Why Scheduling Writing Isn’t Working & What To Do Instead
Take back your time and prioritize you.
Do you schedule your writing session in your calendar only to find it gets sidelined because something more urgent comes along?
You promise yourself you’ll do it tomorrow in your lunch break/next weekend/after the kids go to bed…but inevitably something always comes up.
Before you know it, months have gone by and you haven’t written a word but now, there’s the added feeling of guilt.
I should have….
You are not alone.
In a recent social media poll I carried out, 66% said the top challenge when writing a book was finding the time for a writing routine.
Why ‘scheduling’ writing time is not enough
As people, we crave that feeling of productiveness - it makes us feel accomplished. The problem is, we choose tasks that we already know how to do - because they’re easy.
And the writing process is hard - especially if you’re working/have a day job and/or have family responsibilities and a to-do list that leave you much time.
I also used to have the feeling that writing a book, is… well… slightly indulgent. Why am I writing this book when I could be spending time with my kids/servicing a new client/being a freelance writer/calling my mom ________ [insert blank]?
The truth is, there usually is something else that needs doing.
So what do we do?
You practice intentional procrastination - intentionally putting off a task, even when the consequences of the delay are known.
Where in your life could you reduce time spent on a task or eliminate it altogether in order to create space for your writing goals?
Do you need to attend four networking events a month or could you cut down to two?
Do you need to cook home-made meals seven days a week for your family or could you order in on weekends?
Do you need to read the report five times to check for typos or could you check it once and send it?
Do you need to run that errand or can you call a courier?
Do you need to respond to every email within 30 minutes or could it wait until lunchtime?
You get where I’m going here.
Sometimes, in our attempt to feel productive, we strive for perfection in areas where the pay-off isn’t worth it.
A personal example:
When I moved to the USA, I joined my kids’ school PTA in an effort to understand the New York school system, get to know the community, and help my kids settle.
A good idea and a worthy goal.
However, I didn’t just join the PTA and attend a couple of events a month as a member. The next day, I volunteered to be the Communications Director, a role which took several hours a week according to my Google calendar and took away valuable writing time.
I could have easily achieved my goal as a PTA member while still having enough time to write, saving myself a lot of hard work.
Instead, I pressured myself into doing something to be the ‘best’ parent which wasn't my best use of time management and certainly not the most important thing.
Why this works
There are lots of writing skills and productive hacks I could give you to write your book (pomodoro technique/write at specific times/write in your dead time/reduce social media/use a voice recorder/set word count goals/set a target date to finish/set an alarm clock for 5 am, etc).
But until we get into the right mindset - with clear goals and creative energy levels - an effective writing schedule is unlikely...well, to be effective.
There will ALWAYS be a million other things to do - so many in fact, you'll think you have writer's block because they're so distracting.
By looking at our life as a whole and INTENTIONALLY choosing to reduce or eliminate tasks where the consequences are low-impact, we are able to prioritize our writing projects knowing that our family/job/home/relationships won’t fall apart.
The best way to create more time is to remove something from our current schedule.
Finding time to become a published author is the hard part but resist the urge to choose the easy tasks and focus on writing.
A great way to start is with just 15 minutes a day - the pay-off of this writing habit will be huge. You may even find yourself extending this amount of time as you find different ways to reduce or eliminate tasks.
Learn exactly how to write an excellent book with confidence and find time to write, even with a busy schedule with Kick Start Your Book With Karen - my 8 step system to guide you on your writing journey, from idea to publication.
