You have a novel inside of you (not in a creepy Alien way, but in a good way). You know it. The problem? You wish you had time to actually write the thing. If only you had a time turner…

Well, you don’t need one! You have time readily available to you. You just don’t know it yet. The best part?  No magic is involved!

• Make It a Priority

This is the most effective (but not necessarily the sexiest) thing you can do. You have to decide it is a priority. As in, it is more important than catching up on the latest episode of Riverdale.

Okay, you might already think it is a priority. If you are struggling to find time to write, it isn’t.

To make this really concrete, I urge you to write out a commitment to your writing. You can type it up and print it out (I encourage you to stay away from Comic Sans) or you can write it out on fancy paper with a fountain pen. It doesn’t matter how; all you need to do is write out the commitment and sign it. Then put it near your computer (or another prominent place in your house), so you will remember it whenever you are tempted to watch another episode of Master Chef Junior.

• Track Your Time

You don’t think you have enough time? Track it, and you will find out where it has been hiding. How do you do this? It isn’t hard (like the final boss in a Final Fantasy game). Just get a piece of paper and draw columns for every day of a week. Then you draw rows for each hour. Then write down everything you do during the day (I recommend reserving a half hour each evening to do this). Then, at the end of the week, you look over your log and find missing time (like you are in an episode of Doctor Who).  You will be surprised at how much time is spent on Facebook or checking your e-mail. 

• Make Some Sacrifices

Unfortunately, life requires sacrifices in order for us to achieve our dreams. Just ask Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Fortunately, you don’t have to give up your voice to write your book. Just your favorite TV show or a happy hour.

Look through your log and see what you can cut. Do you spend too much time surfing the internet? Do you really need to go to those work parties? Can you cut back on brunch with your besties? Do you really need to spend two hours reading romance novels? Do you really need to sleep in on the weekend?  Find chunks of time you can cut and devote it to your novel. Then put it in your calendar. In permanent ink.

• Even a Few Minutes Count

People are so fast to discount five minutes. Do you know how much writing you can get done in five minutes? Put on a timer now and write. I dare you. You will be shocked by the number of words you can write in that time. Remember this the next time you are in line at the grocery store or you are waiting in the doctor’s office. Pull out your Evernote on your phone or your notebook and write instead of scrolling through Twitter. You can get a novel written that way. 

There you go! You now have more time. No time turner was required. 😉 

Want me to help you be the Hermione Granger of the writing world? Use some Floo Powder to apparate over here to find out more!