Like many others these days, I’m a busy person. I have a lot of things that want my attention. These things sometimes leave me very little time to write. It isn’t that I don’t want to write or that something is blocking me, such as characters fighting me. It’s that time gets chipped away by other things:
I get up at 7:30AM so I can shower, have breakfast, do my hair and makeup, and get out the door by 8:30 so I can be to work at 9:00AM. I don’t get off until 5:30 and it takes me 30 minutes to get home. Dinner needs to be made, I have to call my mother before she accuses me of neglecting her, I haven’t seen most of my friends in weeks and I love them so maybe I can squeeze in a quick cup of coffee with that one or that one. Hell, maybe I can just send them a meme and call it good and promise to make plans we’ll never actually make. On top of that, the cat needs to be brushed and her nails clipped, there’s dishes, laundry, vacuuming, it’s trash night, the bathroom is a disaster and– you get it. There’s always so much to do and it stacks up quickly. Writing doesn’t always end up on my immediate list of things to do.
But I want to write. I love doing it. I have stories in my head that need to be told and if I ever want them to live anywhere but my own brain, I need to get the words out. Here are five tips I use for making (stealing) time to write.
1 – Write in smaller intervals
Some days, there just isn’t time or energy for a full, in-depth writing session. These days happen to me more than I would like. When that happens, I think small. I get two ten-minute breaks in addition to my lunch. Writing on my lunch break isn’t an option because I get hangry, so I work with the smaller breaks instead. The first half of my ten-minute breaks I spend refilling my drink, using the restroom, maybe grabbing a snack. The second halves are dedicated to my own personal writing. I have five minutes of uninterrupted writing time twice a day. Instead of trying to find ten, twenty, or thirty minutes to write, I steal five. Do I get a lot done? No. Is what I write good? Not usually. But it is more words than if I didn’t get any writing done at all.
2 – Try a different method
Writers usually have their favorite methods of putting words down. Some swear by pen and paper. Some use actual programs like Scrivener. I personally like my laptop and a plain word doc. Unfortunately, these tools need a surface to write on and space to do so. It isn’t always possible to whip out pen and paper or laptop and write for a few minutes. Instead of stressing over what and when you can’t write, take a look at your day and see where you can steal some time from. Taking the bus? Try writing on a smart phone or tablet. Moving around a lot? Try a program that will let you access it from any of your devices, like Google Docs. I use dictation to my phone while I’m driving to work. (And yeah, it totally looks like I’m talking to myself in the car. I get some very odd looks.) The method is absolutely not my favorite, but it lets me make words during a time I otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
3 – Try sprints
Sprints are a thing I learned during NaNoWriMo. They’re similar to tip #1, but this method is specifically a “quantity over quality” situation. Set a timer for a short interval: maybe ten minutes. Then write as many words as you can within the time limit. I do this when I get bored or stuck or my mind wanders during a writing session. Sometimes I do it just because I want to. The time limit lets me focus on MAKING WORDS NOW and not worry about whether or not the words are good words. Good can come later during the editing process. That is absolutely a problem for Future Me. The important part for Current Me is actually finishing the story. It won’t matter how good my words are if I don’t finish my story first.
4 – Grab a friend
When I’m busy, I tend to neglect my friends because I have other things I need to do that seem more important. However, I love my friends and I do want to see them. They can be a great source of inspiration, too, so I try to feed two birds with one scone: I can rail at my friends about whatever I’m writing and they’ll engage, ask questions, point out plot holes, etc. Talking about a project helps me remember why I’m working on it. It also helps that my friends want me to succeed and their enthusiasm helps pump me up.
Take heed! Friends can also be a great source of distraction. To avoid a complete lack of productivity, I set a goal for myself: Ten minutes to talk about my project. Or, if my friend is also creatively inclined, we spend those minutes creating together. Maybe try sprinting and then comparing totals. At the end of that time, we can talk about whatever we want, throw in a movie, play a game, whatever. I get to see a friend and also steal a few minutes to make words. Hooray!
5 – Don’t stress if you can’t write every day
Sometimes, even five minutes seem impossible to find, steal, buy, or beg. There simply isn’t any extra available. Some days, there is time but I know that I won’t be productive and I’d rather put that time towards a knitting project or a load of laundry. This is okay. If every day isn’t possible, I try every other day or every three days. Slow words are better than no words at all.
As in all things, be kind to yourself. The story needs to be told. Remember that it doesn’t matter if the words you make are good ones. Good can come later: that’s a problem for Future You. For now, just make the words, finish the story, and get it done so Future You actually has something to worry about.
Do you have a method that you don’t see on this list? Comment! The goal here is to help writers. Let’s give each other a boost so we can all get our stories told.
Tiny Angry Female 