how do you find time to write and what is your book schedule like?
My schedule is insane. As always.
A couple of things I do that make a difference (for me. Your mileage may vary.):
* Schedule time to…plan your schedule. My planning period is Sunday morning. The rest of the week would fall apart without it.
* Track your time, just like you track your money. (I’m hoping, of course, that you track your money, instead of crossing your fingers every time you swipe your debit card. Not that I’ve ever done that, or anything.) Time is finite. You’ll never get more. You can’t save what you have. If you want to use it wisely, you must first get a good idea of where it’s going to waste.
* Differentiate between what you have to do (go to work), what you should do (clean out fridge), and what you want to do (write books). Drop what you can, then delegate the rest. The goal is to spend most of your time doing what only you can do.
* Use highlighters/markers to color-code datebook entries for an at-a-glance glimpse of where your time is going.
* Pencil in priorities first. Schedule the unimportant things around the important things, not vice versa.
* Break your big goals into smaller, bite-size pieces. Big goals, goals that take a long time to accomplish, have an aura of someday about them. Breaking them up into smaller bites give you a daily win, something you can accomplish right the hell now as opposed to some ethereal someday somewhere down the line. For instance, if your big goal is to write a book, your bite-size goal might be write 350 words. If you want to eventually run a 5K, set a daily goal of doing a C25K interval three days a week. It’s amazing how well this works.
* Combine activities when you can. I listen to class lectures and podcasts while I’m shopping in the grocery store or cleaning the kitchen. These activities also lend themselves well to audiobooks and catching up with friends. Treadmill time is for listening to audiobooks/podcasts, catching up on TV, and reading.
* If you want other people to respect your schedule, you have to respect your schedule. Blowing off writing time to do other things gives those around you the impression that writing time isn’t important and is therefore up for grabs.
* Speaking of those around you, get rid of the timesucks and emotional leeches. You know who they are. And trust me, you’re better off without them.
* If you’re like me and have trouble saying no to people who call and ask for favors, turn off your phone. It’ll feel douche-y for a few days, but you’ll be glad for the uninterrupted writing time. And if you do it often enough, the constant favor-askers will eventually take the hint.
* Take a day off. From everything. Trust me, you need it.
* Use your mornings wisely. They’re usually the only part of the day when you and only you have claim to your time.
* Don’t forget to sleep. It’s scary how much I forget to pencil in sleep.
