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Are you so busy that you tell yourself you can’t possibly squeeze anything else into your day? Here’s how to make more time for writing….
Many people tell me they don’t have the time to write. Almost always, they’re wrong, and I try to deliver that news kindly and with empathy. After all, I used to think I didn’t have enough time, either. I also used to dislike writing, so I couldn’t motivate myself to make more time for it.
Then, about 25 years ago, I resolved to change my ways. I read a plethora of books and articles about writing, spoke with dozens of writers and used myself as an experimental subject. Now I enjoy writing and find plenty of time to do it every day — without a brain implant from someone like Elon Musk.
Here are seven ways you can get more time to write in your schedule, no matter how busy you may be:
1. Don’t find time; make it.
This might seem like nothing more than a linguistic trick, but it’s not. The concept of “finding” time leaves you helpless against the demands of daily life. Making time, on the other hand, puts you squarely in the driver’s seat. If writing is important to you (and I recognize it’s not for everybody), then make the time for it. Reserve time for it in your schedule and give it the same deference you do for meetings or doctor’s appointments. You need to make time for assignments from your boss, for exercise, for practicing a musical instrument or for doing volunteer work, and you also need to make time — take time — for writing. It’s not something that happens magically. It happens only with planning and intent.
2. Stop thinking about time as money.
Does anyone still think that most writers are going to make a lot of money? There is only one Stephen King in the world; one Margaret Atwood. The vast majority of books don’t become bestsellers, and the vast majority of writers don’t become rich. (Some corporate writers and some bloggers can make a perfectly good living, though.) Writing is a time-consuming activity, especially at the thinking and planning stage. You can’t rush it. American artist and writer Jenny Odell, who teaches at Stanford, says she gives the same advice to her students every quarter: “Leave yourself twice as much time as you think you need for a project, knowing that half of that may not look like ‘making’ anything at all,” she says. “There is no Soylent version of thought and reflection — creativity is unpredictable, and it simply takes time.”
3. Look for novel experiences in your life.
As we age, our lives tend to “speed up,” going faster and faster until months and then years pass by in a blur. Neuroscientists believe this occurs because, by the time we’re 40, we’ve had so many life experiences, they seem repetitive. Different seasons? Christmas? School plays? Been there, done that 40 times (or more!) Our perception of time slows only when we have new experiences. Look for those new experiences. Today, for example, I am writing this column in a different location. I’m at a client’s office for meetings at the beginning and the end of the day. Rather than making the time to go back to my office, I’ve perched here. I’m writing this column looking out the window at a very different view than the one I normally see. This makes my writing feel slower and more relaxed (but my tracking shows I’m writing faster than usual).
4. Shut down your distractions.
The unholy trinity of Instagram, X and YouTube regularly entices many of us away from our writing. We feel stalled or momentarily confused in our work and rather than “sit” with those uncomfortable feelings, we’d much rather be entertained. (I think it’s also likely we’re unconsciously seeking easy “novelty” with social media apps.) In any case, don’t let distractions get the better of you. Either use some software to block yourself from social media (Cold Turkey and Freedom are two such apps) or do what one of my clients does: She gets her sister to set passwords to her social media accounts and tells her sister to reveal the passwords only on the weekend. While you’re shutting down your distractions, also consider the vocabulary you’re using. Instead of saying, “I can’t look at Instagram until I’ve done my writing,” tell yourself, “I don’t look at Instagram until I’ve done my writing.” The difference between can’t and don’t is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug (as Mark Twain used to say).
5. Don’t multi-task.
Is there anyone who still thinks that multi-tasking is a good idea? It’s not. It makes you less efficient and less effective and it causes time to appear to pass so much more quickly. Focus on one job at a time and give it your full attention before you move on to the next task.
6. Move more.
Many people think they need to sit at a desk in order to think and to write. This is not true. In fact, your best thinking is likely to occur when you’re away from your desk, moving. We breathe more deeply when we’re moving, and this exercise helps our brains to work better. Brains are oxygen hogs, taking up only two percent of our body weight but using 20 percent of the oxygen we take in. I’m lucky enough to have a treadmill desk, which allows me to walk while I write. (I’m working on a video of me writing on the device that I hope to post within a couple of months.) But before I had the treadmill, I’d walk in my neighbourhood for a good 30 minutes before writing anything.
7. Consider meditating.
Some of my friends and clients regard meditating as an oddball little habit of mine. In fact, it’s one of the best things I do to prepare myself for writing. It helps most people relax, eases anxiety and stops us from judging ourselves as successes or failures. If the idea daunts you, or you’ve tried it before and it made you feel too uncomfortable, do what one of my clients does: establish a mini-meditation habit. Instead of trying to “empty your mind,” spend 60 seconds doing deep breathing before you write. Over time, this may morph into a full-blown meditation habit. Or it may not. But the slow, deep breaths will help calm your autonomic nervous system and give your body the signal that it wants to make time for writing. You have 60 seconds, don’t you?
A very few people are born with natural writing talent. The vast majority, however, teach themselves to become better writers. And that can happen only when they learn how to find enough time to write.
An earlier version of this post first appeared on my blog on Nov. 12/19.
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Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week addressed how to deal with a new book idea (when you’re already writing something else). Go here to see the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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How do you make more time for writing? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by July 31/24, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. Note that you don’t have to join Disqus to post. See here to learn how to post as a guest. It’s easy!
