If you’ve spent any time reading up on how to become a successful writer, you’ve probably encountered the pithy statement, “Writers write.”
And you’ve no doubt heard you should, “Write every day.”
It’s sound advice, but it can also leave you feeling like you’re not a “real” writer.
Because, let’s be honest… there are days when it’s hard to get to writing…
Times when you have only a half-hour break, and you have to choose between writing and eating…
Days when your only break is 10 or 15 minutes to breathe, because there is just so much going on in your life.
There’s no shortage of situations that can keep you from working on your writing business:
- Long work hours at your current job
- Appointments, family obligations, etc.
- Travel commitments
- Days on which you’re exhausted or not feeling well
- Unexpected emergencies or crises (e.g., car trouble, a sick child, urgent deadlines at work)
- Mental or emotional fatigue (not just physical tiredness, but feeling creatively drained or overwhelmed)
- Household responsibilities (especially for caregivers, parents, or those managing a home)
- Disruptions in routine (such as holidays, visitors, or schedule changes)
- Technology issues (lack of access to your computer, internet, or writing tools)
One of the biggest challenges you face is finding time to focus on your craft. As you work toward establishing your writing career, you might make great progress at the outset, only to find that, as time goes on, other obligations halt your momentum.
So, how do you actually move forward and stay productive as a writer, when you’re already juggling a dozen responsibilities and roles in your life?
One of the most successful strategies to keep you moving forward, even when you have a lot of balls in the air, is to use structured, focused periods.
Even when life gets hectic, and your to-do list fills up to an impossible degree, consistent progress in writing is still possible.
The key is to shift your thinking from, “I have to do work on writing projects every day” to, “I will set aside strategic blocks of time where I can.” This approach allows you to meet your obligations, be they work, family, or personal, and still make steady progress on your writing business.
Structured, Focused Periods
A structured, focused block is a time you set aside intentionally, so you can practice writing, work on writing career goals, finish a section of a course, or otherwise work on your business.
You add these to your calendar as appointments… and treat them like you would a meeting with a potential client.
This approach gives you a way to stay motivated and to keep moving forward, in spite of a busy schedule.
Even better, there are different ways you can use this approach, so you can tailor it to your own needs and work style.
Let’s look at three options…
1. Spread Sessions Across Multiple Days
It’s easy to get discouraged, if you never seem to find the time to write. Instead of fighting for a little time every single day, try scheduling sessions where you can over the course of a week or two.
You might aim for seven two- or three-hour sessions in the two weeks, for example. This is much better than trying to squeeze writing in with 15 other tasks on a single day.
Here’s an example of what that might look like…
Imagine you have a very busy week. Three days are completely filled up. The other four days are busy, too, but you have some free time:
- Sunday: Evening is free.
- Monday: Full day, busy.
- Tuesday: Full day, busy.
- Wednesday: Morning and evening are free.
- Thursday: Full day, busy.
- Friday: Evening is free.
- Saturday: Morning and evening are free.
You could schedule writing sessions for Sunday evening, then again Wednesday morning, and so on.
The result? You can see on your calendar when you’ll put effort into your business. You don’t have to worry about where it fits — it’s already there on your calendar. And, despite a busy week, you’re still able to keep moving forward! You might take several big steps that week.
The journey is a little slower, but your progress is consistent.
2. Use a “College Semester” Format
Remember college? You had assignments and big papers due on specific dates — a short paper early on, a mid-term, and a big term paper a few weeks before finals. The semester creates a structured path toward accomplishing a certain set of objectives.
You can use this same structure for your writing goals. If daily work isn’t an option, assign yourself a “step” toward your goal and set a firm due date. Instead of saying, “I can’t get this done today,” you say, “I can complete this goal by next Saturday night.”
For instance:
On a recent project, I set hard deadlines for each task. I aimed to finish an annotated bibliography by September 30th and the detailed outline by October 10th. Those deadlines informed how much time I needed to set aside and by when, if I wanted to stay on track.
Using this approach, over a four- to five-month period, you can take several huge steps forward in your writing career… you could launch a website, finish an AWAI program, and create a consistent outreach strategy.
3. Flexible Durations
Your structured sessions don’t all have to be the same length. Sometimes, you might only be able to fit an hour on the calendar. In that case, an intense sprint can yield good progress.
Other times, may have room for an extended, deep-focus period. It all depends on your project, what you’re trying to achieve that day, and the amount of time you have to work with.
- On less busy days, if you can focus for three, four, or even more hours, go for it! Block that time off for serious work.
- On busy days, consider a couple of options. While driving, you could listen to a webinar for continuing education. Or, you could set aside a one-hour workshop for yourself to tackle one small task.
The key is doing one thing that day to take another step forward.
Here are some examples: You might…
- Read a section of a writing course you’re taking.
- Listen to a podcast, from Ted Capshaw for example, on developing a success mindset.
- Write a paragraph in your journal.
- Write a draft of an article.
- Take the hour to edit a document.
You can use any one of these approaches or combine them based on the changing demands of your schedule.
How ever you approach structured, focused blocks, using them will keep you taking consistent steps toward your business goals… despite a busy schedule.
