One of the most difficult parts of writing is figuring out when and where to squeeze it into our busy lives. But writing spaces are crucial, and there is a reason for this. As animals, we like to fall into the groove of routine. It makes things easier on our brains. A habit drops us into mode and eliminates the need to waste energy on making decisions.
A writing space may be a particular corner of the house, a Starbucks, or a closet. Wherever it may be, if you write there frequently, you will notice that once you get there, you are more likely to be ready to write (or ready as you’ll ever be when it comes to writing).
At this time last year, I was on my seventh month of being stuck in Florida due to COVID airport closures. I didn’t know when or if I would ever get home. This sense of waiting spilled over into my writing. Psychologically, everything was on pause. I was blocked creatively until life flowed freely again.
During that time, I began Zoom Write-Ins at the Writers’ Mastermind. Zoom Write-Ins are live meetings where writers from all over the world get together online for an hour of undistracted writing time. Afterward, we all stay for a quick chat and to trade resources and advice.
This write-in ritual gave me the routine my brain needed. When working alongside fellow writers in this virtual space, I felt motivated and inspired. These meetings have become my new “writing place.”
I know many writers struggle to carve out time to write, and the new normal is still restrictive. We wonder when or if life will get back to the way it used to be.
Claiming a writing space is an effective way to get our heads in the game, no matter how crazy the world is.
We may have to squeeze it in on the train, or in the middle of the night, or on lunch break or in a noisy household. We have to be adaptable and write wherever we can and make the most of what we got.
If we wait until conditions are perfect, we may wait forever.
It’s up to us to actively design a safe place for the muses to land and for creativity to flourish.
10 Tips to Create Your Writing Space
How can you make the most of your current situation?
What can you do to remove distractions and feel safe from interruptions?
How can you change the atmosphere or shape your environment to cue you creatively? Plants, paint colors, incense or essential oils
How can you ritualize your routine and transform whatever spot you’re in into your writing place?
Can you team up with other writers to hold yourself accountable?
Change the lighting–close the shades, brighten the lights, light a candle
Attach writing to another habit—start with the first cup of tea, after a workout, before bedtime
Cover your walls with inspiration—your favorite quotes, pictures of your writing heroes, artwork that stirs you
Cue your brain with sound—classical music, a writing playlist, or white/brown/pink noise
Wear a writing “uniform”—a favorite robe, a special pair of reading glasses, a lucky T-shirt
Where is the most unusual place you’ve written?
What is the best time and place for you to write?
What tip do you have for creating a writing space?
Last month, we enjoyed an insightful webinar with coach, podcaster, and author Christie Adams on Time Management for Writers. And in this post, I bring you a glimpse of the most valuable tips we learned from her.
At the Writers’ Mastermind Group, a new masterclass from experts and award-winning authors rolls out every month, bringing value and motivation to writers. So get ready to make the best of your time and energy as a writer.
A Writer’s Wellbeing
Although some of us have a primary job that helps us pay the bills, we consider writing our genuine work. We do all it takes to squeeze our writing into our busy schedule, even if it means writing late at night after finishing our house chores, helping our children with their studies, etc., or at dawn before the world wakes up.
However, we forget to nourish the most important part of this tapestry with all this hustle: ourselves, and we get lost among our responsibilities.
Firstly, we are so active with the many things we have to do that we take our physical and mental health for granted, expecting to be always resilient. But, if we don’t take care of ourselves and our precious minds, we can get burned out quickly and waste our creativity.
Secondly, our time is unproductive if we don’t organize our schedule by prioritizing our most urgent tasks. We must give our work a defined time because life is worth enjoying, and writing is a huge part of that.
Time Management Tips
Here are the 13 tips Christie Adams that we discussed in that mastermind session. I hope they will bring you the motivation to look after yourself as the creative jewel that you are and help you to manage your time more effectively.
Look after yourself. You guessed it. This is paramount since we are the main piece of this creative puzzle. Adopt healthy habits that will help you feel energized and strong enough to carry with your to-do list.
Don’t forget your fair amounts of veggies, proteins, fruits, and carbohydrates.
Exercise every day for a minimum of 20 minutes, or take short walks.
Listening to music while you take your daily showers will revitalize you.
Pay attention to your mental health as well, especially if you are passing through a difficult time. Instead of lamenting and questioning your luck, ask what this experience teaches you, what you need to see, and how you can solve this problem. When we shift our questions, we will see different perspectives of the same situation and choose the best solution.
Find the time when you can commit to writing. Perhaps you are a morning person, and you have no trouble waking up early when your mind is the most creative. Or you love writing at night with your coffee or a glass of wine while your muse visits you. Keep in mind that blogging, writing emails, and posting on social media are also writing work, so make space for these tasks in your schedule.
Prepare a schedule and stick to it. Organize each activity (like work, blogging, creative writing, household duties, family time, exercise) by giving each task a defined time. Start your day early and finish what’s most important first. Prioritizing tasks and being disciplined are paramount to productivity.
Set daily achievable goals. Choose three to four goals max so you can commit to them. Once you achieve your daily aims, you will feel empowered and motivated.
Close the door when you write. Set a “no disturb” time and let your friends and family know that. Don’t think of anything else other than writing when you enter this space of time. When others see how serious you are about your writing, they will respect it as well.
Create your personal writing space. Whether it is your study or a corner in your parlor or bedroom, prepare a particular environment that will inspire you every time you come to write.
Save the information you find which can help you with your writing. Write down any idea or tip you read or hear as a writing prompt. This will allow you to remember what to look for next time and the subjects you need to learn and consider.
Schedule time every week for studying and learning new writing skills or topics. Modern writers must know about marketing, networking, and personal branding. You can also learn by listening to podcasts and reading the latest literary articles that shed light on these subjects. It is never too late to learn new stuff.
Set boundaries for your sake! By organizing your time and setting a limited time for each activity, you avoid burning out. Otherwise, you will resent losing your creativity.
Don’t overwork. If you are a workaholic, set the alarm in your phone or a timer to take several breaks during your day. Give yourself time to stretch, exercise, go for a walk, or do some yoga. Even dancing can help you boost your metabolism, drop some stress, and strengthen your muscles, bones, and brain. It is also okay to give yourself a day off if you feel overwhelmed with work.
Celebrate every goal achieved. You deserve a reward after meeting a deadline. Mini presents to yourself are genuinely motivating, like a book you always wanted to buy, a new colorful notebook, a day out, favorite ice cream, etc. Enjoy because you deserve it!
Delegate some tasks and share responsibilities. The state of your mental and emotional health will allow you to write your best. Divide the house chores and other tasks between you and your partner or grown kids. If you have younger children, ask a relative to babysit them for a few hours each week. Outsource tasks that someone else can do.
Keep a positive environment around you. Don’t listen to negative news or gossip, stop watching violent or depressing stuff, and don’t get involved in other peoples’ drama. These are sources of an unhealthy mind and soul. Instead, listen to music or motivational podcasts. Spend time with people that inspire and encourage you. Read inspirational quotes. Do things that make you happy. Invest time in nourishing and enhancing your wellbeing.
These tips will help you improve your time management and your emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. When you feel well, you will write well!
Connect with Cristia HJ
I write what I write to bring hope to the brokenhearted and ignite the passion for life in the sleeping soul. I want my readers to connect with my characters and free their imagination while the world is still spinning. Because no matter what we do or from where we come, we are all made of dreams and stardust.
Watch the replay of this mastermind session! Start Your Free-Trial at the Writers’ Mastermind Group and get access to our library of masterclasses and recordings.
Not only is intermittent fasting an effective way to burn fat, but the latest science also says it turns on latent genes, reverses aging, detoxes the body, and most importantly for writers, improves cognitive function.
So does intermittent fasting really work, or is it all just hype? I will tell you my personal experience so far.
My Intermittent Fasting Routine
3-4 times a week, I fast for 18-hour periods.
I drink black coffee and water until 2pm.
Tip: I combined the fasting routine with a goal to drink 1 gallon of water a day. It keeps the hunger at bay, so I highly recommend keeping water with you at all times. Herbal teas also help greatly when the stomach is growling.
I break my fast with a late lunch and eat a normal dinner.
Tip: the word “fasting” makes it sound extreme. In reality, you’re only skipping breakfast and possibly delaying your lunch. I have dinner at 8-9pm, so I must wait till 2-3pm to complete an 18-hour fast. If you eat dinner earlier, then you can break your fast earlier the next day. There are also many combinations of fasting routines that you can experiment with.
The results
I lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks–I expected to lose some weight, but not so much so effortlessly. This was a pleasant surprise.
More energy and alertness—When beginning intermittent fasting, I was a bit foggy. My brain was accustomed to having calories in the morning. But after the first week, my body knew that it would not get breakfast and learned to switch to fat-burning mode quickly. In this mode I noticed better concentration and focus.
More mental and physical endurance—I can work at the computer longer, and I recover from physical workouts more quickly too.
Better sleep and digestion—This is an unexpected bonus. I sleep more deeply, and I digest my food more quickly (no doubt because I’m so hungry by the time I eat).
Increased Productivity—The increased productivity is not only because I am more alert and energetic, but also because I do not have to prepare (or order), eat, and clean up after a meal. It saves time, removes the interruption, and is one less thing on my to do list.
Bonus–There is a food cost savings as well!
How does intermittent fasting work?
According to logic, our bodies evolved to expect long periods without food. As hunter gatherers, there could be days between our last meal and when the next food was found or caught. During this period, our senses were heightened because we needed to be alert and ingenious to locate food sources and track down animals.
During periods of fasting, the body switches to burning its fat stores. It also uses this time to perform autophagy (which actually means eating oneself), a process in which the body cleans out damaged cells and other residue that accumulates from day-to-day processes.
Once we eat, we rest and digest. Our bodies relax. They know they will live to see another day and our systems are busy metabolizing the food. This is a necessary process, but if we are constantly fed, then we are constantly in this low gear. There is no need for us to be in alert mode. We are not as mentally sharp. Fat and metabolites accumulate.
How intermittent fasting has improved my writing
I was surprised at how much of distraction meals are. Simply removing them opened up time and gave me space to focus. And I don’t get hangry because fasting trains the system to operate without the frequent ingestion of calories. Hunger and blood fluctuations can put the brain on a roller coaster. Fasting puts me in a steady hum that allows me to focus for hours.
Of course, you must get up and stretch your legs (and run to the loo if you’re doing the gallon of water challenge). But in my experience, at least, I am able to get into the flow state and stay there long enough to make major leaps in my writing.
This is why I thing fasting is especially good for novelists. We need to hold so much of the story in our heads to make sure all the moving parts work together, and getting back in the right head space after an interruption is a huge challenge.
Is intermittent fasting right for your writing life?
Fasting is definitely not for everyone, and you should consult your doctor before thinking about it, but as a writer, I will tell you it’s worth a try. I don’t think I’ll be going back to breakfast anytime soon!
Writers’ concentration and willpower are challenged like never before. Until recently, if a writer sat down to work, there was little to distract them except the chirping of birds or the din of the streets.
It was just the writer and the quill, and later, the typewriter.
Now we have phones, tablets, and computers bleeping off every few minutes.
Most of us don’t realize how damaging this is. Not only does it prevent us from entering the flow state, which is crucial to our creativity, it wastes our time. One text from a family member, one email, or one social media notification can completely derail you.
It may only seem like it takes a few minutes, but add all those interruptions up at the end of the day, and you may have lost an hour or more. Not only that, you risk being led down the rabbit hole of the internet.
Check one mention on Twitter or comment on Instagram, and before you know it, you’re scrolling away while your characters sit in the corner, tapping their foot, impatiently waiting for you to tell them what to do next.
Hey, it’s not your fault. All content, video, and social media were purposely designed by some of the best minds in the world to keep you on their pages or in their loop of pages.
Sometimes willpower isn’t enough, especially if we’re tired or feeling apprehensive about writing on a particular day.
Here are a few tips for Distraction-Free Writing in the Age of the Internet:
Turn off the Wi-Fi on your computer, or better yet, turn off the router for your home completely (if no one in household objects).
Remove all social apps from your phone. Only check at a designated time through your browser.
Shut down your phone and tablet while writing.
If you need to receive calls in case of emergency, tell your close family and friends to use your phone number only.
Do not open your email in the morning. Wait till the end of your writing time to check and reply to email.
Use internet time as a reward to look forward to after you’ve met your writing goals.
When you do get on the internet, set a timer for the amount of time you spend there.
Open loops are unfinalized tasks, all that ‘stuff’ you gotta do. They are the perfect distraction from writing and can be used to avoid hard work. Open loops are the BFF of procrastination and hog up valuable RAM in your brain that could be used to power your writing.
To get into a creative flow state, you must close the loops. Here are few ways to ensure the background tasks are shut down.
Choose a writing time – Start waking up at 4am to have quiet time to write. What? No, just kidding. For some of us, such a drastic change sets us up for failure. It’s easier to carve out a writing time that already fits into the routine we have. Whatever you choose to do, designate this block and stick to it. After a few weeks of regular practice, your brain will expect to be let loose at this time and be primed to focus.
Make a to-do list every day – Write down every thing, big and small, that you have to do. Most of the time we’re not actually worrying about ‘doing the things.’ We are trying to figure out what are all the things we need to do. Are we missing something? Once you have them all listed, you close that loop. You don’t have to worry about what you’re supposed to be doing or if you’ve forgotten anything.
Prioritize tasks – What absolutely must be done now? What can wait till after your writing time? Put them in order of importance.
Knock ‘em down one at a time – Focus on one item at a time. Try to check off as many items as possible. Each check gives you a sense of accomplishment and closes that tab in your brain.
Plan remaining items – Prioritize and schedule the remaining items for later times or dates. That way you know what you have to do after writing. You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to get it all done. You already have a plan of attack.
Now you’re all set. Sit down and write. Slip into the zone.
