Time--how to find it, how to make it

The biggest enemy of the writing process is time, but not by choice. If we were to stand out of the way, time would allow us to see that issue with that paragraph, or that scene. Time would allow us to shift gears from own story, article, or project to the next. Instead, since it seems like we lack so much of it, we make it our enemy. I don't have the time to write because I've children. I don't have time to write because I'm a student. I don't have time to write because I have to work to pay my two mortgages.

In real life, there is always time to write. Instead of reading this blog, for instance, you could be writing. Instead of checking your e-mail for the fiftieth time today, you could be writing. Have an appointment to meet? You'll inevitably have to sit and wait; in that time you could be writing.

It's often said that published authors write for hours and hours. This is true. It's also said that published authors write everyday. This is also true. The trouble here is that many fledgling writer's tend to think that the two go hand-in-hand, which is not necessarily the case. It does take hours and hours total to write a book, for instance. Those hours and hours do not have to happen all in one day. A book will get written just as well in five minute increments as well as it will in several hours of straight writing.

Here are a few ideas to get yourself writing, even if you have a busy schedule:

• Wake an hour earlier. This instantly gives you an extra hour of time that could be used for writing. This could take some discipline, especially if you're not bestowed with Early Bird powers. First, practice with getting up earlier. For tips, see both this and this. Get up, perform the morning rituals, and then sit down and write. You don't even have to write for your current project: do a writing prompt, freewrite, or write about your dream.
• Write a page when you first get up. Nothing major, again. Just write some before you go to the bathroom in the morning. You may not produce the finest writing, but you'll likely pound out that page quickly!
• Determine your most productive time, and schedule to write in that time frame. This is the part that most fledgling writer's aim for, and fail at. This is not just because of distraction or procrastination; instead, it could also be because that productive time is already allotted to some other activity, such as taking care of children or working. My personal productive time is somewhere in the late afternoon and early evening. Unfortunately, this fits perfectly in my commute time for my college classes. Instead, I had to schedule to write earlier in the afternoon. While this is not my most productive time, it is close enough that I at least get something of quality down. Also, scheduling creative time will condition your brain to begin thinking about writing at that time.
• Write just before bed. It could be a journal entry about what you accomplished, a new story idea you came up with that day, or just working on your usual project. This allows your brain to use all that it has seen during the day in your writing.
• Stay up an hour later. Not recommended to be used in tandem with wake an hour later, this is a better option for those that find themselves more inclined to stay up into the night rather than wake up and get straight to work.
• Don't panic if you get the urge to write outside your scheduled time. Think of writing as less like an obligation and more like... using the toilet. If you feel the urge, you go and do it. Don't worry about it not being the right time. Your brain is trying to tell you that it is ready. Deny it, and you'll later be wishing you hadn't when it is time to write.