We all have 24 hours in a day. It's how use those hours that determines what our priorities are, and as much as we'd love to be able to do everything, we can only have a limited number of priorities.
If writing truly is one of your passions - whether professionally or a hobby - you have to treat it like one of the many other necessary priorities in your day, like eating or housework.
Writing is one of the easiest things to fall off our to-do list, because there are rarely consequences. Unless it's part of your job, you're not going to have a boss breathing down your neck until your word count is done. When we don't eat, we get hungry. When the housework gets neglected, we run out of clean coffee mugs or we're forced to walk around in stained sweats because all the nice clothes still haven't been washed.
What are the consequences for not writing? Unless you're really strict and discipline yourself (no Netflix until your daily word count is complete, for example) the consequences are pretty minimal.
At first.
You don't feel the consequences of neglecting your passion until some time has passed and you start to feel rusty every time you try to put pen to paper. You start to feel irritable because your creative juices are steadily getting blocked.
Try these ideas to make your writing a priority:
I talked about vision boards in my last post, and the same applies here. What do you want to accomplish with your writing? Put it in a visual format and hang it where you will see it. This board should inspire and motivate you each time you look at it.
If writing truly is one of your passions - whether professionally or a hobby - you have to treat it like one of the many other necessary priorities in your day, like eating or housework.
Writing is one of the easiest things to fall off our to-do list, because there are rarely consequences. Unless it's part of your job, you're not going to have a boss breathing down your neck until your word count is done. When we don't eat, we get hungry. When the housework gets neglected, we run out of clean coffee mugs or we're forced to walk around in stained sweats because all the nice clothes still haven't been washed.
What are the consequences for not writing? Unless you're really strict and discipline yourself (no Netflix until your daily word count is complete, for example) the consequences are pretty minimal.
At first.
You don't feel the consequences of neglecting your passion until some time has passed and you start to feel rusty every time you try to put pen to paper. You start to feel irritable because your creative juices are steadily getting blocked.
Try these ideas to make your writing a priority:
Stay inspired
Most of us write because we felt inspired to do so. Whether it's always been your dream to see your book in stores, or you wrote a brilliant piece of work in college and felt that spark of victory we all know and love, or maybe it was a book by another author that you loved so much it even influences your writing. Whatever it was, you need to remind yourself of that motivation.
I talked about vision boards in my last post, and the same applies here. What do you want to accomplish with your writing? Put it in a visual format and hang it where you will see it. This board should inspire and motivate you each time you look at it.
If an old piece of writing lights a fire in your belly, then hang that baby near your writing space, or somewhere you will look every morning before you start your day.
If it's another book that makes you hear the calling of ancient writers past, then get that book out and keep it out - hold it, flick through it, re-read it. Embrace that feeling.
All these items have but one purpose: to remind you of why you want to write.
Writing space
Have a dedicated space that is just yours to create in. You don't need those Pinterest-perfect desks with handcrafted sculptures and framed quotes - you just need a space that's yours. Keep it as simple or as elaborate as you want, but have it set up in a way that works for you. Have your laptop or your notebook ready so when the time comes to write, you can dive right in without wasting time getting yourself settled. If you want to throw a nice candle in there, go for it!
Check out my writing space below!
Check out my writing space below!
Prompts at the ready
There's nothing worse than finally finding the time to write, only to sit down and have no idea what you're going to write. If you're working on a long project, then you're good to go. But what if you just want to stretch your writing muscles and do a quick sprint? Have a list of writing prompts ready so you can set your timer (10-30 mins will do) and just WRITE.
Schedule it
If you don't schedule it - it won't happen! But don't just schedule your writing day. If you schedule the little tasks you need to get done during the day, you can relax during your writing time knowing that you have already set aside time for anything else you need to do.
No guilt means no distractions!
No guilt means no distractions!
Consistency VS perfection
Often we put off writing or don't write as much because our annoying inner critic starts pulling it apart and telling us how awful it is. "I'll try again later" we tell ourselves - only to feel anxiety and nerves build each time we contemplate picking up our pen again.
Tell that inner critic to shut up. The best way to gag that annoying voice is to ignore it and keep writing. The more often you write, the better you'll get, and the quieter that voice becomes. Sure, the writing won't be perfect, but that's not the point. The point is to WRITE and to keep on writing until it becomes the highlight of your day.
Writing is who you are - make time for it
None of these tips will work for you if you don't give your writing time the importance it deserves. Pushing it aside only makes it worse and you're the one who will suffer because of it.
I once saw a quote (you know, the fluffy Instagram quotes that make you scream "Amen!" at your phone):
We aren't tired because we are doing too much. We are tired because we aren't doing enough of what sparks a light inside us.
(Paraphrased)
So, spark that light and see how great you feel.
Which tips work for you?
I'd love to know how you get on! Tag @khadijahwrites on Instagram or tell me which tips worked best for you over on the Facebook Page.
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