When do you write?

We are back to our back-to-basics series, after a bit of a delay. I did mention this was going to be a delayed series.

But, as they say, timing is everything.

With that awkward segue out of the way, we’re talking about time today. As in, when you write and how often you write.

I’ve never been a big fan of the advice to write every day. While it sounds terrific in theory, it’s unrealistic. We’re all adults here. However, if you’re not, you still have responsibilities.

We are writers. But we’re also humans trying to survive in late-stage capitalism. We have to fit writing in where we can when we can. And that’s just not going to happen every day.

Don’t despair, though. I manage to finish a book or podcast season a year, most years.

So today let’s consider when we can fit writing in, when the best time to do it is, and how we can make the most of the moments we have.

Let’s start with some questions to figure out where you are, time-wise. First, when is your best time of day, energy-wise? This is basic advice, yes, but it’s worth knowing about yourself.

Me, I’m a morning person. The later it gets to the day, the less likely I’m going to get anything done. So getting up early to write before I go to work works best for me.

If you would rather stick needles in your eyes than get up a minute earlier than you have to, this isn’t your best bet.

I wouldn’t spend a lot of time fighting your internal clock if you didn’t have to. I’ve tried to write in the afternoons, after work, and it just doesn’t work as well for me. I’m tired, I’m irritated, and this is the time of the day when my family needs the most from me. Dinner needs made, Oliver needs walking, the cats need attention. This is also the time the darling husband and I tell each other about our day and all the cool things we saw on social media. To think that I’d be able to write during all that is madness. To think that I’d want to write after all that is settled and dinner is done is also madness.

So know your internal timing and honor it as much as you can.

This brings me to our next step. Before you can decide when you’re going to write, you need a crystal clear understanding of when you cannot write.

You want to start with a blank weekly calendar. I like a Google calendar, but a paper one will work just as well.

I start by putting in my work schedule. Not because it’s the most important but because it’s the thing I can’t control. These hours I am working, and I cannot plan to do anything else.

Next, I put in my family time and self-care time. This includes when I need to sleep, cook, and clean my space up a little. I’m a pretty spiritual person, so I also like to add in times I’m going to spend doing rituals, spells, or studying.

This might feel like writing, my art, is coming in fourth place.

And sadly, it is. Writing is vital to me, but I have to make money to survive. I have to take care of myself and the people (pets) that I care about.

That being said, making time for my writing is a priority. And as such, I schedule time for it.

So what if you write out your schedule and you don’t think you’ve got any time at all for writing? I get that, schedules can get tight fast. But I am sure that everyone can find some time most days to write.

If you’re sure you don’t have time to write, start by tracking your time for a week or two. Myriad apps will help you with this, or you can just keep track on paper.

Keep track of how you spend your time, without judgment. There is no reason to beat yourself up. This is your time and you get to choose how to spend it.

Once you have an idea of how you spend your time, you can see where you can cut out some space for writing. Maybe you find that you’re puttering a lot in the morning, so streamlining your morning routine might help. Maybe you’re spending too much time cleaning at the end of the day.

This is the first place I’d start cutting, by the way. If you let them, household chores can consume every second of your free time. There is always another chore, another task, another project. Don’t let yourself get sucked in.

While you will likely find a few half hours or even hours that you can spend on writing, you’ll likely also find minutes.

Likely you won’t find these while mapping out your time, but by living out your day.

Waiting for other people’s doctor’s appointments are my most common times like this. But I also travel by bus, so there’s lots of time there.

But, you might ask, what can you possibly get done in these snatched moments? Well, not a lot individually. But when you count them all up a the end of the day, week, or month, you’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish.

Finally, I want to give you the best advice I’ve ever found.

Be firm and flexible.

Here’s what I mean by this. If you have looked at your schedule and you’ve found time to write, write then. Tell the people in your life that this is your writing time, and that you are not available to do anything else during that time.

Take it seriously, and require the people who love you to take it seriously.

But understand that God laughs when men make plans. You’re going to have days when that writing session isn’t going to happen, no matter how respectful anyone is about it. You’ll get sick, pets will get sick, kids will get sick. You’ll have to pick up overtime because your gas is about to be shut off. Your water heater will explode, or the septic system will start backing up into your basement.

On the flip side, make yourself ready for unexpected moments of writing time. Maybe you didn’t realize you were going to have to wait twenty minutes to see your doctor. You didn’t know your car was going to break down. In short, you now have time you didn’t

Be prepared! Take a notebook with you wherever you go. If you prefer to type, take a tablet or laptop with you.

Because we are artists. We are creatives. And sometimes to make our art happen, we have to get creative.

So that’s it for this week. I hope that you’re finding time to write right now, as we get closer to the holidays. Let us know in the comments when you write.

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