“You have the same hours as Beyoncé.” 

Many of us have heard some version of that phrase over the years. Instead of motivating, I always found it kind of stressful. 

Because let’s be honest, we are not even in the same stratosphere as Queen B. 

And as this Inc. article points out, we don’t have the same level of support as our favorite celebrity or even a famous full-time author. The way they can use their time isn’t the same as the rest of us in the daily grind.

While it’s not easy, we can find the time and the motivation to write. It won’t look like our idols or even our peers, but we can do it. Here are four ways to find more time to concentrate on your art. 

1. Put It In Your Calendar

One of the best pieces of advice from productivity hackers is scheduling time in your calendar for an item on your to-do list. And that goes for writing too. 

Yup. Easy enough…except you have to follow through and commit to the schedule. Keep in mind this doesn’t need to be a strenuous, 6-hour-a-day writing block. Do what you can and build from there. If you can only write for 20 minutes every other day, that’s great! Put it in your calendar. Then you have the time set aside for you and your writing. You’re committed. 

On the days I was real tempted to stay scrolling on Instagram, I would pretend I was meeting another person so I’d follow through. Someone you don’t want to disappoint by being flakey and sending a text last minute to cancel. And if your imagination is only available for your writing and not playing pretend, you can find a real person too.

2. Find an Accountability Partner (or a few hundred)

Okay, so you tried scheduling time in the calendar for yourself. You’ve dreamed about your characters all day during work. You even scribbled something down during lunch (yay!). The calendar notification dings at 7 pm, but you’re still not able to sit down and clack away at the keyboard. 

So to stay on track, ask another writer friend to be your accountability partner. Having a partner can work at the gym, and so it certainly can work with writing which is it’s own mental gymnastics. Sometimes when I’d need that extra push, I’d get on a Zoom call with a fellow writer. We would chit-chat for a few minutes, do a little catching up, and then dive into our work. During a mini-break, it was nice to say, “Hey, I finished this part of my outline!” or “500 words already! YES!”

You can also find a local writing group to join, like I did. Or you can join an online writing group such as Write About Now Poetry and their write and chill sessions.

Even if a friend isn’t available, you can use social media to your advantage to build accountability. Use hashtags like: #writewithme #wordcount #writingcommunity and let people know your word count goal for the day and if you hit it. 

3. Race the Clock

My brain thrives on a deadline. Part of it is panic because there is a consequence to not writing. On the flip side, when we have the entire afternoon– suddenly it’s 10 pm, Netflix is asking if you’re still there, and there are still 1000 words to write. 

Knowing how my brain works, I race the clock instead to activate a similar feeling of a deadline but without the anxiety. 

I’ll take a minute or two to decide what scene to work on and a word count goal. Then using the Pomodoro technique, I’ll set a timer for 25 minutes, pick a playlist, and focus only on the goal I’ve set. Once the timer chimes, I give myself a 5-minute break to stretch, scroll through Tiktok, or fill up my water bottle. Then when the break is over, I can sit down and see I wrote a whole page. 

Whether you only have 10 minutes to write or an entire day, this is a great technique to focus on your writing.

4. Stop Waiting for Perfection (It ain’t happening)

I used to wait until I had the optimal writing conditions. Along with my cup of coffee and a lit candle, I had to wake up and write by 10 am or the day was over and I couldn’t write. Sorry, I don’t make the irrational brain rules. Perfectionism and procrastination go hand in hand pretty frequently. 

As hard as it is, letting go of the idea of perfection is one of the most freeing things you can do. After all, there is no such thing as a perfect writing session, draft, or sentence.

We can grab any opportunity to write and make progress. And I promise, it still counts.

It can be jotting down a scene in the notes app while in line at Trader Joe’s or sitting in the dentist waiting room. Even recording a quick voice note is better than forgetting the amazing snippet of dialogue you came up with.

We’re still creating even if we only have 5 minutes to scribble something on a post-it note. All those moments and words will add up to something substantial. As long as the work exists and it’s on the page, you’ve done the easy part. Next is sitting down to edit which can be a bit more challenging, and I’ll cover that in another post soon.

So as Beyonce said herself: “Don’t talk about what you’re gonna do. Don’t just dream about what you’re gonna do. Don’t criticize somebody else for what they’re not doing. You, be it.”

Now before you open up your current WIP, share down below some of the unique ways you find time to write.