“But I Can’t Find the Time!” 5 Ways to Fit Writing into a Busy Schedule
Many screenwriters, especially those of you just starting out, do not have the luxury to write all day: Most likely you have a day-job to pay the bills, or you’re a full-time student, or maybe you’re juggling being a parent with pursuing a writing career.
Whatever your obligations, it can be crazy-making amidst the demands of daily life to find time (and motivation) to pursue your dream of being a writer.
I know it hard, but it is possible. Here are 5 tips to fit writing time into an already busy schedule:
1. Write Between Obligations
The “best time to write” is different for everyone because we all have different schedules: Some writers work a nine-to-five, some are freelances with sporadic hours, and others are parents who are at the mercy of their child’s (often demanding) schedule. But everyone has the moment BEFORE their daily grind, and the moment AFTER. Use those in-between times to write. If you have kids try writing before they wake up or after they fall asleep. If you work a nine-to-five, try waking up 30 minutes early and getting in a few pages in before you head out the door. Not a morning person? Go somewhere post-work to write for an hour (a coffee shop, a library, or even a hotel lobby). Make the most of the time between commitments and you’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a week.
2. Turn “unproductive work time” into productive writing time
Being a full-time employee and trying to finish a script can feel next to impossible. How can you fit writing in when you’re stuck at a job for eight-hours a day? Well, it might surprise you that most employees are actually only productive for about three hours of an eight-hour workday. Most people fill the other five hours they’re at work with activities like checking social media, texting, and reading news websites. Imagine how much you could get done if you took just 20 minutes of your “unproductive” work time and devoted it to working on your screenplay? I’m not telling you to whip out your laptop on company time - but crafting a screenplay is not just about writing the actual pages, it’s also about organizing your thoughts. Use a notepad or the ‘notes’ app on your phone to make brief notes on your story during otherwise “unproductive” time. You could jot down character traits, come up with ideas for an unusual plot twist, if you were really on a roll you might outline an entire story arc in bullet points during one day’s work.
3. Just 30 Minutes
It’s a common myth that the only way to be a successful writer is to write every day, for hours at a time. This isn’t true. I’m a huge believer in working in 30 minute increments. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s almost like magic. Set a timer and promise yourself you’ll commit to writing until it goes off. I actually wrote my book, Hollywood Game Plan, in 30-minute increments. Sometimes it was just one 30-minute segment for the day, and sometimes I was able to write for six hours, broken into twelve 30-minute increments. I would often give myself a short break in between, and I never checked my social media or email during the 30 minutes (more on that below). 30 minutes is just long enough to get into a productive flow, and once you’re in the flow it’s easier to stay there - many times I was motivated to keep working when the timer went off (and if you don’t feel motivated or don’t have time for more, then at least you got in some writing time that day).
4. Take a Social Media Break
Research about this has been done and most people check their phones about every 12 minutes and spend up to two hours on social media every day. First of all, the obvious: the time you spend checking your phone is time you could be using for writing. Second, constantly checking your phone fragments your time and your brain, which screws up your ability to concentrate. If we’re checking our phone every 12 minutes in an eight-hour day that’s about 40 interruptions. If the average interruption takes about five minutes, and if it takes around 15 minutes to get back to deep, focused thinking (something that is critical for most writers) how can you ever get any good writing done? Take a social media break. Try blocking off one day a week from social media, or make yourself a promise that you’ll only check your phone after being productive. For example, if you choose to use the 30 minute increments writing method, allow yourself 5 minutes post-writing time (at the end of your writing day) to check your phone. A break from social media can do wonders for your concentration and your creativity.
5. Daydreaming is Part of the Process
You don’t have to be frantically typing on your laptop or even scribbling notes to yourself to be working on your script. Writing isn’t just about churning out pages, it’s also about visualizing the possibilities. Ruminate on your story during your commute to work, flesh out the details of your main character as you cook dinner, or go for a run and mentally solve a script problem you’ve been stuck on. Great solutions happen in the shower too. Creative thought is writing. When your mind wanders to a ‘creative gem’ jot it down on your notepad or phone, and then incorporate it into your script pages in between your daily obligations. Good luck!
What are your tricks for fitting writing into an already busy schedule? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!