We all only have a certain amount of time. When we say we are too busy, what we are saying is, “I’ve said yes to all the things I possibly could.” That’s a truer statement. Not having time is an illusion because all have time for the things that are important to us.
My entire life, I never had time to write. I talked about it. Dreamed about it, and one time, I got close to starting to write. But I never had the time because I consider myself leading a very busy life. Then, I discovered a cold truth about the way I was speaking about my schedule.
“I haven’t got time” is a lie. This statement undermines the fact that those who are writing somehow have more time than I do. We’ve all made this statement before about things we can’t find the time to do.
Yeah, that’s right. I thought you all had 24 hours, but somehow, I’m stuck with only 12! What a sorry chump I am.
I realized that in order to add in time to do NaNoWriMo, I would have to sacrifice something else.
I would like to share with you only two specific things that I gave up to make time. By the way, I don’t believe you find time, or have time, but you make time. I only gave up two things in order to make time for NaNoWriMo
1) I gave up the gym until my novel is done. I love working out, and I’m not saying I won’t try to sneak it in, but writing during this season is the top priority (This bought me 45-90 minutes every other day). I know what you’re thinking. He looks like his body is still beach ready! Thank you for noticing, but it’s on a sabbatical from the free weights in the month of November.
2) I stopped watching Netflix. This is sad because I only just discovered Parenthood. I’m pretty shocked no one told me about this life-altering gem earlier. With a little bit of regret, I decided I would forgo a month of me crying to write this novel. Sorry Craig T. Nelson, your charming and uncouth ways will not dissuade me from creating worlds. Crosby, your cavalier attitude towards life and love are adorable, but there is so much conflict racing through this novel of mine. I must put you and Jabbar on pause and see what happens with you around Christmas time! (This allotted me about 20 minutes per day. This is an average because, like you, I tend to binge watch or not watch at all).
That’s it. Those are the two things that I’ve quit to make time. Think about doing an activity audit and see where you can get some words down. You’d be surprised how many things you do on autopilot. Keep writing, and I’ll catch up on Parenthood with you after Thanksgiving!