Thursday, January 24, 2013

Time to Write



 

Let’s first look at the concept of time— aka that thing we never seem to have enough of.  How many times have you heard, “You’re a writer?  OH!  I’ve always wanted to be a writer—I just never have the time.”

Hmmm- balderdash.  If they REALLY always wanted to be a writer, they would FIND the time.  They would make it, fight for it, carve it out in five minutes blocks if need be.

But they would DO IT.

And since all of us here are writers, I know all of us are doing that too.  Right?

I seem to hear some muttering in the wings there ;).

Let’s face it, even with the best intentions and the most heartfelt NEED to write, we all often have trouble finding the time for it.

But the fact is we all have the same amount of time as all of those famous scientists, inventors, and yes, novelists.  Very few people are given the chance to have unlimited time to follow their passion (and those folks, believe it or not, often face a new set of issues even with all of that time).  Many of us have to hold Evil Day Jobs (aka EDJ) to pay the bills.  We can’t afford to run off into some cottage and just follow our bliss.  Others may not have to have an EDJ, but have young families they need to take care of.  Nicer than the EDJ, but still a lot of work, and time not spent on writing.

So, how do we do it then?

First, find out where the problem is.  Do you plan out your day?  If not, you may want to, at least until you get a routine down.  Making writing a daily routine is key.  Even if it’s just for 15 minutes- after a month or so of doing it every day, it will just be part of what you do. So grab all of the “must-do’s” in a day.  Things like EDJ, family, food, sleep, writing. Yup. Note how many things aren’t must do’s.  Yes, house work and laundry are important—but put them on a second tier for now.  TV, Facebook, emails, social media belong on a third tier.

Looking at your first tier how much time does this leave you? I work 8 hours a day at an EDJ, so add on a generous hour and a half for dinner and decompression….hmmm, that leaves about 3 hours… THREE HOURS! And yet, I still have “trouble finding time to write”.  I’m confessing to you all in the hopes it will shame me into mending my wastrel ways.

Step two is figuring out just where this missing writing time is being sucked off to.  For many of us (myself included) the vile villain is TV.  I have a stressful EDJ, so I tell myself I deserve the TV time to relax.  Well and good, the trick here is to make writing work with your life, not destroy it.  A TV show won’t kill it—a few shows every night might.

I have realized that I have to be tough on my inner TV addicted child.  She can now watch while eating dinner and can watch one recorded show.  Then writing.  Or even mindlessly starring at nothing (but the brain works when you do that, did you know?).

Computer madness is another draw for many people.  The real and imagined “needs” of social media are seriously becoming a crisis for many people. Again, setting parameters of when and when you will engage will help.  If you are someone who has the freedom to write in the mornings- don’t start with your email.  Get some writing in, then check email, etc.  Gets the brain focused on the right thing.  Also, limit your time.  Use a timer if need be. Disconnect the internet if you need to while writing.

Sometimes time sucks aren’t as much of a problem as time planning.  You have your list of things to do, and where is writing?  Often squished in somewhere where you could fit it.  If you’re not a night person, putting writing in at the end of the day is sort of useless.

Figure out what is the best time of day for you to write-- and put it in your plan at that time.  Block off that time.  If you need to get up an hour early- DO IT.

The saddest writing excuse is, “I don’t have time.” Because, yeah, you do.  You just have to find it and fight for it.

Thanks for coming by!  And please, if you have any of your own time sucks (and solutions!) post them!

13 comments:

  1. Marie, writing is like exercise, once you start you love it, but it's important to schedule it to get it done.

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    1. Excellent point, Marian! I think if we make it part of every day (like exercise- which I've also been bad about) it will become easier :).

      Thanks for coming by and commenting! Marie- stuck at EDJ can't log on blogger.

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  2. Marie,

    You are so right. It IS the scheduling that is the problem. Followed by prioritizing. I find that my excuse to do something other than write is that the other activity is only available...now. Of course now is really whatever moment you're in. So those now things keep piling up and writing keeps getting postponed. I need to learn to weigh the importance of the now thing against the progress and satisfaction I will feel when I devote the time to writing.
    Sharon

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    1. Exactly, Sharon :). Although...is there anything that has to be done at 6am? (ducks to avoid objects being thrown from Sharon's side of the country). Perhaps that would be a way around it?


      Thanks for coming by and commenting! Marie- stuck at EDJ can't log on blogger.

      Delete
  3. The internet is my time suck. Every time I hit a difficult place in my WIP (ie every two minutes) I think--I'll just check my email. Then, surely, inspiration will strike.

    Not so much. But I do waste five minutes.

    I'm much more productive if I'm at a coffee shop where I don't have the internet access code. Then, when I hit a difficult place I'm forced to stare into space until I figure out how to get through it. And it never takes nearly as long as checking my email.

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    1. LOL!!! Ok, Shoshana- we're going to make sure you never find out the codes! I hear ya though, I will "just pop on" to get unstuck sometimes as well...sadly, I know the codes ;).

      Thanks for coming by and commenting! Marie- stuck at EDJ can't log on blogger.

      Delete
  4. I was just contemplating this today. I've been involved in purebred dogs for over forty years and a greater time suck has never existed. Not the dogs themselves, they're a treasure. But the angst and the drama and the demands on my time seem to be never ending. I'm in the midst of serious decisions on how much of my time I really want to spend not writing, or not enjoying my personal life, and how much I want to invest in other people's issues. Hmmmm

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    1. That's a big part of it, Mona. How much time we let others take from us. Hopefully you can find a way to still enjoy the dogs, but avoid the human drama and increase your precious writing time!

      Thanks for coming by and commenting! Marie- stuck at EDJ can't log on blogger.

      Delete
  5. This is sooo right! If people want to write, they will write. I think a lot of people 'think' they would - just like I 'think' I'd like to play the violin - but although it'd be nice, it's not one of the driving factors in my life. Writing is. Always has been. Always will be. :)

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    1. Very well put, T! If it's in our blood, we find the time :).

      Thanks for coming by and commenting!

      Marie- at EDJ- can't get on blogger.

      Delete
  6. I always have a crazy busy schedule, but it's amazing how much you can get done in just a half hour... A couple of those every day and your book will be done before you know it...

    But I struggle with it too! Just keep *typetypetype*ing! :)

    Lisa

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    1. That's too funny that you mention that, Lisa! I'm just now starting to understand the virtue of short writing blocks! LOL (what are you doing in my head?!)

      Marie- at EDJ- can't get on blogger.

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  7. I know exactly where my writing hits the time-suck the most. One word: Facebook.

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