Where do you write? I can hear you asking yourself, “What does “where” have to do with time management?”
Some people consider where they write to have a major role in how they write.
I have two choices: (1) our desktop computer in an office I share with my husband who operates a small business; and (2) my laptop, usually in the family room.
Two nights a week and one afternoon each week my husband is away from the house at band practices. Quiet time abounds then, and I feel I’m my most productive. But sometimes the phone rings, or there are chores to wrap up, or any one of several mundane tasks to carry out.
Some months ago, I was reading a blog post by Linda Hoye who writes at A Slice of Life Writing. The title of the post really caught my attention: My Writing Life — Location, Location, Location.
As I read Linda’s post, I realized that she had made her writing space and time sacred to her work. She described the lack of distractions if she worked in the library or a coffee shop, somewhere other than home. What really struck me was her deliberate setting aside of writing time.
Not only was location important, but balance between her writing life and her life aside from writing. Linda gives much food for thought about where and when she writes. I think — no, I know I need to follow her lead.
Q4U: Is your writing time scheduled? Do you have a quiet space to work? Is your time distraction-free? Let’s chat about how you find balance.
NEXT TIME: Part 4 will bring this series to a close with a look at using an editorial calendar to bring ease to your writing.
Like you, I’m most productive during that quiet time. Unfortunately those times are few and far between. I have a few areas where I like to write, one in particular is my “writing nook” which is a designated area in the corner of the guestroom. I have a small writing desk and during the Winter months, the sun makes it warm and toasty. 🙂
Quiet is definitely few and far between, even in retirement and empty nesting. The description of your “writing nook” sounds just right — comfortable with warm sunlight. 🙂
Thanks for mentioning my location post! I still highly recommend making deliberate choices to steal away for solitary writing time. I’ve found myself recently inspired to write during car trips with my husband. Something about having no other distractions and time to ruminate inspires me to pull out my iPad and write.
Linda, you are welcome for the mention! That post resonated with me and your words have stuck with me as I attempt to find my writing time in our currently fragmented life of travel and caregiving with Bob’s brother. And now you’ve given me another idea! We’re heading out again on Friday and I’ll take my notebook — Bob is a very quiet man and we’ll be travelling along and I can write or just make notes on a current submission or two I’m working on. Once again, you’ve boosted my spirits and my motivation.
[…] a few days before posting Part 3, I began thinking that there must be a tangible way to look at one’s time and the demands on […]
I work from home, in my study, and sometimes I experience it as my haven and other times as hell. The trick is to honor those feelings and make sure I escape my environment when it starts to feel stifling. Sometimes a walk would do it; other times I pack up and go and write at a coffee shop. I’ve recently started to share space in a library with a friend; we work for a couple of hours, then treat ourselves to lunch and gossip, before another two hours at our keyboards – it makes hard work seem like productive fun.
Belinda, thanks for sharing your work space choices with me. I’ve been considering the coffee shop idea or the library as places to steal away to for some quiet space. At home, with husband and cat around, isn’t always the most conducive work environment.
My dream is shared office space for writers; we’ll pretend we’re executives, arrive at a certain time, have lunch together, work some more, have formal brainstorming sessions for every member’s benefit, close with after-work cocktails…you get my drift?
Where can we find that space somewhere between Ohio and Oregon, and then convince ourselves to move there? 🙂
We’ll work on that 🙂
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