I added copywork back to my daily routine.
Copywork is the practice of rewriting quality copywriting examples. Examples can be emails, sales letters, landing pages, ads, and blog posts.
Good writing is all around us. I’ve maintained a swipe file for the past 10 years. It’s chock full of great writing.
I flip through it before I sit down to write anything for a client. And adding copywork to my morning routine has made the flow state coming quicker.
My copywork routine is simple. I flip through my swipe file until I find a piece to rewrite. I set a 15 minute timer in my browser and begin to write. I choose to rewrite the copy by hand instead of typing. There’s a lot of science supporting retention when you physically write something versus just typing it.
I don’t worry about rewriting the entire piece. I only do 15 minutes worth. If I don’t finish, fine. If I finish early, I’ll rewrite. 15 minutes is the standard. It’s long enough that I can slow down and think but short enough that I do not make excuses for not doing it.
I do it after my morning workout and before my kids wake up.