After a full day of work, family and life, you fall into bed exhausted. Mentally ticking off your to-do list, you cycle through shopping lists, phone calls, appointments, feeling good about what you have gotten done, until you get to the thing you really want to do
Oakley Hatchet. You lay there, bathed in regret why didn t you get your writing done today? You vow to do it tomorrow. You will make time for your novel or that article you know would sell. You consider angles, write a few lines in your head, and fired up with enthusiasm for your writing, you fall asleep.
The next day continues on much like the one before and you live the life of an unfulfilled writer, all because you do not do the simple work of making time to write. The task of finding and dedicating time for your writing can be daunting. Many people who want to write identify this as the number one challenge finding time. How can you give yourself more time when there are a limited number of hours in the day plus housework, family, a job, and other personal or professional obligations to fulfill? You can t create more hours in your day but you can restructure the ones you have to make more time for your writing. As a writer and a coach for writers, I have identified some of the reasons behind the challenge and offer some ways to get around the lack of time excuse.
Often the lack of time is really a mask for writing fears. The work of writing, while satisfying, can be difficult to make time for. We put it off to do the easier things, the things we know how to do. Think about the things you do when you are procrastinating getting to the writing. Do you clean, cook, or exercise? Do you spend your valuable writing time reading or watching TV? The act of writing challenges us to dive into ourselves and come out with something tangible. This is not easy. Notice when you are resisting and when you really do not have time to write. There are a limited number of hours in the day, but often we give away our passion and power by forgetting that we can always choose what to do with our time.
I can hear you saying, Well, I have my job, and then I have my family, and kids, and all these other obligations. Your roles become more powerful than you are because you believe you have no choice in the matter. Certainly dinner needs to be served. Certainly you have other commitments that you need to honor. But who decided that your writing wasn t as important as everything else? What would life be like if your passions had a place in the schedule as well? What difference would it make to the people in your life if you staked a claim for your writing? Hmmm... With the help of a perspective shift, you may realize that your writing is important, too. Perhaps in your mind it has been important, but you haven t taken that extra step to actually make space for it. Without space, your writing becomes a burden on your back, something you want to do but can t.
You then become a victim of your life. No fun. Look at the following ways to restructure your time both internally and externally. Then try out a few of them and see what works for you. Get in the habit of writing in short bursts of time
Fake oakleys. Give yourself ten, fifteen, or twenty minutes to write and then learn how to make the most of those bursts of writing. This means sidestepping the wandering or procrastination that distract you from writing.