How To Make Hand Lettering Practice a Daily Habit

One of the biggest struggles when learning hand lettering is finding the time to practice. Life gets busy, and sometimes, it feels impossible to set aside time to create. If you’ve ever wondered how to make hand lettering a daily habit without adding stress to your life, here are five practical tips to help you fit it into your routine in a way that feels good to you.

1. Prioritize Hand Lettering in a Way That Works for You

Prioritization is key to making time for anything, including hand lettering. However, this doesn’t mean you need to wake up earlier and lose your precious sleep. If that works for you, great! But if you’re not a morning person, that’s ok. Work with what season you’re in right now. You don’t want to burn yourself out by trying to force something. Instead, think about how you spend small pockets of your day. For example:

Use a few minutes during your lunch break or while waiting for an appointment.
Prioritize lettering over scrolling social media.
Choose lettering as a relaxing activity instead of doing more cleaning (the cleaning will still be there).

Your schedule and life circumstances will determine when and how much you can practice. Hand lettering should be a stress reliever, not something that adds pressure. Make it a priority when it feels right for you.

Don’t wait for when you have an hour to practice. Use those 10 minutes here and there because they really do add up.

Before I had kids, I used to find a lot more time to hand letter. With kids, my priorities have changed and that’s not a bad thing. It just means I need to find different ways to get creative with my lettering practice time. I know that the season I’m in right now will change again.

Hand Lettering Practice prioritize what works for you

2. Consistent Practice Over Perfection

Is perfectionism holding you back from practicing hand lettering? When we start something new, we’re not going to be very good. Even when we’ve been practicing for a long time, we still may not be where we want to be. But the problem is that the only way to get to where we want to be is to show up in the imperfect place we are right now. Truly, the only way to get better is to show up and practice.

Oftentimes we don’t even see our progress until months or years later. So we can’t track our practice by how much better we’re getting. We have to track it by something that’s measurable. Like how consistent we are.

If we do one small thing everyday to work towards our goal of hand lettering, we’ll be surprised how far that will take us. So the trick is to be consistent instead of striving for perfection. And guess what? There is so much joy along the way, in the messy and imperfect moments.

When I started hand lettering, I didn’t care how good or bad I was. I only cared that it made me feel like I wanted to be alive. Looking forward to going home to hand letter got me through some really difficult days. It didn’t even matter what my lettering looked like. It lit me up to be able to create. It was my therapy.

So remember, you don’t have to be the best to enjoy it. Just show up as you are right now.

3. Find the Right Tools to Make Practice Effortless

Choosing the right tools can make a big difference in removing friction for a hand lettering habit. Having too many supplies can be overwhelming, so simplify your setup:

Pick one journal and one set of pens to use consistently.
Try a simple notebook with Crayola markers or a favorite brush pen.
Declutter unused supplies to create a more inviting space for hand lettering.

If you’re feeling unmotivated, switching to a different pen or paper might spark creativity again. Experiment, but also recognize that you don’t need every pen in the world to improve your lettering skills.

I started hand lettering with a ballpoint pen and did faux calligraphy. Then I used the Crayola markers that I had on hand. Of course, now I’ve tried so many pens but Crayola is still one of my favorites. If you haven’t explored pens yet, check out the 5 Types Of Pens Beginners Should Know. I break down what might be good for different styles and give you options of my favorites and what I’ve heard works for others as well.

4. Listen to What You Need to Actually Practice Hand Lettering

The idea of practicing every single day can feel overwhelming. Instead of forcing a rigid daily habit, listen to what YOU need. Some days, you might want to letter for 10 minutes, and other days, you may need a break. Then occasionally you might practice lettering for an hour or two.

Hand lettering is about self-expression and enjoyment, not just skill-building. If another activity, like exercising or being in nature, helps you recharge, honor that too. Creative energy flows better when you’re well-rested and inspired.

Sometimes going on a walk gives me more creative energy and ideas than if I sit at my desk and force myself to letter. Listen to what you need because that’s what your art needs.

In the past, keeping a brush pen and notebook on hand made it easy to practice anywhere. But life changes, and sometimes, other responsibilities take up those free moments. If you can’t letter on the go, try:

Practicing while watching TV, if that helps you relax.
Finding short moments in your day when it feels natural.
Letting go of guilt when you can’t practice as often as you’d like.

The key is to recognize that different life seasons require different approaches. Some days, lettering will be your go-to relaxation activity, and other days, you may need rest instead.

5. Practice What Feels Satisfying To You

There are a thousand different things we could be practicing! So how do we know what we should practice? Do what feels satisfying to you. Pick one thing to start and move on when it doesn’t feel satisfying anymore. There’s no reason your lettering has to look like anyone else’s so it makes sense that your practice would look different too. Here are some ideas to choose from:

Practicing the alphabet or basic strokes.
Exploring different lettering styles.
Lettering names of family and friends.
Exploring colors.
Lettering quotes from movies you love.
Lettering lyrics from songs as you listen to them.
Following a course, book, or tutorial that resonates with you.

We naturally gravitate toward activities that bring us joy. By focusing on lettering exercises that feel satisfying and enjoyable, we’ll be more motivated to practice regularly. It won’t feel like something we have to check off the list. Instead, it will be the thing we look forward to.

If you’re looking for structured guidance, my book Hand Lettering for Beginners offers practice pages and projects to help you build your skills step by step. Sometimes, having a physical book makes it easier to commit to practice time rather than searching for resources online.

Final Thoughts

Hand lettering is meant to be enjoyable, not stressful. Whether you practice daily, a few times a week, or whenever inspiration strikes, the most important thing is that it brings you joy. Listen to what you need in each season of life, and let your creativity flow in a way that works for you.

This blog post is an updated list from this video: