Making Time to Write: Part 2

​Last week, I wrote a blog post about making time to write even when you're very busy. That post has a lot of high-level advice about how to understand what your priorities are, and then to make time for those priorities. After thinking about it, however, I realized I wanted to do a second post with some more specific thoughts and ideas. Everyone responds to different types of insight and levels of advice differently.

A New Definition of Busy
I want to start by stating the obvious, which honestly I think we don't do enough. Often, we avoid saying things which we feel are already evident, assuming everyone else is on the same page. Unfortunately, more frequently than not, we aren't all on the same page, which leads to a lot of miscommunication.

My definition of busy is not your definition of busy.

This is important, because we tend to compare ourselves to others. There will always be people who are "busier", "more successful", "more driven", or just plain "better". But I promise you, all those people feel inferior to a whole OTHER set of individuals, because we just can't break the cycle of comparison.

I spent a lot of time in my last post talking about how busy I am - and all of that is true. But I don't mean to imply that if you aren't doing as many things as I am, you're not busy. Prioritizing mental health takes an incredible amount of time and energy, as does nurturing a family or caring for a friend. Our jobs take different tolls on us - my job sitting behind a desk, while mentally tiring, does not carry the physical toll that many who walk all day or undertake manual labor do. The list goes on and on.

So one more time for emphasis: don't compare yourself to me. If you feel busy - guess what, you probably are. It doesn't matter if you're doing one thing or a thousand things. Carving out time to write is equally difficult.

Practical Tips for Making the Time

1. Make it a priority. We spend a lot of time talking about what we wish we did or want to do. But then, instead of making it happen, we procrastinate. I have dozens of excuses at my fingertips for why I shouldn't workout today, or why I can put off editing a chapter until tomorrow. But if we waste all our energy just thinking about it, we never actually do anything. So start by making whatever you want a priority. Then...
2. Create a plan for getting it done. For me, that plan is an ongoing to-do list of all the book-related shenanigans I need to do. When I was just starting, I focused on building my world. Then, I fleshed out my characters. Once I had a world and characters, my characters started wanting to do things in the world, leading to my plot. Things seem impossible when you just think about the end-state. I spent years telling myself I couldn't be an author for a wide range of reasons. But here I am, getting ready to publish. So what happens next?
3. Maintain your momentum. Now you have your plan, what's the first step? Let's say you want to vacation in Tahiti. Your first step could be looking up hotels and flights, to figure out how much money you need to save; analyzing your budget to see where you could cut back costs; telling your best friends who you want to come with you.....it goes on and on. But all those are much smaller tasks than "take a vacation to Tahiti". Start small, and then don't let yourself stop. As you get the smaller things done, new ways to chip away at big problems will occur to you. But sometimes, we get overwhelmed by our plan. That brings us to:
4. Complain about it. Well, not constantly. But it's healthy to have friends you can lean on when the going gets rough. Find communities of people who love what you love (foodies! writers! artists! coders! anything!), and start commiserating. Every single author/writer/reader I've ever met has suffered from lack of motivation and writer's block. You are not the only one who gets discouraged - and that's where excuses come in. Before you know it (fi you're like me) two months have gone by without one new word on a page.

How I Do It
So what do I do? Over the years I've spent writing, I've had a lot of time to figure out what works for me, and what doesn't. The biggest piece of advice I have is try a bunch of stuff. Some will work, some won't. What works for me probably won't work exactly the same for you. That's okay - it's about gathering tools to put in your belt, so you can make your priorities a reality.

• I don't write everyday. I write every week, and sometimes that means every day. But I don't force myself to get things down every single day. Usually, if I'm not writing, I'm working on a problem because I don't quite know what comes next. But....
• I do think about my book everyday. And I mean every day. If I'm not writing, I think about the world, or the characters. I spend some time on Twitter answering questions to help me flesh out my own ideas. I draw maps, or read books by authors who inspire me. I never leave it alone.
• I get excited. It can be hard to be your own biggest cheerleader, especially when the next thing you need to do is hard, frustrating, or both. I do my best to jazz myself up - whether by telling people what I'm working on, thinking about what happens when I get through the tough part, or with a good old fashioned bribe (love giving myself ice cream as a reward).
• I write when I'm inspired. We all have those moments when we get really excited to do something we've been putting off (often, conveniently, when there's something else we want to put off). I always try to harness that, even if it's just jotting down some notes while I'm at work, or texting myself a reminder to do something later.
• I remember its not brain surgery. My first ever boss gave me the best piece of advice. I worked in event management, and I was stressing about tiny details that weren't falling into place. She pulled me aside and said "Bridget, as long as it's not brain surgery, it's okay to make mistakes." So, sorry if you're a brain surgeon reading this - maybe ignore this bit. But for the rest of us, give yourself permission to take a break sometimes. Step away, let yourself breathe, be okay with the fact that you're the one in control.

Next week I'm going to share some book secrets, so get excited! And remember, if you ever need a friendly shoulder or a kick in the butt, I'm just a message away :)