For the next few weeks, I'm going to give some brief tips on how to balance being both an author and a mother. If you don't have writing aspirations, I'm sure these tips can come in handy for making time to do the other things you love!
First and foremost, when I teach my class I start by asking one question: Is writing a career or a hobby? Pause and consider this question very seriously. Hobbies are what we do for fun when we have extra time. Simple. So if writing is a hobby at this point in your life, then stop worrying when you don't have time for it! Just be happy with the few moments you get to write every couple months and stop stressing.
If writing is a career, however, then you need to start treating it as such. If you have to work from 8:30pm to 12:00am (my typical hours) every night, your boss wouldn't be too thrilled if you called in every night with excuses like "I had a rough day with the kids, I'm just too tired." Or "I'm not in the right mood." Or "I'd rather play around on Facebook for two hours and then watch Dancing with the Stars." These types of excuses wouldn't fly. You would be fired before the week's end. As a writer, you are your own boss. Treat yourself like you actually have a job. Clock your hours and make sure you get your writing time in every single day. It's amazing how much more work you get done when you start treating your writing like a real career. It's all about attitude. And trust me, you'll learn to get over those tried-Mama humps when you exercise your brain muscles every single night.
Equally important: if you start treating your writing like a career, make sure others do too! Make sure your husband understands the importance of your writing. If he's distracting you every night with "let's just watch a movie together" or "let's play this game", he's not treating your career with respect. You don't roll over in the mornings and say, "Don't go to work today, just stay home and play with me and the kids." You have respect for his career. So, tempting as it may be, you don't keep him from it. Make sure that respect goes both ways. (Don't worry! In a future post I'll talk about spending time with the hubs). The same goes for friends, family, and other neighbors. "No, I'm sorry, I can't go out after the kids are in bed tonight, I have to work." Just as people who work need to request time off in advance, you need notice to work extra hours on other nights, or squeeze in some time during the day so you can still get your hours in for the week. No need to become a recluse! You just need better planning and a new mindset. You can't always attend every event or help with every situation that arises. After all, you're a working woman now!
Stay tuned next week for my post on Priorities :)
First and foremost, when I teach my class I start by asking one question: Is writing a career or a hobby? Pause and consider this question very seriously. Hobbies are what we do for fun when we have extra time. Simple. So if writing is a hobby at this point in your life, then stop worrying when you don't have time for it! Just be happy with the few moments you get to write every couple months and stop stressing.
If writing is a career, however, then you need to start treating it as such. If you have to work from 8:30pm to 12:00am (my typical hours) every night, your boss wouldn't be too thrilled if you called in every night with excuses like "I had a rough day with the kids, I'm just too tired." Or "I'm not in the right mood." Or "I'd rather play around on Facebook for two hours and then watch Dancing with the Stars." These types of excuses wouldn't fly. You would be fired before the week's end. As a writer, you are your own boss. Treat yourself like you actually have a job. Clock your hours and make sure you get your writing time in every single day. It's amazing how much more work you get done when you start treating your writing like a real career. It's all about attitude. And trust me, you'll learn to get over those tried-Mama humps when you exercise your brain muscles every single night.
Equally important: if you start treating your writing like a career, make sure others do too! Make sure your husband understands the importance of your writing. If he's distracting you every night with "let's just watch a movie together" or "let's play this game", he's not treating your career with respect. You don't roll over in the mornings and say, "Don't go to work today, just stay home and play with me and the kids." You have respect for his career. So, tempting as it may be, you don't keep him from it. Make sure that respect goes both ways. (Don't worry! In a future post I'll talk about spending time with the hubs). The same goes for friends, family, and other neighbors. "No, I'm sorry, I can't go out after the kids are in bed tonight, I have to work." Just as people who work need to request time off in advance, you need notice to work extra hours on other nights, or squeeze in some time during the day so you can still get your hours in for the week. No need to become a recluse! You just need better planning and a new mindset. You can't always attend every event or help with every situation that arises. After all, you're a working woman now!
Stay tuned next week for my post on Priorities :)
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