As I sit down to write this post, I’m racing the clock. I have two client manuscripts due, thirty manuscript openings to read for a workshop, eight sessions for a writing retreat to plan, and a book to promote. To say nothing of my children’s activities. Thank God I am about to unload a chunk of pages of my latest novel on my writing partners for feedback, for a tiny break. Writers are busy. We’re stressed. We’re anxious. No matter how much time we have to write, it never feels like enough. So how do we survive it at all? Below, I’ve shared a few tips that have helped me stay afloat over the years. Also? Drink coffee and wine. Lots of it. And exercise like you’re being chased by a bear. It helps.
THE WRITER WITH A FULL-TIME JOB
There’s no doubt about it, having a full-time job takes up the majority of our waking hours, making writing a challenge. I would suggest making a list of priorities and how much time you’d like to spend on each activity. Once you’ve done that, create a writing calendar of some sort. (I use a separate planner from the family calendar to keep it all straight. Anything writing-related from blog posts to speaking engagements to actual writing, I fill in on this calendar.) Treat your writing them as if it’s a non-negotiable appointment. If you tend to get home and want to crash with fatigue, try staying at work one extra hour in the evening, or getting in to work an extra hour early and spend it writing. This way when you come home, you’ve accomplished your writing and can shift into relaxation mode. Perhaps you prefer some down time first, and then write late at night. Set an attainable goal, check in with a writing partner, and get busy. It doesn’t have to be a long period of time, it just needs to be effective, focused time.
THE WRITER WITH BABIES
I started writing with a two year old and an infant. Luckily, I didn’t work full-time on top of this, but I did do part-time teaching and tutoring, and had no money for daycare and no family nearby. This is a toughie. You’re exhausted from the lack of sleep and barely keeping up with regular routine chores. How in the world can you fit in writing time? Everyone says to write while the kids nap, but for me, that wasn’t possible. I needed sleep then as well. What worked for me was to find an hour or two every other day or so when my husband came home from work. But the bulk of my writing didn’t happen until the weekends. I committed to write every Saturday and Sunday morning from seven to noon. I left plenty of milk in the fridge, packed my computer bag, and parked my derrière at Starbucks. Every.Single.Weekend. It helped eliminate distractions, and my leaving the house became a routine the family grew to expect. Just like a regular work or school schedule.
The most important thing to do during this time is to be kind to yourself. This sort of survival existence won’t last forever, though it may feel like it at the time. Take the time when you can, knowing you plan to move into a more regular schedule when the babies either sleep through the night, or go off to school.
THE WRITER WHO JUGGLES MULTIPLE JOBS
This type of schedule presents its own problems. With fits and stops dispersed throughout your day or work week, it can be tough to find your flow. But just like the others, it’s important to block off chunks of scheduled time that are non-negotiable. Also, consider setting up a strict routine that helps you shift your brain into fiction mode. Clear off any clutter on your desk. Make a soundtrack associated with the book that you play each time you sit down to begin. Light candles. Prepare your mind space with this series of signals that mean “fiction time!”. This sort of repetitive practice has been studied at length and is proven to work. It may help you make the most of your truncated time.
THE WRITER WHO WRITES FULL TIME
Believe it or not, many who write full time wrestle with time management. It isn’t that they don’t have enough hours in the day, it’s that staying focused for long periods can be a challenge. For one, everyone is online during the week so Facebook and Twitter and Instagram are pinging like crazy. Your inbox is flooded with emails. There’s also this notion that writers don’t really “work” so friends want to meet for lunch, family wants to drop by, and so on. Distractions abound. Sometimes having less time means you’re more devoted to your writing periods. Isn’t there a saying about the busier you are, the more you accomplish? To you full-timers I say this: make a daily word count goal or page number if editing. Work in blocks of time, just like the others scrounging up time.
For example, my schedule looks like this:
7:00-8:30 is kids, coffee, and social media.
8:30-9:30 is some sort of exercise.
9:30-12:00 is writing time. (or editing client work. Juggle, juggle!)
12:00-1:30 is lunch, emails, and a walk.
1:30-3:30 is writing time.
3:30— Kid pickups. If you don’t have kids, take a break for an hour and then sit down for another hour or two, or until you accomplish your goal.
8:30-10:30–I often work again here, writing or blogging or editing. Whatever my brain can handle at this hour before I read for fun and then drop dead.
OTHER TIPS
- The studies show we stay focused better for shorter chunks of time and that three hours is the maximum quality time spent on a project at one time. Breaking up the day keeps productivity at a maximum.
- Find a writer friend who shares the same schedule as you do. Check in with each other the same time every day and do sprints. You can sprint against each other for highest word count, or you can just set goals for the hour and check in once the hour is concluded to check each other’s progress. Being held accountable to someone is a terrific way to stay motivated.
- Establish a routine to get your mind into fiction writing mode
- Set a timer after 30 minute or one-hour time periods so you feel the ticking away of valuable time. It’s this weird psychology but it works
- Use internet-blocker software to keep yourself off of social media
- Set up a system of rewards when small and large goals are accomplished. (ex: If I write 350 words this hour, I can spend 10 minutes on social media.)
What it all boils down to is HOW MUCH YOU WANT THIS. If you’re passionate about writing, you’ll make time, even in the smallest increments, to spend with your characters. If you find you’re constantly frustrated about how little you’re accomplishing, it might be time to reassess your priorities. Perhaps there are changes you can make to your schedule to maximize productivity. Above all, keep at it! Persistence in the face of frustration is the key to success.
What are your tips for maximizing your time? What challenges do you face when trying to write?
About Heather Webb
Heather Webb is the international bestselling author of historical novels Becoming Josephine, Rodin’s Lover, The Phantom’s Apprentice, and Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of WWI. In 2015, Rodin’s Lover was a Goodread’s Top Pick, and in 2017, Last Christmas in Paris became a Globe & Mail Bestseller. To date, Heather’s books have sold in multiple countries worldwide, received national starred reviews, and have been featured in print media including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Entertainment Weekly, and more. As a freelance editor, Heather has helped over two dozen writers sign with agents, and go on to sell at market. She may also be found teaching craft courses at a local college. When not writing, Heather feeds her cookbook addiction, geeks out on history and pop culture, and looks for excuses to head to the other side of the world.
Thanks, Heather. These tips are so helpful. What I find challenging as a person who juggles writing with a full time job, in addition to the lack of time, is the mental fatigue I feel when I get home from work. Strategies that have worked for me include taking a dinner break and then going somewhere to write. I go to our public library. If I make the effort to go somewhere I will take the opportunity to write. On weekends I get up early and go to Starbucks, I can usually get three hours of writing in on each weekend day. Hope you are doing well and thanks for this thoughtful post.
Christopher, I think leaving the house is an excellent idea. Settling in at home can be so distracting. You just want to put your feet up and relax, have a nice dinner.
Thanks for your comments, as always. Happy writing, my friend.
Hi Heather – Just a quick note to say that you’re my hero. I think this gig’s tough without the externals. I have enough trouble getting words on the page just due to the battle raging between my ears, let alone all of that other stuff.
Vaughn, And you’re mine! Building your dream home in a gorgeous location and following your passion. I’d love to do that one day.
The schedule is tough sometimes, but I have to admit, I’m far more productive when busy. Right now, though, I’m living for August when this pile of work is behind me and I can focus solely on my work in progress. Itching to dive in deep! 😊
Good tips, Heather.
I grab writing time when I can. When I do, I focus. Word counts and accountability aren’t needed. Writing time is my reward. It’s my break.
The one tip that doesn’t work for me is setting a timer or watching the clock. That just makes me anxious. It’s a distraction. I feel reward time slipping away.
What helps me the most is perhaps the opposite of what helps many. I do better without deadlines or goals. When I’m free, I write fast. When I’m constrained, I write less well.
Deadlines can be helpful, to be sure. After 21 books (under other names), I know they can push me to the finish line. But when I look back, the books written under pressure please me the least. The shorter the time available, the greater are the unnecessary words.
So, for me it’s a paradox: When writing is pure joy I have no problems. When it is work, the work reads as if it was labor. I don’t stress. For me the best time management is to ignore time.
This makes good sense, Benjamin. Some don’t work well under pressure. It just distracts them from all of that creative beauty. I tend to work better under pressure. If I’m not writing under contract, I still impose a deadline for myself so I don’t let the days get away from me. I don’t often make the exact deadline, but at least the goal spurs me on. To each their own, just get the words down, eh?
Thanks for your thoughtful comments.
Heather, just reading your first paragraph had me feeling like an anxiety attack was imminent. I’ve got a full time job in publishing, I’m building my freelance writing and editing business, I have a school age child (who will be home all summer starting next week), and, of course, I have my own writing goals. I’ve been feeling the strain the past couple months as freelance has taken over most of my “free” time, and so much working with words on the computer all day has my brain getting very mushy at night and I just want to veg. Our household duties have been neglected for weeks. We’re eating terribly. Etc.
I’m looking at the first week of summer vacation as a big RESET button in our lives. My husband will be on a 10-day trip to Israel. My son and I are going on a road trip all around Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. And when we come back, I’m taking one more day off work to organize my life and my time, to get back on track, finish up some heavy duty freelancing, and get back to the WIP on a regular schedule.
Thank you, Heather. You validated for me just how challenging this work is, no matter what our lives are like. But my big takeaway is that we have to not only be masters of time-management but also be able to switch hats several times a day (or an hour?). Also, I’m in awe of anyone who writes while raising kids. I scribbled note to myself and kept a file labeled ‘one day’. These days my situation morphs frequently, so I have to morph along with it. But for me, attitude had become paramount. If I value my work time, I can set better boundaries without baring my teeth at people. :)
Thanks for a wonderful post, Heather.
I run two businesses and have two kids under thirteen. Life is a little crazy. My only tip… TRY not to be too hard on yourself. Guilt (writing when I should be working, working when I should be writing) has taken far too many years off my lifespan.
Nice to know I’m not alone, that others struggle too. Misery loves company. LOL.
Dee
Author of A Keeper’s Truth and GOT (Gift of Travel)
Timely post, Heather! I’m a writer who juggles time. It’s a failing challenge to go from healing/reflexology mode to causing a character angst in my writing, then switch back to another client. I’m in the process of trying to streamline clients to specific days, or block a full morning or afternoon leaving me a writing mindset. Thanks for the great suggestions!
Heather, “exercise like you’re being chased by a bear” cracked me up. Man, I thought with dealing with my cat leaving the entrails and half the face of gophers on the back-door mat every few days was a challenge. But juggling child care, work and all the unforeseen things—injuries, family issues, the house is out of bourbon—that’s a lot. We won’t even talk about reading the less-than-presidental tweets.
My real challenge is that I do write all day, or market writing all day, or read about writing all day, or groan about writing all day, or some combo of all. But all the writing and related trappings are nonfiction related—for at least six months, I’ve been totally stalled with my fiction writing, and haven’t slotted in a place for it. I hope my characters are still waiting.
They are Tom. They are.
Dee
Dee, that made my day.
So many great tips. As I’ve recently switched categories (hello, new baby!) I found this to be very reassuring, and a great reminder of what I need to do. (MAKE THE TIME. PROTECT THE TIME.) Thank you!
These are great ideas. Thank you for including full-time writers and for writing down priorities. When I retired, I thought I’d have oodles of time. In reality, not so much.
When I made a list of my priorities, I discovered that being a wife, mom, grandma, and friend were above writing. That’s neither good nor bad. It’s necessary for my I’m-not-writing guilt-trip to know where writing falls. Thank you!