R is for...

Routine.

One of the ways that I was finally able to buckle down and start writing was to develop a routine. Mine had to extend to a routine for my daughter in the morning so she was happy to come downstairs with me to get to work. I was surprised at how agreeable she was after we had play time together. We would have breakfast, she would watch Caillou (a cartoon), we would have play time together and when I'd announce it was time to go down to my office for work, she was ready to go. We'd go pick some toys for her to bring in with us and I would get her settled in my office at a special table and chair I put in there for her, along with a snack and her water bottle.

As far as me, I'd spend Caillou checking email and Facebook and such. Then I'd get a giant mug of water and a small snack for myself, and we'd head downstairs. Once I could settle in at my desk, I'd boot up the computer, put on the music I'd chosen for that specific story and rub some lovely aromatherapy lotion from Bath and Body Works into my hands. I think it's rosemary mint, and it makes me happy and wakes me up.

When you look at it, it's a simple little routine, but it worked for us. (I'm speaking in the past tense simply because I'm not actively writing currently, but working on the synopsis and polishing the first twenty pages of the manuscript for the contest.) I'm going to have to figure out a new routine in the summer once my son is out of school, but then we'll be off again.

Not everyone needs a routine, and no person's routine will work for someone else. But if you have a hard time finding the time to write or getting settled into it, consider what might help you. Some people take a walk before they sit down to write. Some people meditate or do yoga. You have to look at what helps you to feel creative or inspired, and what you have to do to allow yourself to shut off everything else so you can write.

Speaking of which, something else I had to do was take Mondays off as cleaning days. I do the big cleaning around the house so I'm not sitting at my desk obsessing about everything else I need to get to. I would also note down other things I needed to take care of, and either do that before my office time or figure out when I would be able to get to it and "schedule" it, so to speak.

Once I was able to get all of this figured out, I was less stressed in the evenings, as well. Instead of obsessing over the fact that I should be writing, I was able to sit upstairs with my husband and relax, because I knew I'd gotten some work done.

I know a lot of people are working "day" jobs, so this wouldn't work for them, but I wanted to throw it out there so you could see that it is often possible to figure out something that works in your life. It doesn't have to be intricate, and it can be a small space of time here, maybe another slice there.

Do you have a routine? Or have you tried and it didn't work for you?

Happy Writing!