Finding Time for Writing

It's a common complaint for non-writers - that they simply have no time to write. This is one of those situations where you have to be really honest with yourself. Every one of us has 24 hours in a day. We in modern times often live to be 75 years or older - when back in the Roman Empire people tended to die off at age 25. We have MUCH much more time in our lives that we decide what to do with than anybody else in history. If we choose NOT to write, we have to acknowledge that it is a choice we have made.

Are we choosing to maintain a lifestyle that requires so much money that we have to slave extra jobs to support it? Look around at people who are quite content (and *truly* happy) earning far less. Have you chosen to take on extra volunteer jobs, or to take a job that is far from home? Each of these choices affects your time available. Yes, it's great to be involved. It's great to have numerous hobbies. But again, we all have a 24 hour block to work with each day. If we want to write, that needs to be in there. If we choose to do other things, that is a choice we have made - that other items have priority.

Many famous writers had full time jobs, had families and parents to care for. They sat down, looked at their schedule for the week, and set aside a block of time for their writing. It was as important to them - this time for "their own renewal" - as time for a child's soccer game or a parent's weekly hair salon trip. Remember how in airplanes they say to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others with theirs? Your own mental state needs care just as much as other things do. If you become overly stressed and worn down, you can't help others properly. Every hour you spend is less effective. To be fully helpful to others, you must meet your own needs too.

So really sit down and go through a weekly schedule. Look at how things are arranged - and look at all the things you've chosen to do. Find a way to fit in a half hour or hour of writing. And then DO it. Put up a "do not disturb" sign. This is your refreshing time. The more you make this an important part of your normal schedule, the more that others will respect your efforts, support you, and your dreams will become a reality.

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