Time-out for time management

Every now and then someone will ask how I have find to write. 

I'd like to think my life is about as busy as it can possibly get.  (I'm sure most anyone with young kids would say the same thing.)  So when people ask, my answer is simply, "I just do."

It's obviously more complicated than that, but "I just do" seems to make the most sense.  The most important thing to realize is that you don't really find time so much as you make time.

For example, I know a lot of writers make time in the morning.  They wake up early and write until they need to go to work.  I love the idea behind this and fully support getting up early.  If this worked for me, I'd do it.  Unfortunately, it's just not feasible at the moment.  I've got an hour-long commute to work and already get up at 5:30 every day, assuming our baby doesn't wake up before then (she usually does.) and getting up any earlier than that might add a little more danger than I'm comfortable with to my interstate drive.

But there are plenty of other options.

First off, lunchtime.  If your workplace allows this, take advantage of it.  I take a 30 minute long lunch.  That's not enough time to write new fiction, but it is just the right amount of time to write a first draft of a blog post.  Or if I don't feel like doing that, it's also just enough time to research publications to query, read and comment on other blogs, or even proofread a short story.

During the week, I can also usually squeeze in an hour or so to write every night after we get the kids to bed.  I can usually get a good 300-500 hundred words done during that time, or write a blog post if I haven't had one done yet for the day.  The only drawback, is that sometimes if I'm writing fiction, I'll get a little too worked up and either forget to stop and go to bed or have trouble sleeping once I get there.

On weekends, since I can stay up later, I'll try to write for two or three hours after the kids go down and I usually make an afternoon trip to the coffee shop for a couple of hours of editing during the day.  Occasionally I'll work on something during the morning coffee, but lately that's been when we hang out with the kids and watch cartoons.

So there's my writing schedule in a nutshell.  I won't lie; it's hard.  But keeping my sights on the end goal and watching the daily progress I make helps keep it bearable for both me and my family.