Like most of you, I am a wife, a writer, a business person, and a mom. Of those four job titles, I am a mom first. My daughter is everything to me.
Unfortunately, she can make it very difficult to get work done some days. This is especially true if she is sick or just tired and cranky. During those times, she needs mommy. And I need to work. So how do I get work done while being a mom first? Here’s what I do.
I get up early, usually around 6:00 am. While everyone else is still sleeping, I try to get a quick article or two done, write a blog post, and get myself set for the day. The house is quiet, and I can usually count on 2-3 hours of uninterrupted writing time.
My daughter is at the age where she can keep herself busy for a little bit here or there. So, after cuddles, breakfast, and a little play, I try to get a little more work done before my husband wakes up an noon (he works nights). Later, he gives me an hour to work while he plays with our daughter. Once he leaves for work, I let Becca (our daughter) entertain herself for a bit longer, and then I try to finish up by 5:00. I end up with about five hours to work by the time I add everything up.
Since I have started writing, I have learned a few tricks to maximize the amount of work I get done during those hours. I use lists to keep track of what work I need to get done on a daily and weekly basis. Every night, I’ll make a list of the next day’s writing assignments, and give myself the chance to plan them out before bedtime. In the morning, I’ll make rough outlines, and look for my sources. Being able to digest the information makes writing easier, and more natural-sounding.
If they’re available, I try to claim multiple articles about the same, or similar, topics. This makes research a lot easier, and the writing goes a lot faster. But be careful of writing the two articles that are very similar unintentionally, though. I try not to write about two very similar topics for the same site in a row, for example “How To Plant An Organic Garden” and “How To Plant a Vegatable Garden.” By working on something else between these two articles, I can make sure that they both sound unique. I try to put one other articlebetween them, so that the information is still fresh, but not so fresh that I write the same article twice.
And for those sick and cranky days? I turn off my computer, and spend a little extra time making my girl feel extra special. She deserves it. There’s always that night, or even the next day, to get the work done.
What are some of your tips for squeezing in extra writing time, or for maximizing the time that you do have? If you are nice enough to share your ideas with me, I’ll put them all in a post tomorrow, along with your name and the address of your blog or website, if you have one, so others can see where the idea is coming from, and hopefully check out your site, too.
Can’t wait to see your ideas!