Many of us would probably like to fit in more writing than we currently manage. But it's tough to find time to write when you're busy. Even if you have time available, you might simply not have the energy – I know how tough I find it to write after a full day's work, and after finally getting the kids into bed!
If you're struggling to fit in any writing at the moment, here are six things you can try.
#1: Get Up 15 Minutes Earlier
I don't think I've ever done anything productive in the last 15 minutes of my day! If you can get to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual, and get up 15 minutes earlier than usual, that clears a little chunk of writing time in the morning.
#2: Set Aside an Evening in Advance
Even if your evenings are nominally free from work/children/obligations, it can still be hard to find time to write. Blocking out an evening in advance makes it easier: you can eat dinner a bit earlier than usual, rearrange how you're doing chores, or simply let your family know you're going to be unavailable.
#3: Have a Micro Target for Your Writing
Perhaps you'd love to be writing 500 words a day, but that's just not practical right now. What about a sentence a day? Hopefully, there'll be days when you go a lot further – but if not, at least you'll have done something.
#4: Break Your Writing into Tiny Chunks
Planning and outlining are always helpful. When you're really busy, though, they're especially crucial. A detailed outline helps you stay on track even if you only have a little bit of time to write each day – or if you get interrupted a lot.
#5: Get a Keyboard You Can Use With Your Phone
#6: Change or Drop Something in Your Schedule
Is there anything you can change around in your schedule – or even drop completely? Sometimes, changing a commitment to a different time of day works, because it frees you up at a point in the day when you're more able to focus.
Not all of these will work for everyone, in every circumstance. But hopefully at least one or two will be practical for you. Pick one thing you want to try this week and give it a go.