15 Ways to Protect Your Writing Time
If you’ve got kids, a busy job, or other responsibilities, carving out time for writing can be tough. But it’s worth protecting that time—it’s one of the most important parts of your day. In this article I will provide some tips on ways to make it happen.
15. Write down your top five priorities and rank them. For example, mine are: family, friends, work, writing, and exercise. Not video games, mowing the lawn, or fixing that broken spindle on my staircase—those don’t make the cut. Listing your priorities clarifies how you use the time you have and identifies what truly matters most.
14. Divide your time. Now that you have ranked your priorities, determine how much time you have in your day for each of these tasks, allocating larger chunks of time to the more important ones. This will help you make a schedule that includes a dedicated slot for your writing.
13. Schedule your writing time strategically. Let’s say you have thirty minutes for personal writing projects each day. Put this block during the time of day when your physical and mental energy are at their peak. My best time is around 5:30 am. I have morning energy, though, and you may find working on your lunch break or late at night suits you better.
12. The right place is as crucial as the right time. My home office works well for me if I write in the morning. However, once my kids get up there is lots of running and banging around upstairs. Rather than waking up even earlier than I already do, sometimes I go to a café to write. Libraries are great for writing later in the day. If you have the money and your significant other won’t raise an eyebrow, you might consider getting a hotel room for yourself one night a month.
11. Build routines around your writing time. For example, I wake up, feed and play with my cats, then write. Afterward, I brush my teeth, take my meds, and get my daughter ready for school. The more mundane the tasks, the better. Changing up anything in that routine disrupts the things around it and can mess up my whole day, so I don’t deviate from it unless I have to.
10. Don’t schedule important things immediately before or after your writing time. This brings other stress and thoughts into your writing space. If you have a presentation to make in half an hour, for example, you won’t be able to give your writing your full attention.
9. Keep some paper handy so you can jot down those distracting thoughts. Even if you’ve scheduled totally mundane tasks around your writing, you don’t live in a bubble. Jot down intrusive thoughts to clear your mind and refocus on writing. For example, you don’t need to clean that super full and smelly garbage can right this instant. If the thought of it keeps nagging you, let your brain know you’ve acknowledged it by putting it on paper—literally get it out of your head. That does the trick for me about ninety percent of the time.
8. Let other people know when your writing time is. I have a sign outside my office door at home. If the sign is flipped to the side that says “Writing,” my family knows not to bother me unless it is an emergency. This can also cue rowdy roommates to keep the noise down. I feel more committed to writing when I’ve asked others to give me that space—or maybe I’d just feel embarrassed if I make a big deal about it and then don’t do what I say I’m going to do. Either way, it works for me.
7. Make a list of tasks or goals for each writing session. Maybe you don’t outline in great detail, but having some kind of a plan will keep you focused. Jot down some things you want to accomplish in your next writing session. If something else comes to mind when you're in your chair, that’s ok—go with that. However, if you’re feeling stuck, start your writing session by tackling the items on your list.
6. Stick to your schedule even if you don’t write very much at first. Staring at a blank screen or sheet of paper will get boring. However, boredom is your friend, not your enemy. Sooner or later, you’ll get sick of staring at nothing and start doodling or writing down things that have been bothering you. That’s all legitimate stuff to do in your writing session! I come up with my most unique and out-of-the-box ideas when I’m so bored I can’t stand it any longer. (Although I implied it, I should explicitly point out that staring and thinking are also totally legitimate. Don’t beat yourself up if you start daydreaming.)
5. Think ahead to your next writing session and get excited about what you are going to write. Let the potential energy build up all day so that when you’re in the chair you’re ready to explode with words.
4. Set good boundaries. This is the best way I’ve found to build that potential energy. I never use work time to do my personal writing because I don’t want to mix those two parts of my life. Instead, I keep a notebook—like the one mentioned in tip #9—where I can write down any ideas I want to remember. Then I go back to work. This gets me excited for the next writing session where I’ll be able to run with all of those new ideas. It also keeps me from feeling anxious about doing personal projects on the company dime.
3. Don’t be shy—update your friends. Talk about your project. Post your progress on social media or in a newsletter like Substack. Sometimes people will comment on what a cool idea you have or how impressive your progress is. That can be very motivating.
2. Add time at the start of your session to review your progress. I like having a specific amount of time to refresh myself on what I’ve already written before diving into new material. However, if you’ve only got a short block of time, like 30 minutes, don’t let rereading old work eat it all up. This trap leads to overediting and other types of stalling. Set aside five minutes or so and then stop reviewing when that time is up.
1. Unplug. The number one distraction for me is the Internet. You don’t need to stop writing to do research on every minor detail in your story. Phone alerts and emails can wait—turn these things off when you’re working. Write with a pen and paper if you have to. Digital tools are wonderful assets, but they can also distract you from your project because grabbing your attention is what they are designed to do.
Let us know in the comments how you protect your writing time. It’s a struggle for many writers and sharing your challenges and successes can help others.
Boo to AI-generated images, otherwise a great list! I find that I get the most writing done when I schedule time for it (usually 10pm after the kids are in bed) and make myself do it every single night. Scheduling it like that seems like a drag, but once I'm rolling, it's all good.
Great list!
One thing I do is to mark a “W” on my wall calendar every day I write. It keeps me motivated to see how many days in a row I write and how many days in a month.