Finding Time to Write

Newsflash: You will never FIND the time.

We’re expected to do it all: have a career, pursue hobbies, volunteer, stay informed, get more sleep, exercise, eat right, stay in touch with friends... The list goes on!

I’m giving myself permission NOT be good at all of it all the time. In fact, I’m only capable of a handful of these things each day, and even then, I’m probably failing at some of them. But I’m trying.

So let’s not fool ourselves… We will never FIND time to write.

When I resigned from teaching to be home with my kids and pursue writing, I thought YES! Now I’ll have the time I need! But I didn’t. I found loads of laundry. Dirty dishes. Dog hair fluttering across the floor and toys everywhere other than in their well-organized bins. My son was two years old and my daughter was in kindergarten for a whopping 2.5 hours a day. There were doctor appointments and sporting events and at the end of the day, I was exhausted. And this was after leaving my teaching career! So how do people make it work when they have a full time job?

They have to MAKE the time.

The dishes can wait, and if the kids have clean underwear for school the next day, the laundry can wait too. And maybe I don’t need to do the whole bedtime song-and-dance, hour and a half performance (with encores) Every. Single. Night. My wonderful husband is also a fantastic performer. Does he do it just like Mommy? Of course not. And guess what... the kids didn’t explode.

Step two was setting the alarm and getting up EARLY. Is this easy? Not always, but it’s worth it to me, and I know I can do it.

First let’s look at what I’m sacrificing... a cleaner house, a handful of bedtime snuggles, and some sleep.

What did I gain? Freedom. Freedom and space to pursue something I love. Something that brings me joy and, in turn, makes me a more interesting person and better mom. Let’s just say, I’d take self-satisfaction over mopped floors any day of the week.

We can all make time in our days for what’s important. Watch less TV. Stop diving down the bunny hole of social media. Skip the blow dryer. Let the dishes pile up (occasionally). And set that alarm.

The time is there. MAKE IT HAPPEN.