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Maximize writing time by learning to write when there is only a little bit of time.
When I first moved into a faculty role where publishing was a priority, I day-dreamed about days when I could block out on my calendar big chunk of uninterrupted time to write. That was my idea of mixizing writing time. It’s the fantasy of moving to a quiet space, a cup of hot tea in hand, to sit down and write at the computer for a whole morning without interruption.
This is the life of many professional writers who make a living by the number of words they write. It is one that is difficult for full-time faculty to achieve who are juggling demands of family life, teaching, advising, doing research, and community outreach. The block of time so carefully blocked off on a calendar often gets eroded with a meeting on Zoom or the need to rush to campus to take care of the crises of the moment. Take a phone call, answer some emails and that block of time is likely to turn into fragments, with much irritation as the follow up.
Maximize Writing Time by Learning to Use Small Blocks of Time
At one point about mid-career, I was bemoaning this reality about dedicated writing time to a more senior colleague in the copy room on campus. She offered some advice that proved valuable to me. She advised me to break a writing task into smaller units – a section or even a paragraph. Keep returning to that idea in your head until you can find an unexpected hour here or there to write it out.
Use An Hour or an Hour and a Half to Maximize Writing Time
Most writers, even those who make a living at it, find that even on the best day, 2 hours or 2 and ½ is about as long as they can sustain their attention. I have found that after that, the intensity of it turns your brain to pudding. The trick, of course, is to be able to build a schedule to make this possible.
Writing time can be maximized when you have a specific section or even a paragraph organized in your mind before you sit down to write. Even a half an hour or 45 minutes can be enough when you have a clear idea of what it is you want to write in that particular part of the manuscript.