Making Time to Write During the School Year

It's that time of year again. With school starting back up, youth group, and many extracurricular activities, it can be hard to find the time you actually need to sit down and write. In fact, I've been struggling with that very thing, and I haven't even started my full school schedule yet. So, whether you're public schooled or homeschooled, my hope is that this post will help you understand how to create a writing schedule and find time to write during the busy seasons of life.

Let's begin!

1. Planning out your schedule

This is a big part of intentionally finding time to write—setting aside time specifically for it. Personally, I've found that planning out my schedule is really beneficial, especially if I don't want my writing to seem but a distant dream. This could mean (if you're a night owl like me) saying no to staying up late. Give yourself a set bedtime. This way, you can wake up earlier than usual in the mornings (but still at a reasonable time) and get your writing done and out of the way.

I can remember reading once that the mind is most effective in the mornings, because it's all fresh and rested after a full night's sleep, unlike the evening, when the day has been going on and on and all you want to go is collapse in your bed (because yes, we're writers, and despite our late-night procrastinating, we need sleep XD). Plus, if you start getting up early every morning, eventually it will become a habit.

So the main thing here is planning out your schedule and giving yourself a set bedtime. Here's an example of a schedule I might write out:

• 7:00 am: wake up, write in my WIP

• 8:00 am: breakfast, get ready for the day

• 8:30—11:30 am: school

• 1:00 pm—5:00 pm: work

• 5:30 pm: supper

• 6:30 pm: family movie, maybe?

• 8:00 pm: shower

• 8:45—10:00 pm: read + devotional

• 10:00 pm: lights out!

You can see that's a messy draft and obviously, things won't always follow through according to plan. But, having an idea of how your day will go, and being able to see it visually (like on a schedule) will give you the flexibility you need to sit down and write.

I've heard that using a planner can be extremely helpful for this, but I tend to just use a calendar that I pin to my bulletin board, or you can even get a free calendar on your phone. (Another option is, if you're not one for calendars or planners, you can just wing it like me and scribble down a messy schedule on a piece of paper XD. Something fun you can do is make check boxes next to each event, so that once said event is over, you can mark it out with a highlighter and move onto the next thing. Be creative!)

2. Saying "no" to some things

I touched on this above, but I thought I might go into it a bit deeper here. Saying no to certain things is hard, and no, I'm not just saying that because I'm a procrastinator, lol. Perhaps it's staying up and watching a movie till twelve in the morning when you have a busy day and things you need to get done ahead of you. It could be saying no to sleeping over at a friends house when you have a job interview the next morning. Or even refusing to go and eat ice cream at the fairgrounds when you know you could be getting some valuable writing time in.

Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't do all these things—it's okay to binge-watch a movie or TV series, and yes, you should totally go get that free ice cream ;). I'm just saying that sometimes it's best to say "no" to some things so you can say "yes" to others. (Writing, here we come!)

3. Recognizing that sometimes it's okay to put aside writing

I know what you're thinking. "Maya, what do you mean it's ok to put aside writing when you literally just said we should put aside other things to make room for writing?" I know, I know, I did just say that, but sometimes the best way to fill our creative well is by not writing. Taking a break. Because yes, it's easy to get burnt out, and yes, sometimes the best way to deal with that is by resting. Spending time with family. Going out for coffee with a few friends and ranting about life. Going to the theater to see that new movie you've been wanting to watch (HtTYD, anyone?). Even spending time with the Lord. And recognizing that by not writing, you're actually refilling your creative well, so that when you do go back to writing amid the chaos and business of life, you'll be brimming with ideas and motivation.

Because you rested.

For me, writing is like breathing—I can't go without it. But sometimes writing is like running a marathon, and we need to stop for a break every once in a while. We can't keep running if we don't take the time to rest. Breathe. And, most importantly, put aside the time to do so.

And I know you can do it. Even if your schedule is packed with school, work, sports, etc., there's always room to work around that and put aside the time to write. Or brainstorm. Or even rest and refill your creative well. Because I know you can do it. If J.R.R. Tolkien was able to write while being a professor, then surely you can tackle your WIP while navigating the business of life.

Conclusion

I'm going to be honest with you—it took me three days to write this post. And that's only because I put aside time to work on it—in fact, another thing you can do is set a timer and write for 5/10/15/etc. minutes each day. If you're homeschooled, like me, you could even do it during lunch. Basically, whatever works for you and your schedule.

What are your tips for setting aside time to write? How do you usually refill your creative well? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Maya