Most writers have a "day job" of some sort – which might be a 9 - 5 office job,
shift work, parenting, caring for relatives ... whatever it is, it takes up a lot of their time.
The time, though, isn't the only thing your day job consumes. It also takes up energy. If it's a stimulating job that uses your skills, it might also leave you feeling spent at the end of the day. If it's a tedious but necessary
job, it might leave you feeling drained and unfulfilled.
This can make it really hard to be motivated to write.
Back in 2006 - 2008, I had
a fairly standard sort of day job. I was working 8.30am - 5pm, with an hour's lunch break, for a small IT company (and I had a commute of about half an hour's cycle ride each way). It wasn't a bad entry level job, but for various reasons it wasn't a great fit for me, and it was hard to write after a full day's work.
In the end, I managed to launch a freelancing career by getting up early and writing before work, and by taking some holiday time – but I still remember how draining and frustrating that period of time felt.
If you're in a similar situation, whether you're hoping to launch a writing career and leave your
job, or whether you want to simply write alongside your job, here are four simple things you can do to stay motivated to get your writing dine.
#1: Have Clear Goals to Reach For
It's hard to be motivated if you don't really know what you want.
Set a clear, tangible goal. Maybe you want to finish the first draft of your novel this year, or you want to write and send out five short stories, or you want to make $100/month from
freelancing.
Whatever your goal is, get clear about it. Write it down, if you haven't already done so.
#2: Split Big Projects into Smaller
Milestones
Some projects can't be accomplished in a few weeks, or even a few months. If you're working on something big, look for key milestones along the way.
For instance, if you're drafting a novel, your milestones might be individual chapters. If you're starting out as a freelancer, you might have several different milestones, like "setting up website" and "getting first client".
#3: Set Aside Time for Writing ... and Make it
Special
When you're working hard in other areas of your life, you don't want writing to feel like it's just yet another task on your to-do list.
Block out time for writing, and make that time special in some way. You might make your favourite hot chocolate to drink while you write, or light candles, or get out of the house altogether and go to a nice cafe ... whatever helps writing to feel like a treat rather than a chore.
It can be really tough to keep up the motivation to write when life is busy and draining ... but even if you can only find an hour a week to write, that's way better than nothing at all.
If you're looking for more
tips on making the most of your time, don't forget that (as a newsletter subscriber), you've got access to my mini-ebook Time to Write: How to Fit More Writing Into Your Life, Right Now. It's split into ten short, practical chapters to give you ways to make more time even when life is hectic.
Download it
here:
Password: alinewsletter
(You can download all the other
free mini-ebooks there, too.)
