Late Nights and Creative Sprints: Inside Jake Varrone’s Writing Routine
How Pomodoro sessions, cold showers, and mindfulness help this NYC Creative Director write with intention and clarity.
Hey, welcome to Methods—the series where we explore the creative habits of fellow Substack writers.
Today, we’re taking a look at the creative habits of Jake Varrone, an Associate Creative Director based in New York City.
Jake has written copy for over 50 brands around the world and is also a fiction writer, primarily focused on short stories and personal essays.
On his Substack, Write to Move People, he shares stories, reflections, and writing lessons to help others lead more creative, intentional, and purposeful lives.
Check out his short story: The Really, Really Big Promise
In this interview, Jake shares his late-night writing routine, his favorite pre-writing rituals, and how he uses mindfulness to boost his creativity.
Enjoy!
Know someone with a unique creative process? Drop their name in the comments—I’d love to feature them!
A Night Owl’s Focused Writing Routine
Late Nights and the Pomodoro Technique
My creative routine can be a bit chaotic, but a few habits have remained steady.
I love writing at night because something in my brain just switches on when most people are asleep. I haven't been able to replicate that feeling during the day, which has proven to be both a blessing and a curse.
Another big part of my routine is the Pomodoro Technique, which is a productivity method I first discovered through legendary copywriter Gary Halbert. I found out later that Jerry Seinfeld does it, too. The process is simple: sit down, set a timer for 33 minutes, write, take a short break, repeat.
Knowing there’s a set endpoint makes it easier to focus.
The Pomodoro Technique works well because our brains only have so much capacity for deep work each day. This helps me make the most of that time.
Plus, I'm often more excited to sit back down in the chair, and it feels more satisfying to look back and say I completed six focused sessions, rather than letting the day blur into one big writing block.
And no, I have no idea why it's called "The Pomodoro Technique."
Though it's never been explicitly mentioned, I can’t help but imagine that Isaac Asimov—who produced an astonishing volume of work—may have relied on a similar strategy to stay so prolific.
Pre-Writing Rituals
Meditation, cold showers, calisthenics, and mindfulness
I have several rituals that help me prepare to write.
Meditation is the big one—it sharpens my focus, allows ideas to rise to the surface, and helps me get ready to tune out distractions.
I also practice Wim Hof Breathing, which relaxes me and lifts my mood.
Cold showers are another staple; they’re a way to build resilience and get comfortable with discomfort.
In my early twenties, I got really into calisthenics—it’s like a blend of gymnastics and prison workouts. Physical exercise has become a huge part of my creative process; most of my ideas actually come when I’m not at my desk.
On Getting Started
The 500-Word Warm-Up
I begin by writing 500 words of pure nonsense. It’s a warm-up that clears out the “mud,” so to speak, allowing me to start fresh. I think of it like flushing the pipes before the clear water can flow. Highly recommend it.
On Being Mindful
The Power of Mindfulness
The habit that enhances my creativity the most is mindfulness. It enables me to pause, check in, and ask, “What do I need right now?” Sometimes I need to create more; other times, I need to absorb more. Sometimes I need intense focus, and sometimes I just need to step away.
Mindfulness gives me the clarity to make the right adjustment and keep moving forward.
Tools of the Trade: Writing Essentials
Digital Tools for Writing
I do all my writing digitally, either on my computer or phone—never by hand. Some people give me a hard time for this, but it’s what works for me.
The reason is that, back in elementary school, we had to complete writing prompts by hand, and by the end, my hand would be aching. I linked that pain the act of writing, and it left me with the impression that being a writer might not be for me, despite doing well with it in school.
These days, I mainly write in Notion or Word. As far as tools, I also use ChatGPT and sometimes Perplexity as thought partners to brainstorm ideas or analyze my work, especially when it’s late and no one's up to read it.
For reading, I stick with my Kindle—it’s convenient, portable, and makes it easy to juggle a few books at once.
Having a consistent reader
My girlfriend reads nearly everything I write. Having a consistent reader for feedback is invaluable and, in my opinion, totally underrated. It’s like making music—when you make a track, you want to test it on the same speakers because you know how they handle different frequencies.
Check Out: John Steinbeck On Writing to a Specific Person
Biggest influences
People
Haruki Murakami,
Dan Harmon,
James Blake,
Joni Mitchell,
Etgar Keret,
Books
Story by Robert McKee,
Very Good Copy: The Book by Eddie Shleyner,
Write Dumb by James Dowd,
How Emotions Are Made by Lisa Feldman Barrett,
The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker, and
Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg.
Anything written by Haruki Murakami or Etgar Keret
Experimentation and Growth
Rethinking Typing
I’ve experimented with a few weird methods that have reshaped my approach to writing.
Recently, I tried pretending I was typing on a typewriter. It made me more intentional with every word—since I “couldn’t” easily delete, I had to think in complete sentences before writing them down, and that changed the flow of my thoughts.
Building on simple ideas
Another technique I love is expanding from a single-minded idea until it becomes a full story. For example, I wrote a story called I Stand Corrected about the life of Autocorrect when it was human. That idea led me to imagine Autocorrect as a former spelling bee champion.
When I imagined his personality, I imagined him as a bit of a perfectionist who corrects people all the time. Then I explored how the inherent flaws of perfectionism might create conflict, and asked myself, “What would lead a perfectionist like Otto to become an iPhone feature?”
The moral of the story practically wrote itself. Before long, that single-minded thread unraveled into one of my favorite short stories.
The short story mentioned: I Stand Corrected
See Also: Ray Bradbury - let your characters write themselves
How has your creative process evolved over time?
In June 2024, I began posting on Quora, challenging myself to write one answer a day. My work in copywriting and creative directing had always focused on short-form content—headlines, body copy, and punchy messaging. So, shifting to daily long-form writing, with immediate feedback, was a game-changer.
Living creatively every day has always been my dream, and while I was doing that in my career, this daily writing practice has taken it to a whole new level. It’s incredible to look back, and see how much I've grown after challenging myself like this every day.
Similar: Liza Libes - How Growing an Audience Changed Her Writing Habits
Creative Superstitions and Rules
Font Preferences and Not Overthinking It
One thing I’m particular about is fonts—I have my favorites (Bookerly and Notion's San-Serif) and I always write in dark mode to avoid eye strain (white pages give me a headache after a while).
I also have a bit of a superstition about overthinking, which I tend to do a lot. Right after finishing the Autocorrect story, I got a tattoo on my right forearm that says, “Don’t overthink it.”
Just a little reminder to prioritize progress over perfection.
More: David Foster Wallace On Perfectionism
Thanks, Jake!
Be sure to check out his substack Write to Move People for more stories and reflections.
Subscribe to Writers Are Weird
Access the full archiveDocumenting the creative process. Written by Sam Mas
Great read going in-depth to give insights into the actual real-world writing processes of a working writer.
The post was very informative and educational for other writers and should be helpful regardless of the experience level.
I suspect your readers will be incorporating some of Jake's tips into their own writing routine similar to reading weightlifting routines of someone else and trying out some of the techniques in one's own workouts.
I particularly liked how you presented the narrative too with prompts and then letting the writer tell his writing story through his own words.