How to Find Time To Write

Finding time to write can be a huge challenge for most writers. Balancing writing among everything else in your life can often lead to, well, not much time to write. Figuring out how to fit writing into your schedule can be a matter of trial and error, but here are a few tips to get you started!

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Intro
0:43 - What type of schedule works for you?
1:51 - Tack writing on to an existing habit
2:46 - Study your procrastination habits
3:41 - Don't try to multitask
4:38 - Quality over quantity
5:58 - Prioritize writing

FIND REEDSY HERE:

RESOURCES:

[giuliaddd]

When my daughter was around 7-8 months old I miraculously found the perfect time to write during her afternoon nap: strangely I wasn't too tired myself and managed to spend one hour or more working on my project almost every day. Consistency was all for me, I never lost track of where I was with plotting and writing (as I was doing both) and was pretty satisfied with my project. Then she changed her routine and mine along with it, and to this day I still haven't found such perfect conditions (quietness, motivation, energy) . She still naps in the afternoon but I never, ever found that magic again.

[AFringedGentian]

Single mum here. I write at night after the kids go to bed. That’s my time!

[oladelesamuel]

I write in the bus on my way to work and at night. Your videos are inspiring and great. Thanks a lot.

[sjna]

For married women with kids, I suggest you and your spouse read Fair Play first! The only reason I have any writing time now was because we needed to go back and look at the unfair division of labor. Now we both get an hour of "unicorn time" each night while the other takes point on watching the kids/chores.

[PaginasLetea]

Finding time to write has been quite a challenge for me. I write poetry and I set myself the goal of writing 30 verses everyday, but since I also work as a freelance translator I get caught up in this mindset, which ends up being a form of procrastinating. Even working as fast as I can I end up loosing a whole week of writing. I write in my journal everyday effortlessly, but I still feel that I'm not writing if I'm not working on my verses, so these tips were pretty useful.

[Khylian]

i'm a really young writer that's currently writing a big story, and finding the right time to write is really difficult. i'm still a child and i should be doing the things i like, sure. but every second i'm not writing i feel like i'm missing out. but then again, every time i am overworking myself it feels wrong too. so it's this very awkward jump between feeling like i should be writing and when i shouldn't

[davidstewart]

I am a morning person, I used to get up at 7am watch breakfast tv then go to work. Since June I have gotten up at 6am and sat down to write until work. I also only write M to F. Since June I have written 60.5k very happy with that. I work on nonfiction at weekends and have written a further 36.5k. It works for me.

[africajourney]

I find that setting an alarm for a certain time to write and putting my phone on do not disturb for that remaining time helps to block out any unnecessary notifications that would've otherwise interfere with me checking my phone while writing. Also making sure my environment is tidy since if my environment is cluttered then somehow my brain feels cluttered as well.

[PhoenixCrown]

The last one is the most important imo: Prioritize. There is enough time in the day to do EVERYTHING we deem important ;)
I struggle myself--was a lot easier to find time to write when I was working part-time with no kids... but life goes on... in the best way!

[bkjackson]

For me, finding time to write isn't the challenge---it's finding time to do all the things that must be done BEFORE you write. If you write historicals and need to research a specific thing for example. Or you need time to brainstorm a story problem, plot a story, etc. Because for all these things, I need larger chunks of time. But I can write in 15-20 minute snatches so that's easier to schedule. I am most definitely a morning person, but my morning is already taken up w/critical things I need to do before going to work (but that's all subject to change when I hit the lottery and no longer need a day job. 8-) So of these tips, I think the one I need to try is attaching the writing pre-work time to some other established task in my life and see if I can gain traction that way.

[rachelthompson]

Keep your head in it. So any free time becomes writing time. Don't wait for or stop inspiration. Just do it.

[arwenanduin]

Some really valuable suggestions here! How to trick my mind into genuinely shifting an attitude...

[lakeshagadson]

are you can ask yourself if you can write ✍ for long a long time or a short time when it comes to writing a book or essay or something that just has to do with writing

[u_t_d_s_h-_a]

With a pen along with paper handy, time for a writer to do his / her job is always. ---once inspiration occurs---no matter where; while at work, during recreation, vacation, town hall meetings, out walking, on one's way home, perhaps during the course of daily dedicated hours for writing, maybe even during odd interactions with people twice farmiliar than any other are with one,
---just put pen to paper and write down those inspirational lines one received out of the blue, one day, just one day, one's book will be done.

[jackhaggerty]

Tacking writing on to an existing habit is wise & workable.
I used to see the then unknown J.K. Rowling writing in an upstairs cafe & in the Coffee Rooms of the National Portrait Gallery in Queen St. Edinburgh.
My sister lives in the Cotswolds (England) and there was a wonderful place for coffee, The Swallow Cafe, on a high pavement, looking down on trees.
If you're at home, create a space where you don't feel lonely : Kipling said he felt the approach of his creative daemon when walking in woodlands.
John Fowles (Journals Volume 2) loved the bird life in his garden in Cornwall, and hated having to go to London & New York to promote *The Magus*.
Brenda Ueland (*If You Want To Write*) advises keeping a *Slovenly, Headlong, Impulsive, Honest Diary.* The word Slovenly had me laughing.

[jayashreechakravarthy]

The beginning will take some time. But, once it gets going, everything will flow smoothly.

[jayashreechakravarthy]

5-6 hours of meetings and fun. The rest of the time, I want them to leave me alone in my room. The phone will be with Abbie and she can interrupt me with important calls or messages. This will make sure that I can get it all done quickly. Also, I would like to get a feel of the characters. So, I would like to meet you guys from time to time.

[noelsolo]

I try to write after my daily exercise.

[rachelthompson]

if you get stuck write something else and go back to it later.

[ThatBoomerDude]

How to Find Time To Write: *Shut down YouTube.*


(Sorry ... but, in my case, it's true.)
😬 🙄 😯 😦 😧 😮 😲