Many people ask me where I find time to write with a full time job, four kids, and a husband. The truth is I don’t find extra time; I carefully carve it out of my busy day to spend on my passion. For those of us who aren’t making a living doing what we love (yet), it’s even more important to recharge our batteries by participating in activities that fulfill us on a deeper level. But how do we do that? Below are strategies to get started.
Start Small
I’d love a two to four hour block of uninterrupted writing. I can imagine it now: soothing classical music in the background, a steaming cup of tea next to the laptop, and my fingers furiously pounding the keyboard. But, I can’t even remember the last time I’ve been lucky enough to actually have that much uninterrupted time. What I know instead is that small increments of time can add up over the long run. Aim for thirty minutes every weekday and allow wiggle room over the weekend. It’s surprising how setting a minimum of thirty minutes can turn into an hour or longer.
Schedule It In
But where do you come up with thirty minutes? Sure, we’re all busy. But when we closely examine our daily schedule, we might realize that often we’re wasting time. Ask yourself, how much time do you spend:
- watching television or Netflix
- surfing the web
- or mindlessly scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook
While there’s nothing “wrong” with the above activities, they do have a way of sucking time out of our day. And if we’re trying to find thirty minutes to spend on our projects, then we have to be cognizant of every minute that is spent. So think of a thirty-minute block of time when you’re not doing terribly important things, then schedule your activity, and stick to it.
Make It A Habit
Though most research today says it’s a myth that it only takes 21 days to form a habit, its widely accepted that regularly repeating behavior makes that behavior easier, more natural, and more enjoyable. For me, when it comes to writing and exercising, sticking to a schedule is so important. I believe we have a creativity muscle that needs to be strengthened and conditioned just like our physical muscles. So if you’ve scheduled the time into your day and show up regularly, it will become second nature.
The Right Place
A last bit of information pertains to workspace. Depending on what you are doing, whether it’s writing, or painting, or working out, there might be an ideal location. For me, writing at a library is ideal. However, like I said earlier, I can’t remember the last time I’ve had free time to venture to the library and write uninterrupted. Instead of throwing my hands in the air and giving up, I make do with what I have. That means I’m often writing on my laptop while sitting on the couch, with the kids in the background. Perfect? No. But I’ve written three books like that and am in the process of writing my fourth. Same applies to exercise. When I can’t make it to the gym, I throw in an exercise DVD and sweat it out at home. The point is that in order to be consistent, you must adapt to what works best for your particular situation.
My goal for 2016 is to incorporate daily meditation into my routine. What are you trying to accomplish?
alessandraharris.net 