How To Keep Writing When You Work Long Hours

It can be hard to keep writing when you are juggling other priorities. Having a full time, demanding job means that you have very little spare time to spend on other projects. If you have a book that you know you need to write but have no time to do it, see if the below suggestions can help you.

Want to keep writing? here's how to do it!

Explore reduced working options

This isn't going to be possible for everyone, but for some, it might be possible to take a small cut in hours to free up some writing time. Alternatively, you could approach your boss and see if you could condense your working week, for example, working four long days instead of five, or working from home one day. This could mean you don't have to commute to work on the fifth day to have a clear chunk of time each week to write.

Manage your social commitments

We all have social commitments, and these can be a healthy and necessary way to achieve some downtime after a busy working week. However, if you are dedicated to your writing, take a moment to go through your social commitments and see where you could save some time. It might be hard to say no to seeing friends or going to the movies, but writing a book is rarely without sacrifice!

Get help with chores and outside work responsibilities

Do you have anyone who could take on some of your other chores such as cleaning and cooking or picking up the kids? Perhaps a partner or friend could help you, even for a small amount of time each week, so that you have some spare time freed up to get your writing done?

Write for short sharp bursts

If you aren't able to give up any time, then one method is to write quickly whenever you have a few minutes spare. You might be able to write for five minutes at the end of a lunch break, or on the journey home. Might you be able to get up ten minutes earlier each day to write? Even writing for ten minutes a day means you could progress quickly and soon have something concrete to show.

Binge write when you do have time

Alternatively, you could try to find a slot every week where you can binge write. This might mean getting up ridiculously early or going to bed much later than you'd like to one day a week. But if you can write for an hour or two and get 1,000/ 2,000 words a week out, you should be well on your way to completing your first draft within a year -and that's no bad going by anyone's standards.

Learn how to write as efficiently as possible

Efficiently writing will mean that you write more quickly and produce better quality content, therefore when you do have time, you'll be making the most of it. To write more efficiently, you could:

turn off distractions
tell others not to disturb you
listen to music that helps you focus
plan before you write

Cut yourself some slack and don't compare yourself to others

The fact that you are reading this proves that you are committed to finding time to write. So you are already halfway there. Remember, the worst thing any writer can do is compare themselves to others. You are on your own writing journey, and if you are passionate about it and committed to finishing - you will do so.

By following the above advice, you will be able to write consistently and effectively, and you will see your work progress. You might not be able to finish that novel as quickly as you'd like but keep persisting and you will get there, and it will all be worth it in the end.

So if you want to keep writing, despite having other commitments the above should really help! So now you've learned how to keep writing and keep your day job, why not discover how to become a full-time writer?

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