July 31, 2012

Because of a health issue this year (fixed recently by surgery), my energy has been at an all-time low for months.

During 2012, I slowed down–a lot. My writing time seemed to disappear daily down a black hole. I had multiple projects outlined–but little written.

Mostly because of exhaustion, I’ve picked up some bad time (mis)management habits. Now that I feel better, I know I need to get control of my writing hours back.

It Isn’t Easy!

How do you get back on a writing schedule when life has derailed you for months? The answer is simple, although not necessarily easy.

You stop making default choices just because you’re out of the habit of thinking through your actions and consequences. And you stop letting others make “time choices” for you.

In short, you budget your time.

Time is Like Money: a Limited Resource

Think of time (a resource that isn’t unlimited) like your income (which is likely not unlimited either).

Most of us learned how to budget years ago, when first leaving home. We discovered that we didn’t have nearly enough money to do or buy all the things we wished we had. If you were lucky enough to grow up before credit cards, or you had parents like mine who taught you that you didn’t buy things until you had the money saved up, then budgeting comes naturally. It might never be fun, but you can do it.

Depending on your values and priorities, you will spend your income in a certain order. At our house, our tithes and offerings come out first. This is followed immediately by those things we don’t want to forfeit: a roof over our heads (mortgage), food on the table, electricity and water, etc. (And books!)

Only after the money is budgeted for necessities do we decide what to do with the discretionary money. That includes the “wants” we have that aren’t “needs,” like eating out, going to movies, and taking trips.

Money is limited, so we budget. We understand that. But time is limited too. And if you don’t budget time along the same principles (non-negotiable spending and discretionary spending), you won’t have time to write.

The Writing Time Budget: How-To

First, you must decide what is most important in your time allotment. If you have a day job or small children to care for, those are certainly non-negotiables. Look at your calendar and a detailed day planner of some kind (even a spreadsheet will work). Mark all those hours in your week and month that are NOT spoken for by things truly outside your control.

If you have other major commitments, the time you get to budget for writing may not be huge, but that’s okay. Mark all time that would be free to write if you chose to: evenings or weekend hours available, nap times, commute times, while the family sleeps, etc. Those hours are what you get to budget.

My family comes before my writing, so some of my hours go to babysitting grandkids (some weekly, others less often). Some time goes to my husband, some to my church, some to my neighborhood. I have gone overboard a bit in the past and had to cut back some, but they still come first.

Second, even though this sounds like it will ruin your time budget, you need to set aside time IN YOUR CALENDAR for yourself. I didn’t do this for years, but no one is indestructible. No one. And recovering from severe burnout can take months–many more hours than if you had taken care of yourself in the first place. Know your own limits. No two people are alike.

Know your own personality. If you’re an introvert like me, and need lots of solitude to recoup your energy, be sure you get it. And be sure to set aside some time right after particularly stressful seasons and events.

Know your best time of the day to write. Don’t bend to everyone else’s whims, then end up having no time to write except at 10 p.m. when you’re a morning person who can’t think clearly after 3 p.m.

Third, budget what is left for your writing. Mark those hours as “commitments.” Write it in your calendar and day planner at least four weeks (preferably six weeks) ahead. That’s about how far out people call and ask you to Tupperware parties and other events you may want to skip.

Then when someone calls to invite you to do lunch or shop or needs to talk, you can check your calendar and truthfully say you have a commitment at that hour–then suggest another more convenient hour. There are very few true emergencies that require you to give up your best writing hour of the day.

Budget Today!

Remember: time is not an unlimited resource, although I have been acting like it this past year. It’s finite, and it goes by quickly.

It might not seem as serious as a money budget–I mean, you won’t end up out on the street starving if you watch TV instead of write. But you will get to the end of your writing year and be no closer to attaining your writing dreams.

I decided that’s not what I want this year–and there’s still enough of 2012 to do something about it! I hope you’ll join me.

12 Comments »

1. 

   Kristi, thanks so much for posting this. It’s exactly what I need–especially the message that it’s never too late to get started! Glad to hear your health is better! Happy writing!

   Comment by Jane Heitman Healy — July 31, 2012 @ 12:37 pm

2. 

   Jane, I feel like I have spent half my life starting over! I am getting good at it. Life is just that way–full of interruptions, some lengthy, that you didn’t plan on. I guess you can either quit or start over. Here we go again!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — July 31, 2012 @ 1:12 pm

3. 

   I hear you on getting back on track after prolonged illness. It’s not easy. I’ve used this opportunity to teach the value of time to my children. They don’t appreciate it, of course, because they live in the moment and right now endless days of summer loom before them, but they know that that time lost is lost forever, and so they must use it wisely.

   Comment by Vijaya — July 31, 2012 @ 3:13 pm

4. 

   Vijaya, that is so true about kids–and young adults too. I know I was always that way. But now! Time whizzes by so fast that I feel as if I am constantly turning calendar pages. Being a good steward of the time we’re given is an ongoing challenge and ongoing blessing. Have a GREAT day!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 1, 2012 @ 9:57 am

5. 

   Hi Kristi,
   Thank you for posting this. By sharing your own experiences you show that after all, we’re only human, with human failings as well as triumphs.
   Very good advice on what’s important when we budget our time.

   Comment by Connie Salmon — August 2, 2012 @ 6:55 am

6. 

   Connie, we truly ARE all in this together. The one good thing about it–I never have to struggle to find something to blog about! I just pick my current struggle or setback, and away I go!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 2, 2012 @ 12:18 pm

7. 

   Tremendous post, Kristi. This has been very much on my mind lately.
   Thanks!

   Comment by Beth MacKinney — August 2, 2012 @ 12:32 pm

8. 

   I’m glad you found it helpful, Beth. I felt so much more in control just sitting down with my calendar and marking off certain writing times in big red squares. Time is spoken for!

   Comment by Kristi Holl — August 2, 2012 @ 4:14 pm

9. 

   I Love that you made it NEW again! One gets so overexposed to time, make time, mind the time, schedule time, time is money, even, that for me, I just zone those hints out and they go the way of overused metaphor roadkill. Not even in the ears. Over the head entirely. Meaningless jabber.

   I can parrot it, say it, give great advice to my tenants about it, (where I get the wide-eyed “wow!), but it is without thought, rote, the dying whistle from a tea kettle out of steam. But this time, the fact that you really made the point, of it NOT being unlimited. Made me grin!

   Because? I can coast along with the “I can stuff a lot or a little into segments of the Clock universe, bend it, stretch it, etc.) Lazy or intense, depending on my deadline. And somehow, I got into using THAT as my justification for how I handle time – (Chaos, anyone?) LOL! I can always get it done, but at a cost sometimes. And that’s where ‘Time as Money’ comes in, I guess. (Your “money” definition may vary.)

   I can race to have a productive day where everything gets met, but it made me stop and realize that I may feel good, but, not as good as I CAN feel. Sure, I went through the motions, I made my targets, despite 2 or 3 house emergencies and tenants pouring in at unexpected moments, over regular work, with unexpected problems or great news, and it’s all tied up for the day. Clean Slate. And I wrote, except the writing is ~not! quite~ as deep as it could be, not as satisfying, but good, (or crap!, whatever, I DID it.) And I realized, I am only robbing myself with the “I can do anything and get it done.” Oh, I am greatly consistant, but I had to give a covert nod to the fact that I have been lately, riding on wussy laurels, (and secretly know it.)

   So you brought my visage around to time being valuable, put in a new way. (OH! thunks head! DUH! ) Thanks for the wake up call! That hour never comes again, and I have been a fool somewhat for often going quantity over quality lately. Because in the long run, that quality/payback is ME, and comes back to me. And I am valuable. Just a nice kick in the arse reminding me that I have been, lately, giving a sloppy time-slip to myself.

   I am glad to hear that you are feeling better! and salute the discipline of re-establishing a schedule, that when changed to accommodate an outside event, can leave one finding reasons to kinda “Go easy”. And yet time just keeps rolling along… And I think maybe I should again make it count a bit more!

   Comment by jen — August 2, 2012 @ 11:01 pm

10. 

    “Overused metaphor roadkill”…love it! Your post is an article by itself–so much meat there mixed in with the humor. You’re a great humor writer, by the way. Yes, I’ve found too many reasons this year to “go easy.” While it may have been necessary for a while, it didn’t need to go on this long. When the crisis passed, the continued pampering turned into downright laziness, and as you pointed out, shallower writing. Enjoyed your post! Thanks!

    Comment by Kristi Holl — August 3, 2012 @ 5:31 am

11. 

    Thanks for the wise words. This did not fall on deaf ears. As school starts up for my daughter and I figure out what to do with my two little guys still at home, your ideas will help to guide how I plan.

    Comment by Stephanie — August 4, 2012 @ 1:37 pm

12. 

    Thanks, Stephanie. School starting always seems like a more natural time to fall back and regroup, rather than Jan. 1. Maybe it’s just the moms (or like me now–Nanas) in the group who think in calendar years. Good luck to you!

    Comment by Kristi Holl — August 4, 2012 @ 3:32 pm

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