Making Time to Write When You're Busy

[kitty_fic]

Someone recently asked me how they can find time to write when they have a toddler and while I don’t have a kid, I do have a full-time job, an apartment to keep clean, a dog to feed/walk, and occasional after-work activities. Writing when you’re busy is hard and there are loads of reasons why you might be drained on a daily basis.

Whether you’re going to school or you’re taking care of a child, here are a few ways to make time for writing.

Find your writing time

Are you a morning or night person? Do you have time to write after work? After you put your child to sleep? Do you often get up early? If you find you have more energy and time in the morning to get in a quick writing session, set that time aside. If you live with someone, let that person know it’s your writing time. It also helps to figure out when you’re most productive because you don’t want to waste that time.

Ask for help

If you can afford to hire a babysitter so you can get out of the house for an hour to get some writing time in, go for it. Ask your partner to keep an eye on things for a little bit. If you have a support system, use it. Explain to your loved ones that you want to write and it’s an important part of your life that makes you happy.

Schedule it

Start a writing calendar and do your best to stick to it. Do you have a lot of free time on Sundays? That’s a good day to get a little extra writing in. If you have a steady schedule, you should be able to figure out what works best for you. Being able to cross off days and add in writing sessions is a huge motivator.

Sneak in short sessions

You don’t need to write for an hour or more to have a successful writing session. If you can sneak in 10 minutes during lunch or 20 minutes during your kid’s nap, anything helps! If you finish your homework early, use that time to write. Writing for 5 minutes for 2 hours doesn’t make a difference. Just add some words to the page!

-Kris Noel
Source: http://krisnoel.com/post/128200409004/making-time-to-write-when-youre-busy


Do you have any other tips for finding time? What works for you?

Comments

[yanagi-wa.livejournal.com]

One thing that is essential is to establish some boundaries with family. Mine are simple, writing time isn't to be interrupted except for emergencies. If you have small kids I know it's hard. But even a three year old understands Mommy time. Making it stick, now that a whole other thing.

[kitty_fic]

Yes, so true! So hard, but true!

[yanagi-wa.livejournal.com]

My kid used to follow me into the bathroom. I finally established these rules:

If you're not bleeding, it's not an emergency.
If nothing's on fire, it's not an emergency.
If anyone calls on the phone, and they don't say it's an emergency, tell them to call back.

[kitty_fic]

Yes, those sound like great guidelines to me!

[yanagi-wa.livejournal.com]

They worked really well. With kids, you have to keep it simple but detailed.

[kitty_fic]

how old are your kids? :)

[yanagi-wa.livejournal.com]

Mine is 42. The steps are 58, 44, 42.

[kitty_fic]

So these are tried and true methods! :)

[yanagi-wa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, they work pretty well. Kids are smart, they just don't have social skills. On of our jobs is to teach them.

[josephinestone.livejournal.com]

Very much needed this.

[kitty_fic]

Yay! I'm glad it spoke to you! ♥