Finding Time to Write
From my Newsletter, Spring 2008
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The issue I’ve been finding my clients struggling with lately is finding the time to write in the middle of your life. How can you make time for it?
The key is, you have to make writing your top priority, and commit to your schedule no matter what it is – keeping in mind that your highest priority may not take up the most time.
So what does this look like? Well, I can use myself as an example here. Since I came back from maternity leave in Oct., I’ve kept my writing as a priority, even though most weeks the most I can do is write 2 hours on a Sunday. Sometimes it’s only 1 hour, and there have even been weeks that I could not write at all. Nevertheless, I feel immersed in my writing, and I can see the progress I’m making, even though it’s slower than I want.
The trouble is, we all get into black and white thinking: “I need 4 hours to make a difference at all in my writing.” “I need a whole day to get this concept out.” “I need a whole week to get this done.” “If I could just get a month off, then the novel would be finished!”
We dismiss out of hand the value of a small segment of time. Even 15 minutes a day can move us forward in our writing. I know some writers (mostly novelists) who find showing up 15 minutes each day to be the most useful commitment. It keeps them in touch with their characters daily, and it’s a manageable amount of time. Almost all of us can come up with 15 minutes. You can even do that while waiting in the line to pick up your child from school, or while your car is being serviced.
I find that the key to making the best use of small segments of time is to be able to drop quickly into that special space we all create when we are in the flow of our writing. Since becoming a Mom, I find this has actually gotten easier for me (No time to procrastinate. When the sitter is there, I get to work!) But I have always used certain tools to help me quickly cross the bridge from my day-to-day reality into my creative space. Those of you who’ve taken my classes at Book Passage will recall that I am a big proponent of rituals to help us ease into the space. Making a special cup of tea, lighting a candle; having a special space arranged and waiting for us. It also helps if we jot some notes at the end of a writing session on where we want to go next, so that it’s easier to get pulled in.
The other thing to remember is that making the commitment actually helps. When I first began this, I would often procrastinate for 50 minutes of my hour- but I’d show up for the last 10. Gradually I learned how to jump in and make progress, and persevere. Of course, this is where the students in the writing classes help each other. We don’t want to show up the following week without having done what we said! You can do this yourselves by finding a writing buddy to check in with weekly on your own commitments.
So, don’t wait! Begin now! And you will be surprised by the results!