Writers often feel that they never have enough time. As a writer, you have probably wished that the day was longer than twenty-four hours. Imagine if the day was thirty or thirty-five hours. You would probably get everything done and you would even have time to take breaks and relax too, right? Not so much. There is no denying that many of us have obligations. Even if you are a full-time writer, life will still get in the way. Whether you are running errands, taking care of your family, or while checking your e-mail, you somehow end up on YouTube watching videos for three hours. Even if the day gets magically longer, we will still find ways to procrastinate or waste time. It has never been about how long the day is or if we have enough time or not. It is about learning how to manage the time that we already have to get more writing done in a day.
Limit Distractions
There are many things around us that can cause distractions. Whether it is your phone ringing or replying to a Facebook message, there’s no shortage of activities to help us procrastinate if we’re not focused. Writing requires your complete attention, especially if you are a fiction writer who wants to stay in your own imagination to create characters and build worlds. Any small distraction can make you lose your focus and train of thought. Before you sit down to write, you will need to eliminate all distractions. You can either put your phone on silent or leave it in another room. It is also better if you work in a private room and ask your family or roommates not to interrupt you. If you still find yourself constantly interrupted at home, you can find another place to write, like a coffee shop or a library.
These small distractions can make you lose hours of work because every time you are interrupted, you will have to rearrange your thoughts all over again. The couple of hours that you set for writing every day should only be for writing and nothing else. You can always call people back or check your phone after you are done.
Schedule Time for Writing
Do you feel that you don’t have time for writing? Well, then make the time, even if you have a full-time job. No excuses. You don’t have to write for six or eight hours every day, especially if you have a busy schedule. But instead of saying I will get some writing done later today, you should schedule a specific time and duration dedicated only for writing every day. For instance, you can wake up a couple of hours early or set a couple of hours before bed to sit at your desk and let the ideas flow. Treat your writing time as if it is something sacred; it shouldn’t be rescheduled, interrupted, or wasted. Additionally, scheduling time for writing will allow you to incorporate it into your daily routine.
When scheduling a time to write, you should choose the time of day when you feel most energized. Some people are early birds who wake up early and feel the most energetic and productive in the mornings, while others are night owls and can do their best work late at night. You know yourself best, so choose what works for you.
Differentiate Between Relaxation and Wasting Time
Taking a break and relaxing is vital for your mental and physical health. However, many of the things that we do in our free time don’t promote relaxation and simply waste our time instead. You need to take a look at the things that you do in your free time and ask yourself if it really relaxes you or makes you more stressed instead. For instance, some people spend their free time just scrolling on social media, which is neither productive nor good for your mental health. You need to be able to differentiate between what relaxes you and what wastes your time and ultimately makes you feel stressed or drained. So take a bath, watch a fun TV show, take a walk, or chat with a friend. Do things that will improve your mood, so when you sit to write, you will feel refreshed and able to create. Additionally, the time you waste on activities that don’t benefit you can be better used for writing.
Use a Project Management Tool
Fiction writers don’t just sit on their laptops and start writing. They have to first create their characters, give them names and personalities, build a fictional world, and plan events that will hook the readers. For this reason, you will need to use a project management tool that helps make the writing process so much easier and saves time. There are different tools that you can choose from. However, many fiction writers prefer to use me! I’m Charlii, an advanced project management tool for writers. I can help with your writing projects by allowing you to arrange your thoughts, story arcs, and character development, whether you plan to write one book or become the next J.R.R. Tolkien and write a whole book series. Writing your thoughts down makes your story real. It no longer exists only in your mind. It is out there now waiting for you to give it life. The more you write, the more plots you will have, and you may struggle with plotlines or gaps that you want to fill. I will act like an assistant that will help keep your story organized and coordinated.
As mentioned, scheduling time to write is important. I, Charlii, will help you with your schedule by reminding you of your deadline, and helping you keep track of your weekly word count. Being up to date with your schedule will make the workflow a lot smoother. This tool can also save you time by providing you with helpful suggestions as you write that will help inspire you so you can finish your book.
Write Anytime, Anywhere
Never postpone an idea. If you are sitting somewhere and you have an idea about how your character will meet their soulmate, defeat their adversary, or how your story will develop, don’t wait until you get home or are on your laptop to write. You may forget the idea by then. Whenever you have a thought, write it down. Have a notebook in your bag or use your phone so when you have the urge to add something to your story you can just do it. You will be surprised by how much you can accomplish in a day when you do that. Even if you are driving, you can pull over and put the words in your mind on paper. The world is your muse, so let it inspire you.
Challenge Yourself
Normally, every writer has a daily word count that they should achieve in their writing schedule. However, have you considered challenging yourself? For instance, if you write one thousand words a day, you can add a couple of hundred words each day. When you finish the one thousand words, don’t stop writing and add two hundred or two hundred and fifty more. It will only take a few minutes, but it will definitely make you feel more accomplished and increase your overall daily and weekly word count as well. That said, you should set a realistic word count so you will be able to follow through. If you set a large word count like three thousand or four thousand words and are unable to finish them, this can make you feel discouraged. So choose an acceptable word count, even if it is a small one, and go up from there. It’s important to push our limits so that we can grow as writers, but it’s also important to know what they are.
Have a Deadline
No one likes deadlines, but they can actually be very helpful. One of the things that can make writers procrastinate is the lack of a deadline. You have probably told yourself before “I will only write five hundred words today” or “I will skip writing today and write tomorrow.” After all, you don’t have a deadline so who cares? Right? Wrong. Having a deadline can make you disciplined and help you stay focused. We don’t just mean a deadline for the whole book; you need to have daily, weekly, and monthly deadlines as well. Whether it is a word count or a number of chapters, you need deadlines to keep you motivated and focused. For instance, if you decide that you will write one chapter a day, stick to this rule. You can’t write half a chapter and finish it the next day. The deadline is today, so you must finish today. You are your own boss, so be a strict one if necessary.
Notice Where You Leave Your Story
Writers are just like readers, they need to be hooked to keep going. If you want to write more the next day and feel that you can’t wait to go back to your story, then end it on a high note. End your daily writing at a strong point, so the next day, you find yourself picking up where you left off instead of spending time coming up with new ideas. Finish writing when there is still more left in you so you can go back the next day to continue the adventure.
Writers need to write; this isn’t a hobby or something that you can do in your spare time. Additionally, as writers, we know that writing isn’t just a job, but it is also a part of our being and a part of our identity. We never stop thinking, planning our plots, or imagining how our stories will progress. Don’t believe the people who say that we don’t have enough time. You have all the time in the world. You just need better time management skills, and you will see amazing results.
