Are you a writer that finds it difficult to find time to write?
Time is the bane of most writers. Life happens and writing is easily pushed aside. The kids need be tended to, the project at work needs to be done, and so many other things put writing on the back burner. “I’ll get to that later,” The busy writer says, but dust continues to pile on the keyboard. With a little bit of effort, it is possible to find time to write, even for the busy writers.
Prioritize Writing Time
If the average person were to map out their day, the vast majority would be able to find some free time. It might be waiting for the laundry switchover or in between meetings, but usually free time can be found. The problem is, many writers don’t make their writing time a priority.
If a writer is going to be serious, they need to make writing a priority. That may mean something has to be dropped from the schedule. It may mean that the time allotted for a task needs to be shortened. That is up to each individual.
The important thing is for aspiring writers to do a gut check and really see where writing fits into their life. If they feel that writing is important enough, they need to follow that up by making it a priority.
Schedule Writing Time
Once the writer has an idea what priority writing has in their lives, they can realistically schedule time to write. This is really an important step for those struggling to find time to write.
The best way to do this is to take out a block of time that is consistent. Writing a little every day is optimal, but that’s not always possible in the real world. Writers should do their best to map out their time and find out what they can realistically fit in.
The next step is to actual pencil in the writing time in to their schedule. They need to put it down in their daily planner or in their calendar in Outlook or even write it on the calendar hanging on the wall.
We put a lot of weight on something when we actually write it in and give it a slot on our calendar. Many a would-be writer has said to themselves, “I’ll write after I’m done with this chore,” only to have something else pop up. If they write it in, the writing has a better chance to actually get done.
Set a Writing Goal
When a writer sits down to write, it will if they set a goal for themselves. It can be a certain amount of time or a page length. It can be 15 minutes or two pages. It will be make the writer feel that he has accomplished something.
The writer should not just have a short term, daily goal, but a long term goal as well. It could be a goal to have four articles published by the end of the year. It could be a goal to have a book proposal sold by a certain date. This will help the writer gage where their career is going.
Time may be hard to find, but it is possible. If something is important, we always seem to find a way. The aspiring writer needs to ask themselves just how important writing really is to them. When they have an honest answer to that question, everything else will fall into place.
