One of the most commonly asked questions is how to find ways to make time for writing.
“How do I find time to write?” a busy mom, or someone who also has a day job, may ask.
Yes, I know what it feels like when you want to do something but you never have the time or the inclination to do it. It feels like a chore or it’s too overwhelming and you put it off every day. At the end of the day or week or month, you have written nothing. Sound familiar?
Have you ever felt like you started out with a goal to write that morning but by the end of the day you wrote nothing and then made excuses for the reasons you didn’t write?
There could be many reasons you didn’t write. While not finding time may be one of the reasons, it could also be a symptom of something bigger that’s hampering your writing life.
So let’s deal with this in a holistic way to enable you to take a bird’s eye view of your writing practice and work on ways to find time to write and make the most of it.
I’ve outlined 15 ways to make time for your writing, get your writing done, and to find ways to enjoy your writing creatively and productively.
Let’s dig into it, shall we?
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1. What is your WHY when it comes to writing?
First of all, some questions that you must truthfully answer:
- Why am I writing?
- Is this important to me?
- Why is it important to me?
- How will it make me feel if I choose to write today?
- What will happen if I don’t write today?
Because, let’s be real, unless it’s paid writing, you may not feel motivated to write. It doesn’t matter whether you have the time or not because if you don’t feel like writing, then you won’t write at all.
So first and foremost is to deal with the WHY.
Simon Sinek in his book, Start with Why, says it doesn’t matter what you do, it matters why you do it. Not really asking yourself why you do what you do could be the thing that’s hampering your writing.
Asking why, could be just the inspiration you need to sit at your desk and write. It could be the key to unlocking what’s stopping you from writing or making the time for it. So, maybe if you’re struggling to find your WHY, this TED talk may just be the thing you need to get back on track.
Maybe it is that you want to earn extra income, or you just want to tell a good story. Whatever it is, it will propel you towards your goal of writing. That’s half the job done in finding more time to write.
So, think about that “why” every day or every time you lose the motivation to write.
2. Aligning your soul with your daily practice of writing
“Over any extended period of time, being an artist requires enthusiasm more than discipline. Enthusiasm is not an emotional state. It is a spiritual commitment, a loving surrender to our creative process, a loving recognition of all the creativity around us,” says Julia Cameron, in her book, The Artists’s Way.
So what is aligning your soul? It is coming to the page every day with enthusiasm, with a sense of wonder about what you might create that day, the words you may write, and how that may be deeply satisfying.
When you have to write every day, think of it as a marathon, instead of a sprint. You need sustenance. You need not only discipline but also enthusiasm.
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
– Duke Ellington and Irving Mills
What will enthuse you about your writing today?
3. Create a place for writing
Some writers like to write in coffee shops, some like quiet spaces. Whatever your ideal place for writing maybe, it’s necessary to find out what that place is.
Initially, you may like to try out a few different places to see which environment sparks your creativity best, and then it’s time to make that place your place for writing.
The benefits of having a place to write could mean peace, happiness, ease, and familiarity.
Find that place first.
4. Getting rid of clutter in your writing space
There is physical clutter and digital clutter. Physical clutter being the most visible is likely to be the strongest deterrent to a good start every day. Get rid of things on your desk that you don’t need. Keep everything that you need handy.
On your device/laptop, make sure the writing program is open the night before, so you can get straight to writing first thing in the morning, instead of going through your cluttered file folders to find where you left off yesterday.
Make it a practice to declutter your physical space and your digital space often to keep writing time as peaceful and productive as possible.
5. Eliminate distractions when you write
Social media, phone, notifications, all of these are distractions you want to avoid when you sit down to write.
I have switched off all notifications on my phone. Apps like Instagram and Facebook are not on my phone’s main screen. I try not to open WhatsApp or emails before I’ve finished my writing for the day unless I know in advance that I’m expecting an email or a message.
If you have kids, make sure they’re fed and happily engaged before you sit down to write so that the distractions in your writing time are eliminated.
6. Mark writing time as important
We make time for the important things in our life. Everything else gets waylaid by the side. The same is true for writing. If it is not scheduled in your physical calendar (planner) or digital calendar (Google calendar), you will never get to it. So, do set aside time for writing and mark it as important by scheduling it like you would schedule an important meeting or a doctor’s appointment.
Schedule your writing time. If it’s important, YOU WILL DO IT!
7. Make time for writing by giving up something else
Making time for writing may mean giving up something else.
Whether it’s the two hours you take to unwind after a long day or hitting the snooze button several times in the morning, think what it is that you are willing to give up to have the time you need for writing.
Go back to points 1 & 2. Think about your why, and align with your soul to find your true purpose in writing.
8. Avoid negative thoughts when writing and focus on the positive
Negative thoughts can sabotage the most wonderful writer’s efforts.
We have been taught to believe that negative equals realistic and positive equals unrealistic
– Susan Jeffers.
“Remember, your artist is a child. Find and protect that child,” says Julia Cameron in her book.
Don’t let negative thoughts and beliefs stop you from getting to work. Don’t pay attention to them.
Instead, develop positive thoughts.
Pick affirmations that will enable you to focus on the positives and let them guide your writing.
Use affirmations like: “I am willing to use my creative talents” OR “As I create and listen, I will be led.” Pick an affirmation that infuses you with positive energy before you sit down to write.
These positive affirmations may feel uncomfortable at first but write them down or say them anyway before you sit to write.
Believe in the higher power guiding you in your writing. Respect your writing time and do the best that you can in that time.
9. Create a routine for your writing practice
James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits is a goldmine when it comes to small habits and routines that can help you achieve your goals.
When it comes to writing, I always add it to my existing daily routine so that it becomes easy to incorporate. Immediately after breakfast, I make a cup of coffee and sit down to write. Making the cup of coffee is the nudge I require to get to my writing desk.
So, what routine do you follow to get to your desk to write?
Another great book, The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod talks of the six powerful habits that will transform your life before 8 a.m.
Use the guiding principles in the book to make your mornings productive if that is the time that you, like me, choose to write.
10. Maximise time spent at your writing desk
A lot of writers use their desk time as thinking time. This will just waste the time you’ve carved out to get the actual writing done.
Instead, maximize time.
Use mundane and repetitive tasks like washing dishes, or taking a shower, as your thinking time. When you get to your writing desk, know what you’re going to write so that you spend as little time as possible in getting straight to it.
11. Start small – Write 200-300 words every day
Keep your goals and plans small when you are starting out. If you try to bite more than you can chew, you can get burned out pretty quickly.
Keep smaller targets. Keep them as small as 200-300 words every day so that they feel achievable and attainable.
Minimize the overwhelm in your daily writing habits.
12. Give yourself a writing deadline
A deadline will goad you on to the finish line. Use it diligently and effectively to achieve your writing goals.
While not giving yourself an impossible deadline is important, it’s also worthwhile to note that the more time you give to complete a task, the more time it will take to finish it, according to Parkinson’s law. So, what should you do? Instead, check out ways to get more done in less time.
13. Don’t try to be too perfect when writing
Get it done, not get it right!
Perfectionism is a loop that you get into that refuses to let you move ahead. It is that monster that is an obsessive, debilitating thing that wants you to get it right and fix things, and yet never be satisfied.
It’s an unrealistic expectation and demand on you to produce something that may be outside your scope of possibility at the moment.
Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes. Because you’ll learn from them. Learn to pick yourself up and move on, but never stop just because you think your writing isn’t perfect.
Perfection is a myth. Nothing can ever be perfect but it can be delightful, creative, wonderful, vulnerable, and so many more things.
What do YOU choose to have in your writing?
14. Treat yourself with kindness when you don’t write
There could be days when you get no writing down. There could have been a family event or an incident or something that stopped your writing practice.
Allow for those days when unforeseen circumstances can cause upheaval in your writing day.
Pick up from where you left off. Don’t beat yourself over what you missed or didn’t do. Tell yourself you sometimes need that time because it will help you get back on the writing horse tomorrow.
Bear no grudges towards yourself for missing a day or a few days of writing.
That includes not judging and comparing your writing with others.
Comparison never yields any fruit. When we compare ourselves to others, we limit our own capabilities. Be willing to write less, produce less work than others.
Measure your progress by your own pace of learning, by your own word counts, by your own happiness indicators.
These will provide better results in the long run.
15. Give yourself a pat on the back for a good day of writing
A good writing day deserves a treat and a pat on the back. YOU DID WELL!
Do a small prayer of gratitude for what you accomplished today. Thank yourself and your muse for showing up on the page.
Having gratitude for every tiny thing you achieve pays off in big ways in the larger scheme of things.
So make gratitude a daily practice at the end of every day. Even if you didn’t write, say thanks for whatever else you did that day that will allow you to have more time for tomorrow.
There’s never a dearth of reasons to say thank you. Make it a daily practice too!
Book Resources mentioned in the post
Please note that these are books that I have personally used and loved, not sponsored books.
THE ARTIST’S WAY
START WITH WHY
THE MIRACLE MORNING
ATOMIC HABITS
You can reach me at sudha@sudhanair.com.
