Making Time to Write
It is impossible for everyone to write every day.
All the writing advice you’ve seen tells you to write every day. That is not good advice. Why? There are several reasons.
- You neglected to proofread your work before publishing it.
You might think that you can become one of the top authors on Medium by churning out more than one article a day. However, have you ever considered checking your grammar before hitting the publish button?
You can use a grammar checker like Grammarly, but you still have to do it yourself. Sometimes, those apps miss errors.
2. Running out of ideas quickly.
I am currently experiencing this, even though I don’t write every day. There is a limit to how much creativity your brain can handle, and it needs time to rest. Take a break from what you are writing for a day or two and then return to it.
2. You have a busy schedule
You have other things to do besides write. There’s a family to support, a day job, bills to pay, etc. Rather than writing anything, you prefer watching Netflix or browsing social media. After a stressful day, you would rather relax or sleep. Even finding five minutes to jot down something each day is difficult. Having a busy schedule will cause you to forget to set aside writing time every day.
3. Your writing will become stagnant.
You will get bored writing if you do that. Writing won’t be as exciting as it once was. Readership will drop once your writing becomes static.
4. This is not a one-size-fits-all advice.
I roll my eyes when I read the advice that you should write every day to improve your skills. I can’t do that myself. When inspiration strikes, I write on Medium or I schedule reminders every two or three days. When the mood hits, I become more creative. In addition, my brain gets all fired up with ideas. And it is doing that right now as I am writing this. My attention gets so focused on what I write, I lose track of time. I’m pretty sure there are those of you who are in the same boat as me.
5. This advice is like any other new habit.
How are you doing with your New Year’s resolution? Still going to the gym? No. Well, you get the picture. Once you don’t feel like doing it every day, it will be harder to keep up with new habits.
In writing this article, I forgot that journalists and copywriters have to write all the time to earn a living. That’s different from the advice to write every day. Journalists must do this because people want to know what’s happening in the news. Copywriters must research and write the material client’s request. These are exceptions to the rule.
If you want to write a blog or a novel, you should not listen to this advice. Write whenever you want, have time, or feel inspired.
You shouldn’t force yourself to write every day if you dread doing it. Give yourself a break. You could take a day, two days, a week off, or whenever you feel inspired, you can get back to writing on your computer. It all depends on you, the individual, how you schedule your writing time.
In giving this advice, these authors/coaches/gurus forgot everyone is different and we all approach writing in various ways. It is impossible to give one-size-fits-all advice, because everyone does things differently.
