Lisa Tener

Book Writing Coach

find time to write

7 Ways to Find Time to Write—Even if You Have None

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SAJ_6136-1Pretty much no one has time to write a book nowadays. And that stops most people, but not everyone.

How about you?

Are you neglecting your book writing?

Or getting a little bit done here and there but wishing you could do more? Here are 7 tips to find time to write—strategies that work well for me and my clients::

  1. Go to bed an hour early; get up an hour early. That’s right. No need to skimp on sleep. In fact, the early sleep will be even better for you!
  2. Limit phone calls to 5 minutes—let the person know at the beginning of the call. You can even set a timer.
  3. Make the book your first thing. When you work on your book for an hour first thing in the morning, you will naturally find ways to decrease other activities that are less productive.
  4. Reward yourself: hold off on dinner out, a walk in the park or a video game until you’ve done your writing. The extra incentive can help you get it done. As in #3, when you put your book first, less important activities will naturally decrease in time.
  5. Order healthy take out once or twice a week or prepare large amounts and eat leftovers.PaperArtistOriginal_2014-07-21_16-46-56
  6. Replace yourself on a volunteer board. Volunteering is a wonderful thing, but you may need a break while writing your book. One of my clients used this strategy and it worked like magic—she suddenly found time to write every week.
  7. Use the book writing as an excuse to eliminate an activity that drains you. Some of my clients have told an exhausting friend they would not have much time for socializing during this period of book writing, others have dropped a project that felt like a “should” and not a passion and several of my therapist clients have fired a difficult client who isn’t willing to do the work to heal (ah, what a relief!).

Have a tip to share? Please share what helps you find time to write.

Write a Book? What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

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Book writing coach Lisa Tener
Your Book Writing Coach

During a consultation with a newly enrolled Bring Your Book to  Life participant, Ariel  shyly admitted that she was a bit afraid I might give her a hard time for not getting started on the course materials before our session. After all, she’d been beating herself up for days. Wouldn’t I do the same?

Ariel committed to my book writing program and then her life seemed to fill with other commitments–a trip to Europe for work, trips to visit family members and, of course, all those little interruptions that make it impossible to get started–meal preparation, errands, a client project…you can fill in the blanks.

I assured Ariel that her experience was common. And we did some brainstorming. I encouraged Ariel to use her plane time to work through the preliminary course materials and enjoy the process of getting clear about her book concept and structure. She began to get excited about the upcoming trip and the way she could fit her book into her travel schedule.

meet your muse visualization for writers
Meet your writing muse to get clarity and overcome writing blocks. Photo by David Donohue.

I also introduced Ariel to my favorite client exercise: Meet Your Muse. I took her through a visualization from meadow to woods to a clearing and a small building where her muse was already waiting for her. For some people their muse is a totem animal–hawk, bear or even mouse. For others, it’s a wise being, an elder, a jester, their wiser self. And for still others the muse may be light, a color or just a sense of connecting with something bigger than their everyday self.

Ariel’s  muse told her the real culprit was her fear blocking her. She could feel those people in her life who’d told her she couldn’t–those judgmental adults from childhood she carried around within her psyche. I had her ask her muse to help her start to let go of that and she could feel the knot in her stomach start to unwind.

writing muse as hawk
Your muse may be a totem animal, wise being or just a felt sense of connecting with something greater than yourself.

Ariel’s muse hugged her and told her, “Yes, you can write this book. And you don’t have to do it alone. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Ariel thanked me for creating a safe space where she could “mess up” and not be doing things perfectly and I pointed out that she was doing it perfectly. It turns out that the exact steps she needed to go through were the steps she needed to take her readers to go through in order to benefit from the advice in her own book. Her process was important not just for her (breaking through old blocks and belief systems and expanding into her own personal power), but important for the light it will shed on her own readers’ processes.

your writing muse
One client's muse was a bird that turned into a person when she spoke to it. Photo by David Donohue.

After clearing her fears, Ariel realized she could commit Tuesday and Thursday nights to writing. From years of experience I know that evenings can be challenging, even to a night owl, and suggested she first find some time to rejuvenate before the writing–a walk outdoors, a meditation, listening to my Meet Your Muse meditation (a free download) or playing some relaxing music. This activity could provide a supportive transition to come to the writing with renewed energy.

Meet your muse visualization for writers

If you’re experiencing any challenges that are making it hard to write, I recommend a similar process to Ariel’s. First do some practical brainstorming about what you can do and then go to your muse to tap into your creative inner wisdom.

Are you beating yourself up or allowing your process to unfold? Yes, there will be a time for deadlines, schedules, holding yourself to commitments, but perhaps first you need to create the space to work through something. I invite you to listen to this downloadable gift from me–my Meet Your Writing Muse visualization and experience a shift that can help you get your book written–a compelling and powerful book that makes a difference in the world.

And please do share what you’ve done to move out of fear, transform blocks and get writing, as well as any insights you’ve received from your writing muse.

How to Make Time for Your Book: Charge More Money

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lisa tener writing coach
Your Book Writing Coach

During our first coaching session, a new client confided that she wanted to make her book a priority but her freelancing consulting job paid the bills–how could she reduce work hours, increase writing and platform building hours and pay her bills?

“Can you charge more?”

Turns out she could–her skills are in high demand. Not only did she make a commitment to charge more, but the next day she wrote me, “I wanted to share with you…I heard from a friend I used to work with a few years ago today. I haven’t talked to him in close to 3 years. Turns out he started a consulting practice and asked me if I was looking for a change. He tossed out a high level hourly in a range that would help out a lot.”

Amazing how quickly we can manifest when we just put it out there. If you’re having trouble finding the time and energy to write because of your day job, particularly if you are freelancing or a solopreneur, consider giving yourself a raise. And then reduce your work hours to make time for your book. Remember what a difference your book will make in your life and the lives of your readers.

Another nifty thing about raising your rates is that it will almost invariably attract high quality clients. Every time I raised my rates, I ended up attracting people who were writing especially interesting books, paid on time (or ahead of time), had achieved a great degree of success already and were ready, willing and able to apply themselves to be successful as an author.

I predict that your high-paying clients are likely to be many of your best as well.

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