It's About Time
7 Ways to Make Time For Your Writing / Creative Projects
First Things First: Why Do I Do This?
My goal in life is to be “a lamp, a bridge, or healing medicine.” This edition of LifeSoup is meant to inspire you to live your creative life, which I believe brings fulfillment through self-expression and therefore even a potential sense of peace and understanding for each other. Please use what I’m sharing with you here to do something amazing with your ideas and talent.
It’s About Time
During a writing group I led one evening, a recurring challenge that came up was finding time and space to “do the thing.” For many of us, there is no such thing as “finding” these. We have to MAKE them. Even retired writers I’ve coached have said that time is an issue because they have too much, so you can see it doesn’t matter if you’re a mom who also has a full-time career beyond parenting (fist-bump!) or someone with seemingly unlimited resources - time is an issue.
Space presents another challenge for us because to effectively focus on our craft, we need a distraction-free zone. No kids, no calls, no curious cats. In my case, that even means no clucking chickens. I’ll address the concept of space for creatives in an upcoming LifeSoup.
As a mom who works for a publishing company (shout-out to Streamline!), teaches yoga, and is compelled to write novels, short stories, and poetry, I’ve figured out ways to game the system of time and space.
7 Ways to Make Time For Your Writing / Creative Projects
Review your calendar on a daily or weekly basis to look for - or make - an open pocket of time, even if it’s just 30 minutes.
Consider if you’re wasting time on anything. Doom-scrolling, excessive news or television in general, window-shopping online?
Take advantage of waiting rooms if you have a lot of appointments for yourself and/or your kiddos.
Set a timer, close your email tabs, put your phone on airplane mode, and do the work for a specific amount of time - whatever works for you on that day.
Say no. Sometimes we get in the habit of saying “Sure, I’ll do that” to every request that comes along. Choose wisely and set boundaries so you’re only saying yes when it’s a “Heck yes!”
Make sleep a priority. When we don’t get enough sleep, everything else suffers. This is what works for me at this point in my life: Go to bed around 10pm (no TV in the bedroom - bedtime means quiet time, so limited phone usage as well); use meditation techniques to fall asleep; get up early in the morning; exercise during the day; limited caffeine after noon; around 9pm watch only light-hearted TV while I journal or read; then back to bed around 10pm. In between: Live my best life. :)
Ready for this? Change your job. If you have a daily commute that takes longer than an episode of Shark Tank* and you don’t LOVE your job, you’re probably wasting both gas and time. When I started working from home, it changed everything in my life for the better. Less stress, more time, more creativity, more joy. Something to think about … if you can’t work from home, consider finding a job that’s at least closer, less stressful, or more convenient. This is your life.
(*Shark Tank is one of my light-hearted evening shows, along with Frasier reruns. Don’t judge me.)
What if you simply don’t have time to write or make your art right now? Then give yourself compassion and know you’ll come back to it because, listen, we have no choice in the matter. Self-expression is one of the most natural, human things we can do - no - we must do.
Recently I traveled to North Carolina to write about the Plein Air Convention & Expo for work (shown above; I would retreat to my room with a view to work on my deadlines). Knowing I wouldn’t have mental space for my current novel draft, I wrote a letter to it before I left. Try it if you know you have another project or a life issue that has to take temporary, yet 100% priority. Here’s my example:
Dear novel draft,
I’m traveling for work and then family for the next eight days. It’ll be our longest time apart aside from the break I took so I could come back to you with fresh eyes, but even then I worked on other creative projects. When I return, it’ll take me a couple of days to rest and get back in my groove, but I promise to make more progress on you before the end of the month. Maybe even daily if possible!
Love,
CherieDawn
Give me a Huzzah if you agree with this: We suffer more when we ignore our calling to create than when we make time for it.
How will you make time for your art this week? Even today?
Peace, love, and creativity,
CherieDawn
LifeSoup Extras
On Creativity and Yoga
What does this have to do with yoga?
Answer: We’re practicing discipline by making the time, and being non-harming by showing self-compassion.
In a nutshell, these are part of practicing yoga “off the mat” and enjoying the benefits of a complete yoga practice.
Join Me On Spotify!
~ LifeSoup is now available as an audio reading on Spotify! It’s set up as a podcast so you can listen any time: Check out the LifeSoup by CherieDawn Podcast here.
Upcoming Events
June 4, 2024
"Rough Draft Collab” Writers Group at the Campbell County Public Library in Cold Spring, KY
Summer 2024 (Date TBD)
Evening Yoga Retreat at Thrive Empowerment Center, Covington, KY
Books by CherieDawn Haas:
This is great. Especially digging #4 (do the work for a specific amount of time - whatever works for you on that day) right now - I've been surprised how much progress is possible in 2 1-hour blocks per week on a project that was otherwise stagnant! And also, going to borrow your idea to write a letter to the project when taking time away, that is so cool 😍