I enjoy doing something that many normal people find unexciting and tedious. I enjoy exercising. Rarely a day passes that I do not energize my body and mind by going to the gym or through a daily walk outside. Recently, a friend commented that the reason she did not exercise was because there was not enough time in the day. Sound familiar? My immediate response was to ask, “Do you believe the problem is not having enough hours in the day or not making the time to exercise within those hours of the day?”
My friend sighed knowing the answer to the question and changed the subject to her new purchase of the day. I laughed, taking in my moment of wisdom, and then suddenly realized I was a victim of my own question. Often, I spent days without writing or getting needed pages finished because of my complaint that there was not enough time during the day to fit in the hours needed to write. Over extended conversations, busy appointments, procrastination and other situations were used as priorities that claimed my time instead of writing, which was my said passion and calling.
So many of us find ourselves in the same situation as we struggle to write another chapter, get a new article completed, or meet publishing deadlines. We have dreams of living out successful writing careers, finishing book projects and becoming first-time authors yet find procrastination and time to be our unwelcomed friends. Many a game of spider solitaire has been played in lieu of a well-written chapter.
What is the problem that weighs us down from that finished project? Is the problem a lack of time? No. Time is no more of an obstacle or problem in our road than money or exercise is in our lives. Time management issues are simply indicators of something else happening in our lives. There is something much deeper. In general, the true problem that weighs us down falls into one of three category issues; boundaries, avoidance, or sabotage.
First, a lack of boundaries fails to provide a definition of where we begin and another person or thing ends in our lives. The concept may seem helpful, noble, and even needful when we give others too much time or don’t know when to say no or stop. However, failed boundaries cause our work to suffer. After a day of giving so much to others and family, little is left to give to writing or anything else. Although, giving into boundaries may seem like the generous thing to do, it is a sign of unhealthy limits on all parties involved and will eventually take its toll.
Second, as writers, the greatest reason we don’t have enough time is due to the second issue of avoidance, also known as procrastination. For some, the culprit maybe a lack of motivation, improper organizational skills and planning, or boredom, but the root cause and cure of avoidance issues is always internal. Outside factors can serve as sources to help motivate us but only we can internally motivate ourselves toward action.
Finally, as writers, we can subconsciously sabotage ourselves by giving into our fears. We can fear the rejection of others or the response of family members or friends who might read the words of our stories and work. We can believe that we will fail to achieve the success we desire or fail to write to a level comparable to others. Then ever so slightly, we find time slipping away from us as our writing slowly goes back on the shelf.
So, how do we overcome our writing obstacles in dealing with time? As the saying goes, “The first step is admitting that we have a problem.” The first step is to identify which issue(s) we are struggling with in our writing process and begin to observe and journal how much it distracts us from our writing. Once we identify the issue, the next step is to make a conscience assessment regarding our objective.
If writing is something that truly feeds our heart and passion and is something we believe we must do, we should note it as “a priority.” If writing is something that is a desire, a hobby or even a goal then we should note it as “not a priority.” Once we have identified if writing is a priority and the obstacle standing in the way, finding time becomes an easier task. You can do this!
Copyright © 2018 by Charlotte D. Hunt All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, or otherwise without written permission from the author except for brief quotations in printed reviews.
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