Guest Post
by Elizabeth Grace Saunders @RealLifeE
New Year’s
Resolution #1: Write More in 2013.
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| Purchase Book Here |
If you’re
like most writers, you really want to find more time to practice your art in
2013. But the distance between your resolution and your reality often seems
like a span too far to cross and full of detours like writers groups and
writers blogs where you talk and read a great deal about writing but rarely put
words to the page…
I
understand, as a time coach and the author of the newly released book The 3 Secrets to Effective TimeInvestment: How to Achieve More Success With Less Stress , I’ve lead many a writer through the
process of finding more time to write.
The BIGGEST secret to your success is
strengthening simple routines that make investing time in writing automatic.
Let me tell you a little story about a writer I helped unlock the power of this
secret…
Breaking Through Creative Blocks
A few
winters ago, I worked with a successful, well-published writer who also taught
in a university graduate school Masters of Fine Arts program. She was stuck.
“I am scattered and making erratic
progress with this or that. I want to make solid steps forward. I want to
reclaim my life and place in the literary firmament, get healthy and in shape,
and have fun!”
She also
had just been diagnosed with ADHD and was wondering how much of an impact ADHD
had on her life-long frustrations with writing and other areas of her life. One
of her most important goals was to move forward on her next big creative
project–a collection of linked short stories. It had been a long time since her
first book had been published, and she needed to regain professional momentum…
“My friends are mostly writers and
successful. I have lots of ink in the New York Times that I have written and
that has been written about me. So I have talent. I also need to know what I
need to do, like a solid schedule? work impulsively? Okay I know the answer to
that.”
She did
know the answer, but turning the answer into practical action took time
coaching… We came up with an initial
plan of how she could get in a good, solid, writing time in the morning. Then
each week, we worked on assessing the results and evaluating how to move
forward based on what happened.
The first
writing routine involved: drinking coffee, eating breakfast, taking the dog
out, meditating, getting dressed, and then starting to write. The second
involved just getting coffee and starting to write. The end result was a fusion
of the two with pouring a cup of coffee, meditating a bit, taking out the dog
and then writing.
The end
goal wasn’t to have this creative writer crammed into a rigid schedule but to have something that turned
writing (her top professional priority) from a dreaded activity to a peaceful
part of her daily schedule.
Over the
course of our work together, she found that if she followed her morning routine
and put herself in her writing space for two hours (with a timer set), the
inspiration came and the writing moved forward.
- Writing didn’t need to be something that she dreaded.
- Writing didn’t need to be something that took over her
life.
- Writing could be something she choose to move forward
on each day.
At last!
Freedom to do quality work without losing herself, her relationships or her
sanity was possible!
“I’ve found that the actual schedule
that I longed for would absolutely drive me around the bend so I have a
flexitarian schedule and am getting things done.”
“Having and sticking with a schedule is
the single most important thing I can do for myself as an artist, as a woman
living a rather complex and exciting life, and as someone newly aware that many
of my problems stem from having ADHD. Nothing, nothing, nothing will move me
forward like following my schedule will. Period.”
A Few Key Points
The same creative
freedom could be possible for you. Here are a few key takeaways to get you
started:
- Even if you consider yourself a spontaneous person, some writing rituals can dramatically increase your productivity and decrease your stress. If you loathe this idea, you can find out how to overcome your inner routine rebel in my book.
- Look at developing custom routines as
a process that includes editing. As you saw above, this writer didn’t just
have one routine and stick with it. She needed to try out a few iterations
until she found one that was exactly the right fit.
- It’s OK to have a “flexitarian”
schedule, meaning that not everything needs to happen with clockwork
precision. For instance, this could mean picking a start trigger, such as
“after I eat breakfast,” instead of a start time, such as “8 a.m.,” to
begin your writing.
- Focus on consistently following your
schedule instead of worrying about constantly being on it. No matter how
hard you try, there will be some days when following your writing routine
just isn’t possible. Instead of beating yourself up over it, you can
simply acknowledge the deviance, forgive yourself if it was due to some
fault of your own, and then move on in the realization that the only thing
you can control is your decision of the present moment.
For a
comprehensive step-by-step guide to creating your own custom routines, flip to
Chapter 7 in The 3 Secrets toEffective Time Investment.
May you
enjoy writing more in 2013 by developing, practicing and adjusting your custom
routines.
What
routines do you have in place to help make investing time in writing as
effortless as possible?
You can find Elizabeth Grace Saunders on:
Posts
16 comments:
I needed this. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD but I know I suffered with all my life. I love organization and yet my mind is never that. Focusing is not my friend.
Great post and thanks for writing it. I need to pick up a copy of your book.
Teresa
So glad you enjoyed it Teresa and I'm excited for you to read my book!
The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment covers the mental, emotional, and practical components of change with your time investment habits.
To your brilliance!
Elizabeth Grace Saunders
My life is what I would call chaotic, and no two days in the week are the same. I'm self-employed, so clients and appointments and such are at different times on different days. That makes a schedule really difficult, and I rely on to-do lists more than anything.
I just need to move writing further up on the list as I tend to run out of time. Or drop a few other things in my life. One of the two.
I usually have a pretty good writing routine (writing in the morning after my husband leaves the house)... and not allowing myself to look at social networking until I finish a day's goal. But lately I've been sucked more and more into social networking instead of writing. This post is a great reminder to get back on track and implement a better schedule I can stick to. Thank you for a great reminder that I can control my decision of the present moment!
I absolutely need a routine. I DO alter writing with editing though. My brain just doesn't change gears that well. I edit about 3 times as much as I write because I just have to.
Elizabeth - Thanks for hosting Elizabeth Grace.
Elizabeth Grace - You've got such a well-taken point about establishing rituals and integrating writing into one's life in a manageable peaceful way. To me that's much saner than trying to 'wedge' it in.
L. Diane Wolfe-
In reply to your comment, here are two ideas:
1. Always put writing as the first thing you will do when you have time between appointments.
2. I'm also been self-employed for over seven years and learned that as a business owner you need to set expectations or clients will set them for you. You can make the choice to block out writing time as a set appointment with yourself and then schedule clients around your writing schedule.
The entire Chapter 6 of my book is on Setting Realistic Expectations for Yourself, for Others, and Others of You.
To your brilliance!
Elizabeth Grace Saunders
When I am in writing mode, I block off several hours every night after guitar practice. I've found challenges such as NaNo and BuNo really motivate me.
Elizabeth--Thanks so much for posting today. I especially appreciated your point about being flexible about times. Frequently, it's that kind of an approach that works best for me--because things come up that knock me off a set schedule. When I'm flexible about the time that I start writing, then I don't view an interruption in my schedule as so much of a set-back.
"Flexitarian" schedule--love the sound of that. Thanks, Elizabeth for helping us to think through a more balanced approach to our writing schedules since a rigid routine rarely works for anyone. Great tips.
You're very welcome!
Glad you liked the balanced/practical approach to a flexitarian writing schedule.
Routines should be our servants, not our masters.
To your brilliance!
Elizabeth Grace Saunders
I like this! Having a routine helps me get things done. I don't worry about the time, but falling into an order helps my brain get set too :)
Flexitarian!
I'm reading Rosanne Bane's "Around the Writer's Block" right now, and she makes a good brain science point for making smaller more consistent commitments, no more than 15 minutes a day (though of course you CAN write more if you choose.)
I realized that one mistake I've been making is choosing the time based on the clock. I rarely do ANYTHING by the clock, so why should this be different? I simply used what used to be the last step in my morning routine as the trigger for my 15-minute writing session, and so far, it's working.
Love the points that writing shouldn't be something you dread and shouldn't take over your life. Wonderful tips here. Thanks for sharing this guest post!
What great advice and tips! Now I want the book!
Just bought the hardcover from Amazon-- the ideal book purchase to begin the new year with!
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