Is it Possible to Have Too Much Free Time to Write?
I’m home alone almost every weekday from 7 a.m. until about 4 p.m. I go to college online which means I have the flexibility to complete school assignments at my convenience as long as I get things turned in on time.
I also make a part-time income by writing and because I need the money, I always put paying projects at the top of my to-do list. It’s not a bad thing by any means, but when everything is completed and I have plenty of time to work on personal projects, I end up finding other things around the house that need to be done. There are dogs that need to be taken out, beds that need to be made, and laundry that needs to be done.
- Courtesy of Markyjay at Stock Xchng
Another fault I have is that I spend a lot of time reading. I would never discourage reading; I love to read, but if I’m reading more than I’m writing, I’m not getting anywhere with personal projects. I could go on and on about my faults and the things I do not get accomplished because I have too much free time, but if I do, I may not have time to feed the dogs today.
If you’re like me and you don’t make better use of your time, I would recommend reading this e-book. I have spent quite a bit of money on ebooks over the years, but this is definitely one of the better ones out there, or at least I think it is, and it’s worth the $10 investment. It’s only 63 pages so it won’t take long to read either which gives you even more time to focus on the personal projects you may be neglecting.
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Hi Crystal!
Nice post!
Choosing to be a professional writer is all about making choices and prioritizing them.
It’s called “TIME MANAGEMENT” for a reason.
A successful writer is a busy writer. If you have too much free time, you have failed to properly market yourself and your services. That is a whole other subject for another blog post.
If one makes an honest draft-version calendar of a typical week at a writer’s house and plugs in what activities occur when on an hour-by-hour basis, that should give the writer a pretty good idea what is most important and what can wait, day by day, month by month, season by season.
I recommend a writer have a large “Year at a Glance” month by month calendar on their office wall and post/refer to it throughout the working day. It’s all about “no surprises/no stress.”
Writing takes discipline, just like physical exercise takes discipline. Distractions can be eliminated or minimized if one is seriously calling themselves a writing pro.
Have a family meeting early on to discuss with kids and significant other. We want no resentments, no tantrums after we embark on our professional writing career in the home.
I’ll give you some definite helps in my house (I’m home all day too).
You should have decided what your “public availability” hours are and already advised your clients or friends of same.
Silence all phones and be sure that your “away” voicemail message indicates that you will ALWAYS call callers back within X minutes or hours and then stick to that in your broader daily schedule.
Also indicate on your voicemail that your “public availability” hours are between X and Y, so callers get used to your disciplined routine.
Have a filing system at your fingertips that makes it easy to find stuff throughout the working day. No piles of crap on the writing desk. It’s bad for morale.
Get up. Potty self. Let pets out first thing and feed them. Get in a quick workout for yourself if you can.
Get dressed (no working in jammies) and eat breakfast (brain food) before heading to the writing computer, just like you are going out to an off-site office.
No watching morning TV. No reading morning newspapers. TV and newspapers will subtly set the tone for your day, and most of the news is not very positive.
Background music is OK. No jarring stuff that has a beat that can distract. I prefer Classical music. Pandora running in the background on my work computer is very nice.
You would have planned your work the night before (right, since you’re a pro). Now, work your plan and stick to it for a time frame that you have committed to on paper, like two hours or so many words.
Take a break mid-morning, hit the bathroom, etc. Back to the writing desk. Try not to get too wired with a lot of coffee or meds.
No cheating by going to Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds, etc. You’re a pro, remember?
Lunch for X minutes. Eat some brain food like veggies and fruit. Skip the junk.
Do some exercise if time permits before/after lunch.
Make any callbacks. (Maybe check your Twitter feed).
Be back in the work chair ON TIME. You’re a pro, remember?
Afternoon similar to morning, as needed, with mid-afternoon break.
If your “public availability” time block is, say, the last hour or two of the work day, then use it for more callbacks or planning.
Proof your work at your desk before pulling the plug say at the end of the work day (is that 8 hours in your case?)
Let pets out, play with kids for a bit, bathrook break, prepare supper. Avoid junk or fast food.
Eat supper. Sensible portions.
Free time for goofing off at the computer after supper.
No eyeballing the work phone or email, unless ABSOLUTELY necessary after home office closing time (pros have a definite closing time). Doing so will stress you out.
Go to bed at the same time every night. Bedroom is only for sleeping and (:)). No laptops in bed. (No offices in bedroom, if it needs saying).
Have a stressless night.
Back at it at the same start time every day. Keep to this routine.
Unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, no work writing on the weekend. Give your children and spouse/friend your full attention. No talking about work!
The above is a very rough guideleine. It’s surprising that so many so-called writers have not invested in such planning. Those are the ones who can never concentrate, never seem to meet deadlines, never gain the respect of peers and clients alike.
Professional writing is a BUSINESS. Run yours that way and it will not run you!
Good luck!