SOME POCKETS OF TIME YOU NEVER KNEW YOU HAD (Part I)
Not everyone has the luxury of finding long stretches of time to write, as real life often intervenes. If you happen to be one of those lucky writers who can dedicate large amounts of time to your craft, that’s wonderful! Even if you have plenty of time on your hands (and please don’t share if you do, as we might feel a twinge of envy!), you can still gain from practicing writing in shorter intervals.
To increase your writing output, it’s essential to train yourself to fit your writing into brief moments. Forget about waiting for inspiration or needing to warm up before you start writing. You need to learn to jump right in, jot down a few sentences, and then carry on with your day.
I’ve had to master this approach through experience. With working fulltime, my life has turned into a series of Pomodoro sessions, but instead of the usual 25 minutes of focused work, I never know how long I’ll have before he starts crying and demands my attention. Sometimes I get 20 minutes. Other times, it’s just 2 minutes. Occasionally, it’s not even a minute at all. Nevertheless, I’ve had to adapt and make every moment count. Here are five unexpected pockets of time I’ve found, moments I never realized I had.
1) Standing in Line
How frequently do we find ourselves waiting in line for various things? Whether it’s at the post office or the bank, at the cafe while we anticipate our lattes and cappuccinos, or at the supermarket and drug store. During those times, I take out my pocket notebook and jot down a few ideas. Even if I only manage to write a single sentence, it’s still one more sentence than I had previously.
2) Waiting in Doctor’s Offices
When you have a newborn, one of the activities you engage in quite often is waiting in doctor’s offices. I used to dread those lengthy waits, but now I actually look forward to them. I can savour those moments as valuable writing time.
3) Public Transportation
I really enjoy taking buses and cabs because they provide me with a good amount of time for either reading or writing. Occasionally, I’ll even choose a longer route home just to gain extra commuting time to write.