I write parttime and work a fulltime job. In that situation, many things make regular writing difficult: low-energy after work, apparent lack of time, and lack of inspiration. Willpower can only carry me so far before it burns out. The trick, I’ve learned, is not to exercise willpower every day, but to put ritualistic actions in place that support the writing. I developed much of this over the years by gleaning from other sources, but it was the advice of Jerrold Mundis (visit his web site) that brought it all together. Here is some of what I’ve learned.
One key to regular, enjoyable productivity is drawing boundaries. I used to think I could only write when I had long periods of free time. I also used to think that I had to feel good to write, or that I had “feel” like it. At one time, I even thought that I should be cram lots of writing into a weekend or week off. Most of this has led either to feeling bad about myself for failing — or just plain procrastinating until nothing got done.
Here’s what I do instead:
- write 5 days a week
- write 45 minutes each day
- set a time and stop as soon as it goes off
- always take two days off in a row
- always write first thing in the morning
I try to go straight from waking up to shower to writing. I avoid exposing myself to radio, news, or my own to do lists or other activities that might get me thinking about other things. I also do 3 to 5 minutes of meditation in order to set aside the writing period. From meditation, I go straight to writing for 45 minutes. When the timer goes off, I make a note or two and stop. Then I go meditate for another 3 to 5 minutes and move on to the rest of my day.
Setting aside a specific period conditions my body and mind to expect to concentrate for that time. Stopping when the time is up lets my subconscious know that there is an end — it doesn’t have to fear the endless writing binge. More importantly, it avoids setting up subconscious expectations of writing more the next day — so, I don’t end up feeling disappointed in myself if I don’t.