So, now you have some free time. Now what?

A writer’s guide on turning a crappy situation into a positive working opportunity.

Most of us work other jobs either full or part time. There’s no getting around that reality because a huge portion of us simply can’t survive on little to no income, whilst we grab our laptops and scream; “I’M STILL WORKING ON MY FIRST DRAFT OK?” To any man, woman or child who dares ask us how we’re getting on.

But we love this lack of time, because it gives us an excuse to blame current events, society, work, family, prior engagements, cleaning, looking after animals, etc. Yes, I see you. The one reading this and guilty nodding your head and thinking; yes, that’s me.

And you know what? There’s no shame in admitting that fact, because it’s something we all simply do. We, as writers and aspiring wordsmiths absolutely LOVE nothing more than procrastination because we feel as if we want to write, but third party elements just won’t stop getting in the damn way. As I write this now, I know that I have no clean plates or kitchenware left to use, because I’ve been letting my washing pile up. And you know what? As I sit down to edit my work, that’s the moment my brain kicks in and says; “Hey, this is a great time to get started on that washing up, now.”

To make matters worse, I guilt myself into thinking I’m wasting my time writing when I could be doing something more productive, such as cleaning. As no point does my subconscious turn around and automatically say; “No, this gal is working. Get your targets done, this work is just as important.”

Thus the procrastination wheel keeps turning and I end up working on one piece of work for way longer than I need to.

To get back onto topic; the current world state of events in something as much as we try to avoid, we can’t. Everywhere we turn, there are negative stories and worries and forecasting and toilet paper shortages. We’ve spun out of control in our normal daily habits and now find ourselves hideously out of routine. Still, not writing to our targets might I add.

So, I propose and have outlined for you certain habits and hacks that will definitely help you in this slump of a time period. While we stay in our homes, bored and forced to communicate with words rather than grunts, let’s turn around such an awful situation and at least control our creativity and art as much as we can. And when we’re done? We can share this. Make people happy and stop worrying about what’s going to happen next.

1. Plan the time of day you work best – and turn up on time!

I tend to write best almost first thing in the morning. As soon as I’ve fed the animals, sorted myself out and downed something to eat – I’m ready to sit down at my desk and get things done. The best thing is to write yourself out a schedule that works best for you and stick to it. Do you prefer to knock your words out mid-afternoon or late at night? Fair enough, let’s make it work.

To give you an example, on my days off from work my schedule runs as follows:

7am – 8am: Sort animals, have breakfast, walk dog

8am – 9am: Get dressed, daily hygiene, urgent house jobs

9am – 12pm: Writing time. Set daily goals, work on WIP, etc. Work on social medias

Rest of the day: Household jobs, relaxation

Allow yourself some time for your basic human needs and getting yourself in the correct head space. No one likes to write when they can’t stay focused on their own goals, when they’re constantly thinking about all the household chores that need to be done. Setting aside a set time for you to write does not only allow your brain to realise that this is just important as washing the dishes, but gives you that solid writing routine that you’ll come to love.

2. Creating a dedicated work space

We want you to be able to sit down in front of your laptop, typewriter or even notebook and easily jump straight into the depths of that brain and imagination. It’s a common suggestion that writing directly from your bed is a terrible idea and it’s one I definitely agree with. We want to separate your relaxation time and spaces from your work space so its easier for you to get into the correct frame of mind.

With that being said, not everyone has the space or money to accommodate a desk or writing table. In these situations, we need to get a little bit more creative and find out what works for you. Perhaps there’s a space outside you find calming? Maybe you prefer to sit in the public space like a library and use their facilities? Is there a seat in the house you can utilise? Do you prefer to write standing up?

Further to this. You need to be comfortable and not endure dead legs every five minutes. Invest in a comfortable desk chair. Buy some memory foam pillows. Invest in a laptop table (one with a stand works really great too).

3. Fuel yourself

You’re going to be working so make sure you eat something beforehand. Not only do you want to be ensuring that you spend all of your allocated time actually giving yourself the writing space you need, but you want to able to actually concentrate while doing so!

Research brain foods and have proper meals. Yes, it’s perfectly fine to break to make a hot drink or grab a water and take well needed short breaks to allow yourself to reflect. Snacking is perfectly fine when you’re stomach hungry and need to keep going, but always watch out for the dreaded mouth hunger aka ‘boredom eating’.

4. Get washed and dressed

Think about it: Psychologically, you’ll only spend time at home when you’ve been released from work or are enjoying days off. So how will your brain know to separate yourself from ‘work you’ and well, ‘home you’. I’m going to be brutal here and firmly tell you that writing in your pyjamas does not work. I get it, in theory we’d all be sat at our desks head to toe in our best bedtime finery and we’d knock out pages of relax-induced best sellers.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like this. Our productivity lessens when we are still in relaxation mode and it won’t take very much for the veil between writing and procrastination spectacularly evolves into housework and Netflix. Force yourself to wash your face or take a shower to kick start those morning routines and throw on some comfortable day time clothes that you’re going to be spending your writing period in.

Bras optional.

5. Setting your atmosphere

Working from home provides a lot of distractions and potential hazards from becoming derailed. During these days of self-isolation when the family are home and the kids are fighting or your significant other is grumbling because there’s no spare forks in the drawer – it’s important to set your distance and atmosphere.

To the adults in the household or those capable of doing things themselves; never be afraid to tell them to give you space. You are working and you expect a little bit of respect for that. It doesn’t mean you’ll be totally unavailable for HOURS, just whatever time you want to dedicate solely to your craft. In short, don’t be afraid to tell people to go away and leave you alone (nicely of course).

For those with younger children, other dependants and those who can’t afford to be unavailable for a long period of time; you matter too. I just wanted to tell you that. It might be worth planning some quiet activities in advance that really supports alone play without isolating anyone. Perhaps this could even be their dedicated TV or game time? If all else fails, there’s a lot of parent and child writing activities across the internet if you fancy some creative company.

6. Focusing on achievable daily targets

I used to really hate setting myself out targets like I was still in school and seldom used to achieve them. Until I realised that I was actually making things really difficult for myself and not setting my bars to my own situation. I was using example targets and goals that I’d emulated from other writers and would end up really chastising myself for not finishing my WIP in two weeks flat – if others could do this easily, why couldn’t I?

Because we are all vastly different in situations and households and working restrictions. If I work any further than my three-hour set, I’m not able to concentrate any further than that and my productivity goes out of the window. Once the light bulb went off in my brain that told me I needed to look at myself, rather than compare myself to others; it finally clicked. I could totally do this and make achievable goals for myself!

Things I want to achieve today:

· Self-Isolation daily prompt exercises

· One chapter edit on Beneath the Door

· Work on website and jot down ideas for what's needs to be worked on

· Finish self-isolation hacks article, edit and upload

Your goals are individual to YOU and no one can tell you that you’re not working hard or competitive enough. Don’t be afraid to be gentle with yourself; it is a journey after all.

7. Taking breaks

I’m going to put this out there for you now: it is OK to take breaks. Grab a drink, grab a jumper, grab an extra pillow, go to the toilet, go for a short walk. Yes, it’s all OK. If you were at work, you’d be perfectly entitled to take a moment to step away, so why should this be any different when you’re working at home?

You’re expending a lot of focus on energy into your work and at times, can be more exhausting than others. You are only human and your best work will come when you’re relaxed, in the zone and kind to yourself.

8. Challenge yourself

Regardless whether you’re working on a story, drafting, editing or beta reading; we all lose our way once in a while. There are thousands of articles and social media accounts that specialise in writing prompts and exercises that are designed to really challenge your creativity and the best thing of all – there’s no wrong answers.

If you’ve never really shared your work with anyone else before, it can be daunting to approach friends or family to help out. Entering writing competitions is a fantastic way to get out of your comfort zone as you’ll be submitting to a bunch of strangers. Regardless how you perform; you’re reaching out of your comfort zone and that’s a massive achievement for someone who had never had this confidence before.

All in all, with all of this newly found free time – we have the ability to push ourselves and our learning. It’s definitely the best time to practice.

9. Realise your own art

I’ve mentioned this a lot through this article, but to bullet point exactly what I’m trying to convey to you, here you go:

• Your writing time is JUST as important as housework, especially if it makes your soul happy.

• You are ENTITLED to your writing time.

• You are just as IMPORTANT, whether you are a working parent, stay at home parent, furry parent or any other human.

• You are only HUMAN. You will get distracted and you’ll be unnecessarily hard on yourself.

• You are ALLOWED to take breaks and step away from your work.

• Your writing is VALID, regardless if you’re published, self-published or not published. The world needs your art and in times such as these, I give you permission to embrace that. Literally, spread those words as far as you can get them. Dream about your stories. Imagine your characters.

• Sitting down to write DOESN’T make you lazy. It makes you passionate and happy. Just because the clothes won’t be washed or the bins be taken out yet, does not make you a failure.

10. Getting back to normal

Soon enough, we’ll be back at work and school and to our normal routines. But there is absolutely no reason for you to give us this newly found writing zen you’ve created for yourself. True enough, you’ll have less free time and you’ll probably be more exhausted. But this means that writing will be just as important for your mental health and happiness.

You may have to reassess your routines and timescales, and that’s totally OK. As long as you’ve enjoyed your time and want to continue.

I hope these pointers have been helpful for you, whoever you are in the world. Soon enough, normality WILL ensue and you’ll be back wondering when to quit the gym all over again.

If this article has helped you, please don’t be afraid to give it a like or a comment and don’t forget to share with anyone else who would benefit from this. Also, let me know how you get on!