We are continuing with "How I find time to write" with the wonderful Patricia Kiyono. She has some great tips for finding time to write... :)
When I retired from my full-time teaching job, I thought I would have all sorts of time to write. After all, my children were grown and out of the house, and my husband was pretty self-sufficient. Actually, he does a lot of the chores around the house, so I felt I had it made. But things don’t always go the way we plan. I took on a part-time teaching position at a local university, and my two-day-a-week job at a local grocery store suddenly became almost full-time. And then my father died, leaving my mother frightened and unsure of herself. Since I’m the only child living nearby, I am often called to go over check on things and make phone calls for her (English is not her primary language). My daughter had a baby, and I eagerly volunteered to take care of my granddaughter one day a week. My writing time diminished considerably, and I had to make adjustments. I’ve found four strategies that have helped me to be productive.
1. Getting up early. Working in the bakery of our grocery store is not necessarily fun, but it did put me on a very early schedule. I compromised on a three day work week at the store, but I work from 5 AM to 1 pm three or four days a week, so I need to go to bed early and get up at 3:30. This means I’m not able to watch all the popular television shows and get caught up in the latest competition shows. And since I’m up early for work three or four days a week, I get up early on the other days. This allows me to get a lot done before I go out to run my errands. There aren't a lot of businesses open at 3:30 am, so I sit down at my laptop and write until it's time to go.
2. Using Technology. I find myself with short segments of time when I can write a paragraph or two of a scene that’s been simmering in my head, or a blog. I always have my iphone with me, so if I’m waiting in a doctor’s office or sitting somewhere, I can write things on my notes app and email it to myself. If I’m at my mother’s house or babysitting at my daughter’s house, I can write and save my work in a google doc and add it to my manuscript it later. Some people write in longhand when they can’t get to a computer, but I have a problem with losing paper - things get piled up and then I can’t find them when I need them. So it’s much better for me to write on whatever device I have handy.
3. Removing myself when there are distractions. Retirement is wonderful. But my husband is also retired, and he doesn’t like silence. The television or radio is always on. I can’t write with noise, so when I really need to write, I leave the room. I have a desk in one of the bedrooms and I shut the door. Sometimes he’ll get the hint and come and tell me he’ll turn the television off if I’ll come back! Another thing that helps me "remove myself" is using a pair of noise-reducing headphones. A CD called Creativity helps me stay focused.
4. Making writing a priority. As others have said, in order to be consistently productive, you have to write every day. I use the website 750 words to keep myself accountable. It's sort of like an online journal. The website keeps track of the days I write and how many words I've written, and sends me a reminder if I haven't logged in by 9 am (you can set the time for the reminder, as well as the time zone you're in if you're travelling). Sometimes I use my 750 to add to my manuscript, and sometimes I use it for writing promo materials, like blog posts, but at least I'm writing something every day! Right now I'm on a 148 day streak!
These are the things that work for me. It took me a few years to find strategies that I could live with. I'm sure they wouldn't be the answer for everyone, but the key is consistency. Most of us can't sit down and crank out a novel from start to finish, so we need to find time to write on a regular basis. How we find that time depends on our lifestyles and our situations. Keep looking, and you'll find the strategies that work for you!
Patricia Kiyono is the author and co-author of six books at Astraea Press. Check out her author page at Amazonor Goodreads. Patricia can be found at her website, blog, or twitter (@PatriciaKiyono)