“I don’t have time to write or blog a book.” That’s the most common excuse I hear from aspiring bloggers and authors. But it is an excuse. You have the time. In today’s post, Beth Bauer (@JourneyofBethB), freelance writer, travel blogger, yoga instructor, and entrepreneur, offers some tips to help you find the time to follow your dream of authorship.
Time is a precious commodity that often gets wasted. Your schedule is filled with commitments—from your day job to family priorities to taking care of your health and much more. As a result, you believe that you have no extra time to do anything, let alone blog a book. In fact, you do have the time, but you are wasting it. If you could stop that one habit, you’d “find” time to blog your book (or book your blog).
Get Into a Routine
One of the best tips I’ve ever read comes from Toni Morrison, who says, “Write at the edges of the day.” What and where are the edges of your day? For most people, that means early morning or late at night. How much would you get accomplished if you set your alarm an hour earlier every day and committed that “extra” time each morning to writing your book? Or how many posts could you write every week if you held off watching television for an hour each evening and wrote during that “found” hour?
I am a morning person, so writing before doing anything else in the morning works best. However, suppose you’re a night owl. In that case, writing after everyone else in your household goes to be might be a better option.
What are You Willing to Give Up to Make Time for Your Book?
Most people already have the edges of their day filled with other activities—like sleeping, meditating, or relaxing with a book. To use that time for writing your book post by post, you must be willing to give up something.
For example, if you love Netflix and it’s your favorite way to relax each night, maybe instead of watching two hours, you sacrifice one hour so you can spend the other hour on your book. Other options might be using your lunch hour at work or even your commute time, if you take public transportation, for writing.
Schedule Firm Writing Appointment on Your Calendar
Here’s the critical thing to remember: You might not have a three-hour block of time each day to blog your book. Maybe you only have half an hour. That’s fine. But you must schedule the time on your calendar and treat it like an appointment.
I always say, “If it’s not on your calendar, it doesn’t exist.” You schedule other essential activities, like your business meetings or a gym class. Do the same thing with blogging your book.
Set a Deadline and Work Backwards
If you aren’t sure how much time you need to schedule to finish your blogged book or booked blog project in a timely manner, set a deadline and work backward.
Ask yourself when you would like to have your book project completed. Then estimate how many hours it will take you. Double those hours because most writers grossly underestimate the amount of time it will take to complete a book.
Next, start working backward. For example, If you want to have it done in a year, how many hours per week do you have to dedicate to it? How many hours per day? If you do not set some kind of deadline, you don’t have a goal, and without a goal, you have no way of tracking your progress.
What is Your Big Why?
Why do you want to write a book? Why do you blog? What will drive you to get up and write on those early mornings?
Maybe it’s the burning need to be creative, or perhaps you want to make a difference in the world. Possibly you’re miserable at your day job or want to leave a nest egg of residual income behind for your kids.
Whatever the reason, acknowledge it. Write it down. Remind yourself of it every day!
Create A Writing and Blogging Habit
The journey to completing your blogged book or booked blog starts with the first post. Are you ready to take that step? Set your alarm for tomorrow morning and get up early to write. Or plan to write tomorrow evening before bed.
This new habit formation is not as daunting as it seems. Pretty soon, getting up earlier or staying up late will be second nature, and you might even look forward to it. Blogging your book will become enjoyable and doable.
You’ve got time to write or blog a book—more time than you think. Put your time to good use. Before you know it, you’ll have completed your blogged book or booked blog project and be an author.
How will you make time to blog your book? Tell me in a comment—and please share this post with another blogger.
About the Author
Beth Bauer is a freelance writer, travel blogger, yoga instructor, and entrepreneur currently working on her third novel. She has traveled to over 20 countries in just the last two years and enjoys life as a digital nomad. She is originally from the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.A., and when she’s home lives on the Long Beach Peninsula with her dog, Ozzie.
Photo courtesy of JESHOOTS-com
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