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As any aspiring writer will know, finding the time to write with a full plate can be difficult. What with a job, kids, daily chores, the gym, walking the dog, and everything else thrown at you each day, finishing a writing project can seem impossible. However, there are a few tips you can implement to get more writing done, even if your schedule is packed.
Find a Time That Works and Stick to it
When you have a tight schedule, finding a time that works for you and your writing is limited—but it’s there; all you have to do is find it. If you have a full-time job with the standard 9-5, it essentially leaves you with two time slots: before or after work. Regardless of if you’re employed at an accounting firm or a medical facility like Northwest Surgery Center, this eliminates a majority of the day. One option might be to get up bright and early to get your writing done before anything else, and others might be waiting until right after you get home. If you have kids, chores, or dinner to make, you might need to wait until later at night. You should find the time that allows you to get everything else done in your day.
Set Definitive Goals
It can be hard to sit down and confront the task of tackling a giant project like a novel, but this can be made more manageable by setting definitive goals. This will allow you to split larger projects into smaller chunks, like setting time-based goals to write for thirty minutes at a time and taking a five-minute break, then repeating the sprint for an hour or two. Alternatively, you could set goals around word counts, where you aim for a minimum amount of words in a single writing session, whether that be 1,500, 1,000, or even just 500 words. Doing so will help you chip away at your project until the first draft is completed.
Cut Out Distractions
If you can’t seem to get any writing done because you are simply “too busy,” chances are you aren’t utilizing your time very well. It’s true that many people do indeed have a lot on their plates, however, if you were to break down your day by the hour, you might find that more time is spent scrolling through social media, watching Netflix, or playing video games than you previously thought. Then when you eventually get around to sitting down and booting up the computer, you rarely go more than twenty minutes at a time without checking your phone for another fifteen. Being aware of these distractions can help you put a stop to them when they arise.
Get to Writing!
At the end of the day, everyone is busy—or at least most of us are. While it is difficult to find as much free time to write as we would all like, it is not impossible. By finding the best possible time to write for your specific schedule, setting definitive goals, and eliminating distractions, you’ll find that having trouble finishing writing projects becomes a thing of the past.
