A friend of mine recently asked me, “How do you find time to write?”
As a wife and mother who teaches university writing courses, finding time to write can be daunting. But, I make writing a priority. Even if it’s the last thing I do before going to bed, I spend time writing. Usually, however, I try to arrange my schedule so I can spend at least two or three hours writing every weekday. I don’t always make my goal, but I certainly try.
As the new year is upon us, and I’m at the beginning of outlining Books 2 and 3 of Secrets of the Grand Grimoire, I wanted to share some ideas about staying on track – especially if you’re in the arts, and you can’t necessarily drive to an office to do your job or work on your craft.
The first year after having my son was a total wash in terms of writing and working altogether. My life was turned upside down. Any first-time parent can probably relate. And my having postpartum depression certainly didn’t help matters – but that’s another story. . . After the first year, I started teaching again, and found a great lady to watch my son at home in the afternoons two days a week. Then when my son was 20 months old, I enrolled him in a Mother’s Day Out (MDO) program that meets twice a week. So, I maximize my positive parental time with my child, give him educational and social time at the MDO, and allow myself extra work time when the nanny comes eight to ten hours a week.
When I first started implementing these changes I struggled with some guilt for leaving him at all, but if I wasn’t writing, I felt as if a part of me was dying. I had a book inside me burning to be finished – and, no matter how long it took, I was going to write it.
Now that my son is three and we have an established routine, I have not only finished the novel I’d been struggling to complete before he was born, but I’m writing five to six days a week and am in the planning stages of Books 2 and 3. I do leave the house occasionally to avoid distraction (and I have paid a small fortune to Starbucks in lieu of office rent).
I don’t have much of a social life because instead of taking the time to “do lunch,” get my nails done, or enjoy other activities when my son is otherwise occupied, I use the time to write. This can be somewhat isolating, but I email and call my friends when I can and hope they’ll understand. My boy won’t be small forever. (And, I do still make time for friends, just not as much as I would like.)
Obviously everyone’s life is different depending on what stage you’re in – and you have to find what works for you. You will make sacrifices. But if you are truly passionate about what you do, then the sacrifice will be well worth it.
Note: An approach I found interesting, and one that would be great to start at the beginning of a new year to help increase your productivity, is Jerry Seinfeld’s productivity tip “Don’t Break the Chain.” To read the article about Seinfeld’s tip, posted by the Writer’s Store, click here.
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