating a supportive, clutter-free space isn’t just as important in the long run as many of the things on your list, but it isn’t urgent.

They don’t work well without a system

My system wasn’t dialed in. I had heard about this awesome tool called Scrivener that’s for writers. It lets you set writing goals and tracks how much you write. I thought, “This is perfect”, and it is pretty cool. But, I would default to pulling up my Notes app, which has a shortcut on my desktop dock, or Google Docs, and I would essentially forget that I was supposed to be doing all of my writing on Scrivener- for consistency and tracking.

After so many days of spreading my writing across a myriad of tools, I had already lost track. I had no way of knowing if I had reached or succeeded in my 1,000 words, and it didn’t take long for that to discourage me because every time I went back to my Scrivener tool, it felt like starting over. 

These are the same 3 problems everyone runs into when building new habits and routines; it’s the same reason people end up decluttering in peaks and dips rather than finding consistency and flow.

Organic decluttering

This is why I really push for organic decluttering. Organic decluttering is decluttering something or taking a micro-action toward decluttering something while you're already there going about your daily flow. While you’re already digging in that drawer, putting away that laundry, and making a trip downstairs. It makes consistency doable so that the consistency can do its job of growing your brain in that area and building the habit and confidence.

In the example I gave earlier, where I asked you to declutter a drawer or cabinet per day, you might get 2 days' worth of drawers in, but by day 3, you're probably feeling a pretty strong pull to not do that anymore. However, if I tell you to start by taking micro-actions- move a product to the side when you use it, put a bag in your closet to collect ongoing donations, etc.- you're more likely to feel capable and lose the dread.

• It makes prioritization irrelevant
• It doesn’t feel too big or overwhelming
• Your system is built into your flow

Creating a new flow

Each day, as you chip away at the clutter, you're not just cleaning up physical space — you're also cultivating a new growth in your space awareness muscle. That growth is the most important aspect because that’s what’s going to expand into new ways of experiencing your environment in the long run. 

The drops add up

But, of course, it's not JUST habits you're building when you declutter bit by bit. I was very serious when I said that writing 1,000 words a day for me would, in the most literal sense, give me enough content to put me ahead and bring more ease to my work life, just as chipping away at the physical clutter will eventually lead to a completely clutter-free space. The only way that wouldn't be possible is if you're bringing in new things at a faster pace, but that's a concern for another day.

The Ripple Effect

The impact of this ritual extends beyond just a tidier home or workspace. As you begin to see the results of your daily decluttering efforts, this discipline and focus can spill over into other areas of your life.

Just as King’s daily writing compounds into novels, your daily efforts compound into a more organized, serene living environment. You'll eventually run out of things to declutter. But you'll still have that habit- that way, your brain is thinking and noticing the things around you. That doesn't just stop. It redirects.