Juggling time and projects gets hectic. Having balance in your life creates calm. Here’s how I’m getting my writing projects done while life is crazy.
Wow! My first week as a Feature Writer for Suite 101 has put my writing life and the rest of my life out of kilter.
Balance? What balance?
I’m researching article ideas, getting and keeping fiction writing discussions going, trying to finish the preparations for my parents 50th anniversary party (and figure out packing and travel logistics), help the last teenager at home study for finals / do yard work here / look for a job, and somewhere in all that, my critique group is meeting on Monday and I’m not ready!
So it’s back to the basics:
- What are the personal things I need to take time for that set me up for success through the day?
- What are the things that have to get done no matter what? (We do need to eat, after all, and the cupboards are pretty bare at this point.)
- Schedule high-priority blocks of time to write. Short or long, every little bit helps.
Within all of that, I’m trying to set priorities in my writing. Today is for my blog and then my fiction (and grocery shopping). Brainstorming and research on other articles will have to wait. And I’m here talking to you, so as soon as this is posted, I’ll sit down and concentrate on editing the first four chapters of my current children’s book project. One big help is that I’m in an editing phase, not the gut-wrenching part of getting a story out of my head and onto paper. So when I have (make!) time, I can get into it pretty quickly.
If you’re in crisis mode for a short period of time, you either need to set writing aside for a bit or go through the same prioritizing that I’m doing. If you’re in a long-term, finding-time-to-write phase, “Be a Time Efficient Writer” and “Someday I’ll Write that Bestseller” have some great ideas for you.
