It's time for another installment of IWSG! Hosted, as always, by our own Ninja Captain Alex and co-hosted this month by the awesome M. Pax, Karen Walker, and Melissa Maygrove. Please take a moment to thank all of them for their hard work. (And if you're unfamiliar with IWSG, click on the pic above to sign up/learn more and check out the link at the bottom to stop by all the fantastic bloggers participating.)
My insecurities this this month all hinge on one undeniably infuriating fact: there simply aren't enough hours in the day. Anyone feeling this way right now? You must be. Because I know for a fact that the bulk of you, like me, have pretty busy lives outside of your writing. You're also working full time jobs, a lot of you are caring for children who are still off from school, many of you have other commitments that you regularly engage in in your communities (either online or IRL) and you're trying to squeeze in the time to write that next flash fiction piece or finish that book review or get the dang post up on the web before you head out to work.
I myself am struggling with the fact that as much as I still need to be writing everyday there's something else right now that's taking precedence: job searching. At this very moment I'm trying to get this post finished and up on the web so that I can use the remainder of my half hour before I have to leave for work to submit a resume and cover letter. Every time I sit down at my computer I'm a bit torn because, as always, I need to write (and visit all my other blogger buddies because where would I be without them?) but there's also a whole bunch of applications yet to be completed...
Not to mention that I'm so woefully behind on my reading list that I blush a little bit in embarrassment every time another book review pops up. (And we all know that you can't be a better writer without reading A LOT. So Yeah.)
I've seen other people post about the lack of useable time in the past and I've felt for them because even when I'm doing a little better with time management I'm still just scrounging up small snippets of time here and there. But now I'm the one finding myself so strapped for spare minutes that I figured I'd put the call out to the community.
What do you all do to squeeze in everything that needs to get done in a day? Is there a simple system that helps you stay sane? I'm open to any and all feedback you may have.
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I'm dealing with that right now. I've had to pull back a little on social media and practically set my writing aside. It's driving me crazy, but there's nothing I can do about it except wait until the kids are back in school and some of the other stuff works itself out. *shakes head* Life happens.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your job search and your time management. Hope things get better soon. :)
August co-host and IWSG #110
How do you make it all fit? You can't. Something just has to go. We may not even be aware of where our time is going unless we write down what we do in a day.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your job search.
It seems like this is a popular topic and I'm glad I'm not alone in feeling like there aren't enough hours. This summer has just flown by! I cringe when I think about my reading list, I have been so lax about reading lately.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some feedback to give but I wish you good luck in finding time for everything you need to do. :)
Great topic! I think this is something that gets neglected in the advice literature -- to be more precise, it does get addressed, but the assumption is always that the writer doesn't have a day job.
ReplyDeleteI blogged about some things I do to find time a couple of months ago, and I know Larry Kollar has blogged about it as well. The main thing is to get a phone which lets you write on the go and save back to your laptop once you're home.
Gosh, my only answer to that is, well, for me a lack of sleep. But sometimes if the creativity or maybe it's just because of the deadlines - I can't sleep anyway, so I get up and get to work. There will never be enough time in a day, but I kind of like it that way. I'm always happier when I'm busy, and funny thing too, is that my house is always cleaner!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the job search.
ReplyDeleteIf you block out your week, just roughly, it will give you a blue print for where your time is really going. From there you can decide what is important and what can be put on the back burner to give you time for the important things. Hope it helps.
I wish I could get more done than I do. Setting priorities helps. Then I go at them in order. I try to set time schedules for things, too. But at times I have to admit I'm human and need sleep.
ReplyDeleteI've been trying to live more on purpose, where I ask myself why I'm doing what I'm doing. It's been interesting to see how much stuff I don't really "have" to do, but end up doing anyway. Still learning, still trying! :)
ReplyDeleteStopping by on the A-Z Road Trip!
Hey, we were just chatting on twitter about developing an anti-sleep formula and muse-proof chains. I'll have to share when we get the elixir perfected. ;)
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew the answer to this one! Time is always having to be juggled and stolen from somewhere. You are right to concentrate on the job search though, that should take priority for now. Keep going.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading this a lot today and wonder if it has to do with the summers too. For me, the change in routine throws my writing completely off, plus family obligations. I try not to get too stressed about it but realize sometimes this is how life goes.
ReplyDeleteI hope things are going well with the job hunting.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is...something does have to give. You have to prioritize. As much as I love reading and watching TV, those things go on the back burner when I'm writing. I write furiously anyway and tend to need a break. So between drafts and between projects I take a little break and catch up on reading and the shows on my DVR (which is honestly a must for me. Lol!) I can't give up hanging out with a writer friend or emailing my writing buddies and reading blogs because it helps me feel connected, which helps me tremendously. But in between projects I read and do my other hobbies as much as I can.
I like to think of this as temporary. That one day I can write full time and will be able to do all those other things and write at the same time. :) Luckily, I get a lot of energy from writing and don't need as much sleep, so that also helps. Lol!
I write early in the morning-as in 5am. That way the worries of the day don't get in the way. best of luck with the job search abd squeezing in your writing. if you figure I out how to make more hours in the day, let me know :-)
ReplyDeleteRight now, time is being generous to me. The day still goes by fast, but I'm finding time to get everything in. But when it's not, I find I just have to tell myself to relax. Focus on one thing at a time. If I don't get writing in because of the day job or errands or other life stuff, there is still tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteMy sister uses a chart where she structures her life in fifteen minute increments. Sounds like living hell to me, but you would not believe all she gets done in a day. Maybe this could help during this hectic time of your life.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your job search, Bev.
ReplyDeleteWhere others spend lots of time watching TV/movies, I use that time reading/writing.
As others have commented above, something has to give. I suppose it's all about prioritizing.
Writer In Transit
Don't feel guilty. Sometimes, life simply gets in the way. If you think about it, your job makes it somewhat easier to write, since you can write without the pressure of knowing that you need to provide for yourself with your words.
ReplyDeleteSo finding that job first is a good idea. Hope you find something that's a perfect fit!