Quick Tips! How To Effortlessly Manage Your Writing Time
Do you ever struggle to find time to explore your passions?
Do you ever struggle to create as often as you would like?
Do you ever struggle to make the most of your writing time?
It’s all good. This is normal.
Day-to-day life can be hectic, and as a writer, you can feel bad if you don’t make time to write—but you shouldn’t. Writing is something you should cherish and look forward to. Viewing writing with the mindset that you must spend hours at a time typing or creating can be detrimental to your work. Writing should be fun, not stressful.
Every writer I have spoken to, and even in some books I’ve said the same thing: you just need to write every day.
*Insert eye roll*
Now, if you are like me, a busybody who sometimes struggles to sit down, writing every day can be a challenge. Yet, we are expected as writers to do just that. Let’s reframe this expectation.
Writing shouldn’t be a chore you have to do every day. Instead, it can be a little treat that you allow yourself to indulge in every other day—or even once or twice a week if that’s what you prefer. Now, if you struggle to set yourself time to write, here is a little trick to help you manage your writing time – The Teatime Exercise.
What is The Teatime Exercise?
The Teatime Exercise is a short burst of writing accompanied by a huge mug of your favourite hot drink. Simple. Effortless. But effective. Teatime is designed to support short bursts of writing. Taking the time to do The Teatime Exercise will help stimulate a writing habit within you.
You may even try different locations to do your writing in, swapping between pen and paper to a keypad and screen or even your choice of hot drink, before you find yourself settling down into the habit. This is okay, finding what works for you and your writing is what The Teatime Exercise is all about, too. Trial and error. I found that as a writer, I cannot write with pen and paper, but a keyboard suits my needs and the same could be said for you, or vice versa.
Putting it into Practice
So, let’s talk about how to use The Teatime Exercise.
First, put the kettle on to boil and while it is heating up, create a space to work in. Think kitchen table, comfy sofa, or, like me, an old desk in front of a window to help stimulate my creativity. Whatever you think will work for you, go with that first gut instinct.
Once you have set up your workspace, make yourself a hot drink – or a cold one if you prefer.
Take a seat, take a breath, and let your writing session begin.
After ten to fifteen minutes, your page should be filled with words, and if it’s not, don’t worry. The more you practise, the easier it will come. You can use also this exercise to help declutter the mind and get to the creative space in your head.
Now, by this point, your hot drink should be ready to drink without scalding your tongue and this signals the writing period is over.
However, if you feel your creative energy soaring and you wish to continue writing, then channel that energy and let the words flow onto the paper (or screen). There’s no right or wrong way of doing this exercise. But a cup of tea is always a good place to start.
Creating a Habit
With everything we do in life, most – if not all – comes from habits we’ve created in our lifetime. The same can be said for writing. Now, when you first begin your writing journey, it can be quite daunting to commit to spending a portion of your time writing. Time is valuable after all, but so is the work you put into your writing. The Teatime Exercise allows you to start building your writing habit.
You're probably thinking, why do I need to create a writing habit? Well, alongside a writing mindset, a writing habit is a powerful instrument within your writer’s toolbox. It turns the overwhelming task of writing into an everyday habit, a habit that evolves into a tangible goal, a goal that develops into a final finished piece of work.
By simplifying your writing time into leisure rather than a chore, that project you’ve always wanted to complete becomes much easier and eventually a reality. And all this starts with a simple cup of tea!
What’s next?
So, you’ve developed your writing habit, and you know where you want to go with your writing, but if you’re struggling to begin your writing project, or know how to create a strong opening for your novel, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Our writing course, How To Write Your First Novel, will help you get that execution perfected.
This post was written by Conor Perrott.
Conor is a second year Creative Writing and Publishing student at the University Of Derby. Conor’s favourite thing about writing is getting lost in the vast worlds that writers create. Conor loves all things Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror, even more so when they are combined with Folklore and mythos!
