How to find time to write
Mastery Den, Saturday Edition, 3-min read.
—
Join us for free at the Mastery Den Telegram for daily content ideas so you never run out of ideas.
—
Many people want to see traction with their writing.
They want to live that dream of having a buzzing audience and making good money from this romantic craft.
But they say they struggle to find the time to write.
And to them, I say it isn’t time you need.
Instead, you need commitment.
When people say they wish they had more time to write, they aren’t honouring the act of writing as they could.
They do have time.
Every writer in the history of writing had time. And if they didn’t, they made time.
People don’t prioritise it because they view other things as more important than writing.
That’s the only reason you can’t find time.
They aren’t committed to making writing work. Or, they aren’t committed as they think they are.
Writing is a fourth-best at most.
That’s why you must rediscover your commitment, which is rooted in a genuine love and reverence for the craft of writing.
You need words, and words need time spent writing them.
But you have more time than you think.
If you spend more time than you need relaxing, you have time.
If you spend time doing things you can outsource, you have time.
If you spend time on things you know are a waste, you have time.
It’s not time you need, but a commitment.
Commitment is closely tied to energy, and most don’t realise it.
When you sit down to write with less energy than you need, you have not honoured your commitment.
When you numb your senses with bad TV and junk food, you are not honouring your commitment as a writer.
To write well, you need a sharp and perceptive soul.
So you must know how to keep your energy high and your senses sharp to write as you need to.
You either have time or not. Your questioning how much time you have shows me you have plenty of time but are looking for permission to continue.
And you need permission because you continually entertain thoughts that say you may not be cut out for this.
But we all have the ability to be among the best writers in the world. No exceptions. I’m telling you this, and I am giving you freaking permission.
I wrote hundreds of articles that barely anyone read. I had to have faith that this was worth doing in the long run.
But you won’t get there if you don’t sit down and find the time. When you find the time, you are finally honouring your commitment. And you can’t be committed if you can’t find a deeper love for the craft, even if you are a beginner.
You must love the craft before you start. This is commitment. This is connection. This is to follow your prickling inclinations.
If you can find a way to love writing before you start, you’ll find the time.
Thanks for reading.
Join us today for extra member’s perks:
You receive instant free access to my $290 course on learning how I improved my online writing to attract a readership of over 160,000: Online Writing Alchemy (and community access).
You also get weekly Thursday exclusive video content for members to help get you an unfair advantage in growing your brand fast and being a powerful writer.
You also get access to all the hundreds of locked posts to accelerate your brand.
Hit the subscribe button below to join.
Buy Alex’s book, ‘The Art of Self Respect: Twenty-five subtle habits for cultivating deep self-respect and attracting the respect of others.’
Here is Alex’s latest book, ‘Creatively Jacked: 43 badass motivation ideas for ambitious creators, today.
I will confess that for years I complained that I didn’t have time to write. I had a problem but it wasn’t time, or desire or even really commitment either. It was fear and discomfort. Those first few minutes of a writing session were often daunting and uncomfortable so I avoided them. It was a failure to push past the struggle phase so common in the early minutes of a writing session before the work begins to flow. When I built a habit of sitting down to write every morning first for 30 minutes, then 45, then 60 without giving up I went from complaining about no time to write to writing the equivalent of a book length body of work every year. The thing I learned was when you keep write past the voices in your head that tell you that you can’t do this, they disappear and the whole process gets easier.
I whole-heartedly agree!! Its commitment to the craft…the art..hands down! At different points early in my writing I, too, said I needed more time but through the years of growing I now know without a doubt if I am not writing the way ”I” want..I am not putting in the commitment to doing so. Nice reminder, thanks!