Put First Things First means that you must decide which things are most important to you, and make time for them.
I have always been the type of person who tries to find time in my schedule to write. "I'll write after I wash the dishes. After the kids are in bed. Once I've written my next Operation Awesome post." And this works. You can finish a short story, poem, or novel on found time.
But if you want to prioritize writing time in your life, it's not enough to just hope you'll find some time in your busy schedule to write. You must make time to write. "Writing time is from 9pm to 10pm. I'll wake up an hour earlier than normal and use that time to write. Kids' nap time is writing time, not chore time." You get the picture.
Sometimes this mean taking time from other activities to make writing time, which can be a struggle at first. But I've found that the more frequently I block out writing time, the more I get done at other times in the day so that I can write without distraction later. This is one reason that I love participating in NaNoWriMo and CampNaNo. In order to make my word goal, I have to make time for writing every night, and I usually don't feel guilty about the things I'm giving up to do so.
What do you do to make time for writing?
A wonderful tip from a fellow author that really helped me is: Set a day to catch up with all of the chores that keep you from writing. That way your mind isn't cluttered with dishes and mowing when you're trying to write.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea!
DeleteOnce I realised this, I started to get somewhere with my writing. Hoping that you can squeeze in time somewhere is just too haphazard and random. I'm the sort of person who likes to know what I'm doing at certain times. Waking up an hour earlier works for me, because everyone else is asleep (I need quiet) and then I can get on with the rest of the day with my work done!
ReplyDeleteI despise waking up early, so I usually find my quiet time at the other end of the day. It's great when you find a routine that works for you!
DeleteWhat do you do to make time for writing?
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