Use your time

A couple of days ago an author friend emailed to ask how I make time to write. This was my reply:

I write a fair bit after I’ve gone to bed (11-12:15). 

Otherwise I do it in my lunch hour and in little bits throughout the day. On holiday I wrote 1000 words a day after everyone had gone to sleep. Still got a pretty decent night’s kip.
 
Sometimes we (my wife and I) tag-team the kids on the weekend, but when I have spare time writing is often how I use it, particularly if the juices are flowing.

Then I read this interesting blog post on the subject.

To be a little more complete than the above I’d add that I don’t watch a great deal of TV (I think Fashion Police is literally the only programme I refuse to miss, and I do a box set every month or two, but that’s it). Yes, my job is demanding, particularly at the end of the day, but there’s always a bit of time between when I get home (and hopefully put the kids to bed) and when I go to sleep. I try to use it to write because the bottom line is this:

There is no other way to create a novel (or short film, or Lego representation of Yoda).

You have to find the time, and it’s right there, waiting for you to use it.

Of course, the majority of people don’t use their spare time for that purpose, or for anything ‘constructive’, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The point I’m making is to promote one thing only: workability. If you want to do x, be that writing a book, playing with your kids or making dinner, you have to make the time to do it, otherwise it won’t happen.

And that might be stating the obvious, but unfortunately obviousness doesn’t correlate with likelihood.