Ep 124: No Time to Write? A Simple Solution to Kickstart Your Work
I hear it all the time.\n\nIt doesn't seem to matter what stage of life we're in or what part of the world we're from. Regardless of age or gender or personality type, everyone says it: "I want to write, but I don\u2019t have the time."\nTime Management Systems Only Part of the Solution\nYou might think the only solution is to quit your job or hire a nanny. More likely, you\u2019ve given up. Well, I guess that\u2019s where you\u2019re finding yourself if you\u2019re someone who wants to write but doesn\u2019t because of time\u2026or lack of it.\n\nI don\u2019t think you have to quit your job or hire a nanny. I also don\u2019t think you have to give up.\n\nI could offer project management and time management solutions to help you eliminate some things from your schedule, plan your days efficiently, streamline your processes, and make the most of your time.\n\nAnd we could discuss distraction and motivation and nemesis and Resistance and procrastination. Because chances are, more than one thing is keeping you from writing, not just lack of time.\nIt Can Be Done: You Can Write\nI want you to prove to yourself it can be done\u2014you can write even when you think you have no time at all.\n\nHere\u2019s a simple solution that's worked for me. In the next article I\u2019ll share another. You can try one or the other, or both together for even more momentum. This first solution is especially powerful if it\u2019s been a while since you\u2019ve written.\nKickstart Your Writing with a Time Block\n\n\nI urge you to kickstart your writing with a block of time devoted to nothing else but your words.\n\nIf your schedule is insane, this may seem like a counterintuitive suggestion or a contradiction\u2014\u201cIf I don\u2019t have time to write, how will I find a block of time to write?"\n\nHave you taken a vacation in the past year or two? It could be a one-day escape to a nearby tourist attraction, a weekend retreat, or a week-long getaway. You made it happen, didn\u2019t you? So you know it\u2019s a hassle to step away from life and work, but it can be done. If you want it bad enough, you\u2019ll find a way to set aside the time and make it happen.\n\nSame with this writing block. If you want it, you\u2019ll find a way. And like a vacation, it\u2019s not a regular thing. Just one block of time.\n\nI want you to love yourself and your writing enough to say, \u201cI\u2019m doing it. I\u2019m making this happen. I\u2019ve waited long enough\u2014it\u2019s time to kickstart my writing."\n\nCan you find a block of time? Can you escape the busyness that\u2019s been holding you back? Can you leave it behind for an afternoon, a day, a weekend, or longer, so you can write for an extended time and make a dent in your work-in-progress\u2014or the work that hasn\u2019t even begun?\nHow Long?\nYou don\u2019t have to go far, and you don\u2019t have to be gone long to make a difference. Remember, this is a kickstart, not a completion\u2014you don\u2019t have to write the entire novel or finish the complete essay. You just dedicate a block of time to writing to give it a strong start or build out its bones.\n\nSurely you can find an afternoon and evening? Or a full Saturday?\nWhere?\nFor a week or weekend getaway, you could head to a nearby retreat center or a local bed and breakfast or a campground cabin. If you only carved out a day or an afternoon, head to the library or see if a local co-working space offers an inexpensive day pass.\n\nDepending on your project, you might want to find a location that doesn't offer Wi-Fi. Without that distraction, you\u2019ll get more words out. Just make notes in brackets directly in the text to remind you to look up details later. You can tackle that research some day when you have just a few minutes between appointments. Kickstarting your project means you need to set down words, lots of words, so don\u2019t get distracted confirming the street name in your home town. Just write.\nKeep the Writing Pipeline Flowing\nYou\u2019ll make the most of this time by setting up your writing pipeline if you haven\u2019t done that already. I introduced the writing pipeline in episode 114.