by Lauren Sapala
I’ve worked with a lot of writers over the past eight years and I can honestly say that there really is one thing that separates the writers who are going to make it from the writers who are not. I know, I know—there are many different variables at play. Believing in yourself, joining a supportive community, finding your audience. I’m not disputing that those factors influence a writer’s success. But the thing I’m talking about is way more basic than anything else.
It’s how a writer manages her time.
And yes, it is basic, but it’s also super difficult.
I have had writer friends who have taken years to work on the first or second draft of a manuscript (because sometimes that happens) but have put much of that time to good use. I have also had writer friends who have taken the same amount of years, not because the story demanded it, but because a lot of their time was siphoned away by video games, Netflix, or social media.
“Not enough time” is also one of the biggest problems new clients come to me with when they’re stuck in their writing. I get it. I so totally get it. I have a day job, a side business, a husband, a two-year-old son, a needy cat, and about a bazillion books I want to read. I also have two work email accounts and a personal email account, calls and texts coming in hourly, and a stack of unopened mail to deal with every day, plus dinner to get on the table and laundry to fold. My situation is not unique. To some degree or another, most writers have just as many distractions demanding their attention.
Yet, when I talk about time management that’s when the groaning starts. I get that too. The words “time management” actually sound mind-numbingly boring. Also, to-do lists make me feel anxious and pressured. I’ve never been great at that whole organization thing.
But I have found one thing that works.
The time block.
You can use a time block any way you want. You can set it for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour (or longer). You can do it in the morning, in the middle of the day, or at night. You can do it at home, within the Zen-like peaceful tranquility of your writing desk, or you can do it at a crowded Starbucks.
The details don’t matter. What is important is that you fully embrace the mindset of the writer’s time block and the mindset is:
Everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE) can go to hell right now. I’m ONLY working on my writing for the next [20/30/60] minutes.
That means your email inbox is completely ignored. It means your spouse is going to have to cover for you on toddler duty. It means your phone is totally powered off and the internet shut down. It means you will deal with that thing that has to go to the post office or whatever needs to be dropped off at the dry cleaners LATER.
The time block is sacred. The time block is non-negotiable. If someone violates the time block they better be dying and need a ride to the emergency room.
This all sounds very extreme, and make no mistake, the time block mindset IS extreme. But it has to be. We live in a world filled with a million tiny time-sucking monsters, and all of them have sharp teeth and a ruthless zeal for eating every single one of your spare minutes. If you are not also extreme and ruthless about setting boundaries around your time then your time will continue to be devoured without you having anything to show for it.
The other key to making a time block work for you is to keep moving once you’re inside of it. The time block is not a lazy dreamy space for you to unfold, expand, and reflect. The time block is a concentrated chunk of minutes for you to get down as many words as possible, or move through as many pages of revisions as possible. Yes, it will feel a bit jarring when you start. Kind of like that feeling of doing sprint workouts on the track. But you will feel phenomenal when it’s over, and you will be shocked at how much you actually got done.
Try it right now. I challenge you. Finish reading this post, shut down the internet and write for 30 minutes straight, wherever you are. Push yourself into it and push yourself through it. Don’t stop to reread or even to think. Just start writing and write for the next 30 minutes.
Then let me know how that felt.
I’ll bet it feels fantastic.
Guest post contributed by Lauren Sapala. Lauren is a writing coach who specializes in personal growth and artistic development for introverted intuitive writers. She is the author of The INFJ Writer and currently blogs on writing, creativity and personality theory at www.laurensapala.com. She lives in San Francisco.
Great article! I’ll be sure to use this, because while I do have time these days, I definitely need to be more disciplined.
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Relevant. So relevant.
“The time block is sacred. The time block is non-negotiable. If someone violates the time block they better be dying and need a ride to the emergency room.”
I’ll be happy to hail our local Uber driver for them. My writing time is non-negotiable. After, AFTER, I get at least 500-1000 words down, or a chapter edited, then I can be more lax about how I spend the rest of my day. Not before.
Agree 1000%, as someone who literally slept 30 feet from my workstation for 5 years, and put in between 13 and 22 hours of work every day, 7 days/week, sometimes for months at a time, in the oilfield. When I had to, I hammered out words while eating, or carried a notebook on my smoke breaks.
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I love time blocking…and dislike it at the same time! I have been working with this system for a little while! Thanks for the great article
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Good advice, I should start doing this too.
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Such great advice. My husband has gone to the pub with my son to watch football. A great time block for me – I have written for over an hour, partly an assignment as I am doing a creative writing course as well as trying to write my novel. I am now about to spend the second half on chapters 15 and 16! Thank you!
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“We live in a world filled with a million tiny time-sucking monsters, and all of them have sharp teeth and a ruthless zeal for eating every single one of your spare minutes.”- such beautiful, poignant words.
This “time block” method can be put good use in other spheres of life as well- be it writing, working-out or learning to code.
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Yes yes yes!! When I first wanted to get back to writing, I swore I didn’t have the time. But then I started setting a 30 minute timer for everything- 30 minutes to write, 30 minutes to walk the dog/vacuum/do dishes. Then another 30 minutes of writing , etc until it’s time for bed. It’s worked wonders and I’m glad to know I’m on the right track!
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Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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This is great advice and something that I used to do but haven’t been doing as much lately. I definitely appreciate this reminder — hopefully it will be the thing that will finally get me at the desk to start revising!
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There are so many distractions and “gotta-dos.” This is the best way to turn off and focus!
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This is really great advice! I read something similar in one of my favorite books about writing. The problem I seem to run into a lot is that other people don’t get it. I tell them I am writing or editing, and they buzz my phone constantly, want to visit, stay well past their welcome time when I have started my work up again while they are still present… It’s exhausting. I just want to write some days and the world says ‘no’. Although, it couldn’t hurt to silence the phone for a little while every day. Sometimes shutting people out is the answer to being taken seriously.
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Reblogged this on When Angels Fly.
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