My writing coach clients have taught me one thing above all others. Those who block out time to write, actually work on their books, blogs or other writing projects. Those who don’t practice time blocking usually don’t. It boils down to knowing your priorities, something my dogs excel in.
Our mornings start early, with me telling the pups to go back to sleep. Now that they’ve learned that command, they wait until I begin to stir around 7 am before breaking into their pre-breakfast dance-and-bark routine. They race down the stairs to the backdoor since they know I’ll make them go outside. At least two of them do U-turns before they’ve even hit the patio and race back into the house. As soon as breakfast is over, they head outside and then back to bed. Make that my bed.
Once I return to the kitchen for my own breakfast, two of the four take up their squirrel patrol spots. One mans the chair in the living room. The other sits in front of the window, resting her chin on the sill. A critter sighting spurs them into noisy action, which prompts Ziggy, who tends to lounge upstairs on his own, to join them in a hurry.
When it’s time for an outing, they head directly to the back of the car. I open the hatchback. The two cockers put their front paws on the bumper and wait for that helping hand on their rumps, while the two fluffies (the ones with the fluffy tails) leap in on their own. Once they’ve found their spots, they settle in for naps. They know all too well that this is their rolling den and that I don’t always leave right away. No matter where we go—to the wilderness, a park or just the store—cookie time follows upon our return.
Speaking of food, lobbying for dinner starts at 4 p.m. on the nose.
“It’s not time,” I tell them each day.
After a few licks, they retreat until their internal clocks compel them to start their entreaties again.
And so it goes. Even when my time schedule changes their set routine, their priorities remain consistent.
What would that approach to life look like for you? You’d figure out when and where to write.
- Is getting up half an hour earlier each morning the answer?
- Perhaps you just need to get into work before everyone else and carve out a few minutes of creative time.
- Can you grab part of your lunch hour each day?
- Are you the kind who prefers to scribble after dinner when the day is done or to carve out blocks of time on the weekend?
Once you’ve determined when and where you want to write, block out your time in your calendar and honor that. When conflicts arise, as they surely will, figure out when you’re going to make up your writing session and block out that time.
Finally, when it’s time to write, don’t waste those minutes you carved out of your schedule. Ignore all emails, the Internet (unless you’re researching) or phone calls. Instead, just sit your butt down and do the work that will further your project. Remember that in addition to putting words on a page, writing can also entail active reading, mind-mapping, research and, eventually editing. Just be honest with yourself about whether you really need that supplemental work or whether you’re avoiding your real priority—the writing.
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