Two things that help me write consistently when life gets busy
I’ve written consistently since October 2022.
It started with morning pages, then ideas and thoughts in my Notes app, then long Instagram posts, then emails for a small Mailchimp audience, then copy for Esther Perel (and other similar brands), then short stories like this one on Substack, then—most recently—essays about writing, big feelings, and small parts on my website and Substack.
Writing leads to more writing, but that’s not my point. My point is that I’ve written a lot over the last four years, and I’ve done it consistently.
I attribute this to two things.
The first is a commitment to writing. It looks like blocking out time in my schedule to write, putting up boundaries to protect that writing time, and giving myself writing goals (like a page a day or an essay a week). I also include sharing my writing as part of this commitment, because it’s by sharing my words with others and talking about my writing that I claim my identity as a writer, which helps me show up to write (after all, a writer writes).
But what happens when life gets busy, or I oversleep, or Fish needs an earlier walk than usual? I don’t write. When I have a goal in place but the words just won’t come? I don’t write. When someone asks what I do and I’m too scared to tell the truth? I beat myself up, then I don’t write.
This is where the second thing comes in: a commitment to flexibility. It counters the rigidity of the first commitment by lowering the bar and helping me write when I otherwise wouldn’t. Here’s what it looks like for me:
When I don’t have 30 minutes to write, flexibility says, “Just write for one minute. It doesn’t have to be much..”
When I feel uninspired, flexibility says, “Just start with where you are. It doesn’t have to be good.”
When I avoid telling someone I’m a writer, flexibility says, “Just try again next time, and in the meantime, write. That’s all it takes to call yourself a writer.”
When life is going perfectly, my commitment to writing is enough for me to write. But when life gets busy (as it does), it’s my commitment to flexibility that keeps me writing.
Together, both these commitments—to writing and to flexibility—help me continue to build the giant pile of work I mentioned at the start. Not all at once, not perfectly, but consistently, over time, with a few words here and a few pages there and yes, even a few days and weeks of no writing at all.
Now I’m curious: What keeps you writing when life gets busy?
Comment and let me know.
Want more like this? Subscribe to get my words delivered to your email.