Don’t Have Time to Write? How to Find Time for Writing in Your Busy Life

When you start being more aware of your time, something funny happens. You start using it more wisely. 

Time is a gift from God, and we should use it wisely. 

So… where are you spending your time?

Is there any time that is unknowingly wasted?

How can you take control of your time and fit in the things that are most important? 

Say Goodbye to the Time Wasters

I bet you knew this one was coming, weren’t you? Our days can be filled with time-wasting activities. Especially when it comes to the internet. 

Now, the internet is great. It’s used to learn, teach, communicate, connect, shop, and send birthday gifts. It’s truly incredible, but all too often these wonderful tools become a huge distraction when trying to get important projects done. 

According to Common Sense Media, the average teen spends nine hours a day consuming media. 

Nine hours? Nine hours a day adds up to 63 hours a week and 3,285 hours a year. That’s roughly 136 entire days of nothing but media consumption in a single year. If a person who spent nine hours a day on media consumption suddenly went cold turkey, they would be freeing up 4 ½ months of time-  more than a third of a year!

I can hardly believe the numbers myself. 

And while they aren’t consuming it for nine hours straight, 15 minutes here and 15 minutes there can really add up. 

Now, even if you don’t spend a whopping nine hours a day consuming media, these numbers should hopefully encourage you to take another look at how much time you are actually spending on social media, Youtube, games, and other applications. 

How much time do you spend on social media/ internet/ entertainment?

Is there any way you can cut back?

If you are  struggling with cutting back, I have two suggestions

• Delete the apps from your phone - if there is something you need to check, use your computer/ laptop - this will reduce the temptation to spontaneously check your phone throughout the day
• Schedule your social media time so that it doesn’t distract you

To expand on the second point, if you don’t want to say goodbye to all your media consumption, then schedule it. 

Only once at that specific time of day, check whatever you need to check and then don’t use it for the rest of the day. Don’t let it become a distraction. Don't check it sporadically throughout the day. 

Social media isn't the only time wasting activity you might be pouring your time into. So take another look at your day. How much time is spent on unnecessary activities? 

Time Isn’t the Only Thing You Should be ‘Managing’

The alarm clock goes off in the morning.

After a couple times of hitting snooze, you finally force yourself out of bed. What follows is a whirlwind of events as you spin through your day completing all your responsibilities. Work, study, and whatnot.

By the end of the day, you collapse into bed too tired to do anything but watch Netflix or sleep.

Your mind bawks at the thought of writing. You already had way too much on your plate that day, how could you possibly fit in anything creative? 

And thus passes another day without writing.

Is this you?

The problem here isn’t a lack of time management. The problem is a lack of energy management.

Throughout the day you didn’t get enough opportunities to recharge and so by the evening your battery sunk to 2% and you were operating on low power mode. 

But what if you came into the evenings with enough energy to fit in, say, a 15-30 minute writing session? 

This is totally doable. All you have to do is manage your energy throughout the rest of the day.

How do you do this?

1. Make sure you are sleeping enough
2. Make sure you are eating well
3. Take 5-10 minute breaks throughout the day
4. Identify the time in your day where you have the most energy, and use that time to write

And by the end of the day, instead of being a tired mess, you will still have energy stored up for a writing session!

Are you super tired at the end of your days?

Is there anything you can do to manage your energy better to open up some time in the evenings?

Are you recharging your energy throughout the day?

Are you keeping your health in order?

With better energy management, you can get things done more quickly and still have enough energy at the end of the day to squeeze in more writing!

Part 2: Carve Out Time

What is Important?

Lack of time is actually lack of priorities

Tim Ferriss

If you are struggling with managing your time and fitting everything into your schedule, it’s time to take a look at your priorities. 

Take out a piece of paper and write down every single task and responsibility you have. Work. Clean. Walk your dog. Study Spanish. Guitar practice. Writing. Watching Youtube. Yo-yo club. 

Now organize them by priority.

What is important to you?

What are things you absolutely have to do?

If you are having trouble ranking them, ask yourself…

What is your vision for the future?

Where do you want to be in five years?

Which tasks help you achieve that vision?

And now, here is the big question....

How Important is Writing to You?

If I told you that you would receive a million dollars if you drove to the Chick-fil-A drive-thru a two hours away, would you do it? 

Or would you say, "Oh, I'm too busy at the moment. That's a long drive -plus, I have a ton of other things on my plate."?

I'm willing to bet that you wouldn't make any of those excuses! You would show up at that Chik-fil-A on the dot in order to receive your reward. 

“Yeah, but that’s a million dollars!” you argue. “Writing a novel is way different than getting a million dollars.” But by voicing that statement, you reveal the real problem: you don’t value writing a novel enough to make it a priority. 

This could be good or bad. Maybe you value other activities in your life more than writing a novel. That’s okay. But then don’t claim you lack time to write a novel. Rather, you should admit that you choose not to write a novel in order to do other things. You have the power to write a novel. You are in control. 

So ask yourself, how important is writing to you? How far will you go to make sure that you carve out time for writing?

What Do You Need To Eliminate?

Believe it or not, it is only possible to accomplish more by doing less. It is mandatory. Enter the world of elimination.

Tim Ferriss

Once you have your list of priorities, you need to eliminate some of them.

You need to face the opportunity cost of each of your actions. For example, at this very moment as you read this article, you could have been writing, sleeping, exercising, or doing something else. But you chose to read this article in order to try to make more time for yourself.

In order to add something into your life, you have to take something out. And vice versa,  when you take something out, you can add something in. 

We don't have an infinite amount of time, so we need to be careful how we use it. If you find you can't do everything, it's time time to start doing less of the least important tasks, and more of the important tasks.  

What actions are the most valuable to you? Which actions aren't as important and need to be eliminated? 

So arrange your list of things you do each day by the most important to least important. The things on the bottom of your list are the things that most likely need to be cut out. 

If writing falls near the bottom of the list, then no wonder you have been having trouble finding the time to write! Take this time to reassess. 

Why are you writing? Why is writing important to you? 

Consider joining a writing contest, or commit to a new writing project that you know that you just HAVE to complete. Make writing a priority again.

Otherwise, this might be a season of life where writing needs to be put to the side.

However, if you believe that becoming an author is your calling then put writing at the top of your list.

Write first thing in the morning, even if that means waking up an hour earlier to get your words in.

Once you organize your priorities and eliminate the less important things, your time will open up and you can be hyper-focused on the things that are the most important.

As with multitasking, if you try to do too many things at the same time, one of them is going to suffer.

If you have too many goals, one of them (if not all) is going to end in failure. And in your case, that might be writing a novel.

If you have followed every single time-management trick in the book but still don't have time, maybe you just have to do less things. And you need to decide what those things are. Be intentional with what you do, or decide not to do. Don't let your hectic schedule decide for you.

So, what is most important to you at this season of your life?

Where does writing fall in that list?

Is there anything you can eliminate to open up more time?

Part 3: Make the Most of the Time You Do Have to Write

So I'm sure you don't need me to give you any time management "hacks" to carve out more time in your schedule.

If you put your mind to it, you could come up with some  brilliant ideas on how to carve out more time, even if it is just 15 minutes.

I'm sure you can come up with ideas like that, and more in order to add more time for writing. 

Once you have that 15-30 minutes, what you need to do next is make the most of that time.

Make it the most productive and intense minutes of writing in your life. 

Maybe you don’t need more time. You need to be more productive and efficient with the time that you do have.

This applies to you whether you have an hour everyday to write or just 15 minutes. 

If you are efficient with your writing time, 15 minutes might be all you need to make some serious progress on your novel.

How can you make the most of your writing time? 

1. Write Faster 

Writing fast is a skill that you can develop. Try improving your typing speed. Do writing sprints. 

What are writing Sprints? 

Writing sprints are short periods of focused time where you do nothing but write.

Step 1: Get rid of all distractions. When it is time to write, write. Don’t stop for research. Don’t stop to look up a word. Don’t stop to check your phone. Don’t even stop to get a second cup of coffee. Because your writing time is precious (and more important than coffee). 

Step 2: Set the timer from anywhere between 5-30 minutes and write. Don’t stop to think. Don’t stop to take a sip of water. Don’t stop to change the song you are listening to. Just write.

These writing sprints really push you to turn off your inner critic/ editor and inner thinker/planner so that you can actually get words on to the page. 

You will be surprised by how many words you can write in just 5 minute sprints. 

At the end of your sprint, take a break. Think about what you are going to write next, and then go in for another sprint. 

2. Think About Writing Throughout the Day

The most creative ideas aren’t going to come while sitting in front of your monitor. - Scott Birnbaum (Vice President of Samsung Semiconductor)

Here is how I think about writing: when I sit down at my laptop to write, all I am doing is transcribing my thoughts.

Throughout the rest of the day, though, I am thinking about my story. 

The most creative ideas usually come to people when they are exercising, doing some sort of recreational activity, or showering.  This is called "reflection-out-of-action". And it basically explains why you are bombarded with all your best ideas right before you go to bed, or a brilliant idea smacks you right in the noggin while you are taking a walk. 

The best ideas come to you when you aren't writing.

While you are munching on your breakfast waffles, working, taking a shower, going for a walk, brewing a cup of tea, or brushing your teeth, think about your story. 

Play the scenes in your head. What would the characters say? How would you describe that particular scene? What is going to happen next? What brilliant lines of prose would fit this scene perfectly? 

Thinking counts as writing too. 

This way, when you sit down to write, you can skip the "bang-your-head-on-the-keyboard-trying-to-come-up-with-ideas" part, and get right into the "pour-your-brilliant-ideas-onto-the-page" part. 

Now, it’s time to throw away the excuse “I don’t have time to write.” Take control of your time, rearrange your priorities, and make the most of the time you do have to write. 

And before you know it, “I wish I could write a novel, but I just don’t have time” will become “I didn’t think I had time to write a novel, but I did it anyway because I took control of my time and made writing a priority!”