Have you ever felt so overwhelmed that you could barely remember to eat, much less find time to write? If you are nodding your head in agreement right now, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
When life is completely out of control, writing is the first thing to fall off the to-do list, especially when it’s your side gig or hobby. It’s too easy to slip into the habit of “I’ll write tomorrow” only to find that days have gone by and you haven’t actually written at all.
If you’re like me, writing sets you free. It gives you the space to think creatively and forget about your everyday life, even if just for 30 minutes. But what do you do when you’re sick? When your family needs you? When your boss gives you a huge project right as you were about to walk out of the office? When life just gets. in. the. way?
There are enough things we do because we have no choice, make sure the things you choose to do improve the quality of your life, not make it more stressful. Click To Tweet1. Get some rest
Yes, it can be difficult to sleep if you have a bazillion things running through your mind, but it’s crucial to make sure you’re well rested when you’re overwhelmed.
While you might think you can function on a few hours of sleep, there are many reasons why you need a full seven to nine hours of shut-eye. Your body rebuilds muscles and regulates your metabolism and your immune system. Your mind processes things that happened during the day and regulates your emotions. Getting enough sleep helps your mind to stay clear and focused the next day.
If you’re walking around like a zombie all day, barely functioning, how do you expect to make time to write? (You won’t.)
2. Prioritize yourself
You know the saying you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first? It’s true. If you love writing, make time to do it. Schedule it on your calendar just as you would any other appointment. If you’re feeling too stressed or ill to write, give yourself permission to get a massage. Or take a walk. Or do something that clears your head, even if it isn’t writing.
3. Make a list
Write it all out — every single thing weighing you down and stopping you from writing. Unload your to-do list from your brain onto a piece of paper. Once you’ve put it all out there, go back through the list and see what actually needs to be done that day and what can wait until tomorrow. Even if you can push one thing to the next day to give you a few minutes of writing time, it will be worth it.
4. Ask for help
Can someone else — a friend, parent, significant other — help you out with anything on your list? Yes, it can be difficult to ask for help, but if you are struggling silently, no one can tell. If you don’t ask, they don’t know. So tell people what you need and how they can make your life easier.
When you have help and support to relieve pressure on you, it’s easier to find the time to write.
5. Cut out everything you don’t want to do
Now that you’ve prioritized your list and asked for help, is there anything on there that isn’t absolutely necessary and you really don’t want to do it? That weekly parents’ meeting has become more of a chore than the enlightening conversation you had hoped for? Don’t go. The website you promised to help build for a friend has become a burden? Give your friend a call and explain why you can’t do it. There are enough things we do because we have no choice, make sure the things you choose to do improve the quality of your life, not make it more stressful.
6. Find time to write by taking baby steps
No one sits down and knocks out a book manuscript in one fell swoop — you break it down into smaller goals and chunks and work on it bit by bit. If you want to find time to write, don’t start by scheduling an eight-hour day to finish the last half of your novel. Instead, think about how you can fit in ten minutes to work on your story.
That’s what The Writer’s Roadmap is for — to help you come up with a step-by-step plan and manageable goals to help you stay on track, whether your life is chaotic or not.
7. Find support
Do you have anyone in your life who really gets why you’re writing and how much you gain from it? If not, find yourself support in a writing group. Again, if you know that committing to something in-person is going to become more of a chore than something valuable, look into an online group.
The Workshop is one example that we are particularly partial to around here. It combines a private online community with weekly check-ins, monthly seminars, Q&As, and more. If you’re looking for a supportive community and direct access to published authors and others who have created their ideal writing lives, this is the place. The Workshop isn’t for everyone, though. Check out these seven things to consider before joining a writing group, and if The Workshop sounds like something that would support you, we’ll see you in there!
8. Let go of perfection
No one is perfect. Not even your cousin who seems to have it all together on Facebook or that traveler on Instagram who spends their days in amazing, exotic places. If you look below the surface, their houses are messy. They forgot to pack their kids’ lunches, and that gorgeous city view they just posted was taken in the few moments of time between meetings.
Six months from now, will you be more upset that you didn’t dust your cabinets or that you didn’t finish the story that’s been begging to be told for a year-and-a-half? A year from now, will the things that worry you now matter? Most times, they really won’t.
Letting go of perfection will free a surprising amount of time that you didn’t even realize you had.
9. Find time to write in just ten minutes
Writing doesn’t have to be a huge hours-long commitment. Set a timer and sit down for ten minutes. Five minutes, even. More often than not, once you finally get your butt-in-chair to write, you’ll stay a little longer, and a little bit of writing every day has a bit long-term impact.
Imagine you write 200 words a day for a year. That’s almost seventy-five thousand words a year. What about five years or ten? It adds up.
10. Say no often
If your plate is already full, do not take on another project! Just say no. It’s hard, but it gets easier and you’ll start to feel proud of yourself for setting boundaries and sticking to them.
11. Forgive yourself when you don’t find time to write
We all make mistakes, and it’s easy to pile on the guilt and get frustrated for not doing this or not sitting down and writing, but don’t berate yourself for it. Each day is a new opportunity to do the things you love.
Special shout-out to the parents reading right now. You have the important job of raising humans and putting them out into the world. And it’s an often thankless job — there are 25 opinions about everything from breastfeeding to what extracurricular activities they do or don’t do, and that’s if you can even make it through a day without your child having ten meltdowns.
At any given moment, we are all are doing the best we can with what we have. That’s ok.
