Every writer on the planet has this problem.

How do you find the time to do what you love and put pen to paper? And, when you do, how do you ensure that the time is spent productively?

This is a tough barrier to overcome once it takes hold. If you fall in the trap of believing you simply don’t have the time to write, you may never get anything written at all.

Here are some great tips for finding time to write your next book

1. Find other locations in which to write

Where do you normally write? At home? In the local coffee shop?

Wherever it is, try and mix the location up a bit. You’d be amazed by how inspired you can feel to write when you change locations.

This will also free up more time. If, for instance, you commute on the train each day, why don’t you use that time to get some words down?

2. Speed through the first draft - leave the small stuff until later

No one says you have to write the entire book in one go. This is why so many authors speed through the first draft.

The smaller details can definitely wait until later, so if time is tight, just focus on getting that basic first draft written, then head back into it once you’ve finished and had a break to add the detail.

3. Remove all distractions

How many times did you check your smartphone when you last sat down to write?

Social media, the radio and TV are all sources of distraction and might be providing a fairly lame excuse for not having enough time to write.

To avoid this trap, remove all distractions from your writing realm once you get into it - even if that means turning your phone off or leaving it in another room!

4. Book time with yourself in the diary

This might sound a bit odd, but there’s nothing wrong with booking time with yourself in your diary to ensure you get some writing done.

By blocking out specific sections of time that are devoted to you and you only, you’ll quickly find more time than you thought you had available for writing.

5. Ensure you have consistent break times

Sometimes referred to as the ‘Pomodoro technique’, this is a productivity strategy that enables large tasks to be completed in a shorter time.

The idea is that you work in bursts of time (say, 25-minutes apiece), interspersed with breaks of five or ten minutes.

This enables your brain to recharge during those breaks and return to the work in hand focused and ready to crack on.

6. Write in small units

Time is of the essence for most of us, but that’s actually a blessing when it comes to writing.

Writing a book is a big task, but that’s why you need to break it up.

Just like tackling a big mountain climb, if you break the job up into manageable chunks, it won’t seem quite so impassable. Try it - this is a great way to make the best use of the time you have available while working consistently towards the bigger goal of finishing your book.

Wrapping up

Think you don’t have enough time to write your next masterpiece? Think again!

As we’ve hopefully demonstrated above, there is more time available than you might think - you just need to know how to use it effectively.

Thankfully, now you do!