With all the distraction in one’s life, is it difficult for you to find the time to write? If you are like most writers, you juggle work, family, book promoting, blogging, and the demands of life in general. Your intentions to sit down and write are illusive; you never manage to put pen to paper. If you do carve out a few precious moments, you are tired and creativity is elusive. As you drag yourself off to bed, you envy the proliferate writer. You know that if you only had a chance, you too could publish books, maybe even a series. If only…
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” ~ Jack London
To paraphrase Jack London, ” You can’t wait for the time to write. You have to go after it.” Your clubs are prioritization, organization, and discipline. With these in your arsenal, you can conquer the time-suck. Before you know it, you will be writing consistently.
- Prioritize what is important and omit what is not.
- Organize your day. Use a scheduler.
- Discipline yourself; create a writing habit.
Sounds easy, yet so many writers complain that finding time to write is difficult. It seems that only the most dedicated and disciplined are prolific. If writing is your passion, nothing will keep you from achieving it. Somehow, you will find a way. Perhaps taking the following steps will help you snag a few precious moments for writing.
Six steps to finding time to write
- Prioritize. Omit what is not necessary in your day. Take a look at everything you do. Is it something you want to do more than writing? If not, chuck it.
- Set a realistic goal. Whether it is an amount of time you will spend writing each day or a word count, be specific in what you want to achieve. Do not be lofty; setting impractical goals will only set you up for failure. Be honest; set an achievable goal, even if it only fifteen minutes a day.
- Dedicate a time to write each day or at minimum each week and then include it in your schedule. Using a scheduler makes the time tangible: you are unavailable for other activities at that time. Dedicate a time when you are most creative. Do you do your best work in the morning or the evening? I schedule time to exercise and to write; without a schedule, these are the first two things I eliminate when time comes to crunch. I have to keep both my body and my creativity fit because, for me, exercising helps my creativity. When my time is limited, I alternate the writing and exercising.
- Form a writing habit. Use that time slot only for writing, nothing else. As you write each day at that dedicated time, you will form a habit. Before long, you will be writing automatically each day at that special time reserved just for doing so. Initially, try not to miss any days. Even though in the early stages, a missed opportunity to write may not significantly impact the habit formation, consistency is needed to create a habit. It can take up to 66 days to form a habit, so be as diligent as possible to your writing schedule. Be as consistent as possible.
- Remove distractions. Shut off the phone, don’t even put it on vibration. Turn off the internet and social media; these are big distractions. If you can, establish a quiet place at home where you go to write. I know of someone who converted a closet into her writing space. If being at home is too distracting, consider going to the library or staying after work for a period of time. Some people enjoy going to coffee shops that provide WiFi. Wherever you go, try to find a place that you can use consistently and incorporate it as part of your writing habit.
- Write. Write each day. If the muse is not there, use the time to edit, revise, or prepare for publication.
Other tips to help you put the pen to paper
- If needed, get a writing buddy. I have an exercising partner. Each morning she comes to my house and we exercise together using various workout DVDs. When she cannot be there, it is a challenge for me to exercise alone. Being there for each other keeps us focused and on task and helps us achieve our goals. Having a writing buddy is much the same. Get together and write. Its amazing what you can do when two or more of you are working on the same goals. It is all about commitment. With Skype, you can meet virtually, eliminating travel time.
- Join a writing club where writers encourage each other and critique each others work. I haven’t joined one of the clubs because having to write something each month sounds too much like homework; but I know other writers who find this type of club very helpful.
- Always carry a notepad or recorder to capture perfect words, plot development, or dialogue that suddenly come to you at unexpected times. Have you ever awakened in the middle of the night with ideas for the plot or characters? Waiting until morning to record theses ideas may be risky. Having a pen and paper nearby is helpful in capturing those details.
“Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed, nothing else will be managed.” – Peter F. Drucker
Tell me how you manage time. Have these steps and tips helped you find the time to write?
