How to Balance Writing and School/Life

Introduction

When I first got into writing, a lot of the time, I would prioritize writing over school. I'd neglect my assignments and write romance. I'd forgotten that I had a test the next day and instead outlined a new novel.

 

Don't be me. Don't make the same mistakes I did. You don't need to forget or purposely neglect your studies in the name of writing.

 

I can probably guess what you're thinking. How will I get better at writing if I don't write all the time? Or, I have to write every day to be a writer, right? Maybe you're thinking: I don't have enough time in the day to write. If I push back some of my work or other priorities in my life, I can hone in on my craft.

 

Fourteen/Fifteen-year-old N.G. Jefferson would've agreed with you. However, eighteen-year-old N.G. Jefferson doesn't! Do not, and I repeat, Do NOT sacrifice your studying or anything else for writing! Don't!

 

Remember, writing is a side hobby. You don't need to write every single day to be a writer. Look up your favourite authors. Chances are they don't write every day. Most authors have day jobs and write at night. Some only write whenever they have the time. That's what I do. Well, I don't have a job; I go to college, but I write whenever I have free time. That tends to be the weekends, time between or after study sessions, or at night.

 

Sure, there are some authors out there who make money solely off of their writing, so they need to write every day to earn their living. But this isn't you, I bet. I assume you are reading this because you're struggling to find a balance between school/work/life and your writing hobby.

 

Not to worry! I'm here to help you, babe. Here are five tips to Balance Writing and School/Life.

#1: Use a Planner/Time Block

Now, I'll be the first to admit that my planning skills back in high school SUCKED. Okay? I was horrible at planning what to study on what day, which assignments were due the next day, which days had afterschool activities, etc. Don't be upset if you suffer from this issue. None of us are perfect and automatically know how to organize or time block our lives.

 

When I got to college and my classes were so far from each other, I had lots of time on my hands. I started to say, "Okay, such and such hour is used to study for class A. This hour is for class B." The more I did that, the more time I found I had for writing.

 

My personal method for planning is using a combination of a Notion page I created for the week and Outlook Calendar (I used to use Google Calendar. Either one is great, so use whichever you're more comfortable with). At the beginning of the week, I will plan out which assignments/study sessions will happen on a certain day. I will also list some other tasks I want to try and get done as well, such as writing tasks, maybe some goals, activities I want to try. Then, when that day arrives, I will time-block how I want to do the tasks. Here's an example:

(The yellow time blocks are times I will do something in relation to my writing)

Not saying you need to use the same planning/time blocking method as myself, by the way. I encourage you to find a method of planning that works for you! I highly recommend time blocking if you feel like you don't have a lot of time. You do. You just need to schedule out your time, then fill in the gaps with what you need/want to do with it.

#2: Set Realistic Goals

Setting realistic goals for yourself doesn't need to be difficult. Think of your current situation. Are you in school, do you work, do you have a chaotic life in general? If so, don't set goals like, "I'm gonna write an entire book in 4 months!" or "I want to write a 160,000-word first draft in a year!"

 

Please, PLEASE don't do this. Do not say you're trying to write a book in a few months or 160,000 words in one year. That's not realistic at all. Sure, some writers/authors can do that, but they probably write for 16 hours a day! That's likely their full-time job. You're not them. Don't try to emulate New York Times Bestsellers.

 

Instead, set goals like, "I want to write 1,000 words every week," or "I want to finish the first 4 plot points from my outline in a month." These types of goals are achievable even if you have a busy life.

 

Realistically, it should take around 1 hour to write 1,000 words. If you don't have an hour to spare in a day, break up those 1,000 words into smaller goals you can reach each day. You could write 143 words a day for 7 days, or 200 words for 5 days. Breaking down goals like this will make achieving your larger goal much, much easier.

#3: Hold Yourself Accountable

If you're serious about writing, hold yourself accountable. When you have the choice between being on your phone for hours or writing for 30-minutes to an hour or so, choose writing, then spend time on your phone. Most people say, "I wanna be a writer," but they never actually get to writing for weeks on end because they're not holding themselves accountable. Think about your goals, think about if you want to publish or have a well-known blog, and get to writing!

 

Find a friend, an acquaintance, a family member, whatever to keep you accountable. Ask them to ask you how many days you've written every week. Have them ask what the status of your story is. Make sure they ask things that'll make you want to spring back into your writing as soon as possible.

#4: Don't be Harsh on Yourself

I say this with extreme love for you, dear reader: Do not write every day if you can't. Holding yourself accountable doesn't mean sacrificing what you need to do in the name of writing. If you can't write every day, don't be hard on yourself. Again, you're not a professional. You don't write to earn your income. You don't need to spend hours on the weekend writing if you have other things to be doing.

 

Don't call yourself a bad writer; don't tell yourself you should write faster or for longer. You're not a bad writer. You're not a bad writer just because you missed a few days of writing or because you missed a goal you had. It's okay. Hell, some self-published authors write a few times a week, possibly 3-4 times a week. And those some are full-time writers!

 

Don't expect yourself to be perfect. No writer is perfect, so there's no reason for you to think you should be.

#5: Remember to Have Fun

Following somewhat off of the last tip, remember to have fun while you're writing. Whenever you can write, remember why you're doing it. Whether it's because you think the story you're writing is fun, fantastical, or the story you're writing is dark and creepy, but you actually like that kind of thing. Have fun while crafting your story! Have fun while crafting your prose.

 

My favourite part of writing is having so much fun putting a story I have in my head onto paper. I'll admit sometimes it's a pain in my ass, but I love it all the same. Writing is my passion, and I have fun while doing it. And I want you to as well.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for reading this blog post. Do you have any writing goals this quarter or month? What are they? How far are you in your current work in progress? What's it about? Leave your answers down in the comments section! If there's a topic you'd like to discuss, leave that in the comments as well. If there's a specific book you'd like me to review on this blog, leave that in the comments too! I'll see you next week with another review! Bye!