So Many Things To Do, So Little Time (For Writing)

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The hardest part about being an author — other than the inspiration, the cost, the editing, the publishing, and the marketing — is finding the time to write. Unless you are able to make a living at it (oh you lucky 1%-ers), chances are you are busy working a full-time job/jobs, dealing with family, friends, and other sorts of no-writing activities. With today’s technology and mountain of distractions, being able to find a quiet moment to sit and compose a few simple sentences is nearly impossible.

(Heck, I just spent the past 30 seconds composing this paragraph while also wondering about the latest releases on Netflix)

The fact of the matter is that for anyone who wants to be serious about any activity — be it sports, cooking, art, etc. — one must find dedicated time to practice it. And in the case of writing, should preferably be done in an area that is distraction-free. Unfortunately, even if one can find this Shangri-La, there will invariably be other things that compete for your attention.

I know some people who therefore only write late at night or early in the morning when the family is asleep or otherwise distracted, but I personally love my beauty rest and can’t see myself getting up that earlier or going to bed that late when I need to be at work at the butt-crack of dawn. So instead I try to use my lunch hour to sneak in a few quick words or ideas. It’s not ideal, but it is a way to continually exercise my creativity with the hopes that once I do find that large block of free time, I will be able to take full advantage of it.

This will do for now. And with that, I’m off to bed.