It is true that people are very
busy, but a little extra time can always be found. This may mean giving up
watching so much television, talking on the telephone, having a drink with your
friends or other activities that are unproductive in the long run...
As a independent writer you need
to be a self-starter, creative, motivated, independent, self-disciplined,
productive and organized all while coming up with new ideas, writing articles,
or books and running your business.
There are thousands of writers that
produce material everyday while looking after small children, running their web
site or home business or while working at full time jobs. So how do they find
the time?
Before you begin on your writing
career start by freeing up the time you will require by clearing all those jobs
around the home you have been meaning to do.
Clear the clutter, weed the
gardens, finish any home handyman jobs that need to be done. This helps to
psychologically free your mind to enjoy the time spent writing and is known to
create a "flow on" effect into your writing. An organized and
uncluttered life leads to uncluttered, clear and concise writing.
Once this is completed decide
that from now on whatever needs to be done around the home you will set aside a
specific time, and specified amount of time, to be devoted to getting these
chores done as part of your schedule e.g. half an hour a day in the garden is
probably all that it would take to make your garden the envy of the street.
Efficient
time management comes down to planning what you are going to do, and then doing
it.
When
you begin planning it is important from the beginning to learn to write
regularly and determine a writing schedule for yourself and stick to it the
same way as you would organize your regular day-to-day activities i.e. on a
time efficient basis.
You may not be able to find the
time to write every day but your success will be determined by the amount of
time that you do spend writing.
If you find you work best early
in the morning then develop a regular routine and write at this time. Similarly
if you work best at night then establish an evening routine.
Choose the actual writing times
that suit you best as all writers are different. Some work at two, three, four
hour stretches at a time, others work a full eight hour day, while some prefer
to do marathon stretches until they are finished.
Most articles or books require
some research. Allocate this research time into your schedule. Some research
tasks can only be done during business hours, the actual writing however can be
done at a time that suits you.
It is easy to lock yourself away
and spend all your spare time writing. Leave space in your schedule for your
spouse, family and friends to avoid any resentments should they suddenly find
themselves excluded from your life. This especially applies to young children
who may not understand if you are suddenly unavailable.
When organizing and planning
your time for writing...if you can only spare the time to write part-time or
for only an hour a day... take heart and remember!
Anthony Trollope wrote Victorian
novels before dawn or on his way to work in the Post Office. William Faulkner
wrote "sanctuary" part-time while working in a boiler room.
There are countless stories of
the many writers who have overcome obstacles and found the time in their
personal lives to go on and achieve recognition through their writing.
Compared to these people how big
are our own distractions, interruptions and other excuses we make for not
getting on with earning a living from our writing.
Copyright 2002 by Jill Black
Jill is the author of "Your
e-Book Business Starts Here!" For resources and ideas on developing a home
business writing and self-publishing visit "Net Writing and e-Publishing
Success" at http://www.netwrite-publish.com