Mom’s Write: A Day in the Life

Today I begin a new series for my Making Time to Write Mondays focused on writing while mothering and keeping down a full-time job. Every Monday for the next few weeks, I’ll write specific tips for writers who are also moms.

My cousin recently asked me what a typical day looks like for me. She’s like me: balancing a full-time job, parenthood, and graduate school. While I’m not in graduate school anymore, I am writing every day. She was curious what my day looked like.

I thought other people might be interested in what my schedule looks like since I work full-time and still am trying to make a career out of my writing. If you think you can’t find time to write, know that even a little time each day can make a huge difference. Using this schedule I’ve written 3 novels books and dozens of picture books just in the last few years. I make a little progress each day, but it adds up over time.

“Typical” Daily Schedule

5:00-6:00 a.m. Writing

I get a lot of my fiction writing done during this time. It’s uninterrupted because I’m the only one out of bed.

6:00-6:30 a.m. Get ready for work

6:30-7:00 a.m. Pack lunches, hurry kids along, breakfast

7:00-7:15 a.m. Out the door

7:30-3:30 Work

Sometimes my day is longer than this, depending on meetings or workload.

3:30-4:30 Kid pick up, errands or running kids to activities

4:30-6:30 p.m. Dinner prep and eat, help with homework

If we have a late evening, I put dinner in the crockpot and we eat when we get home.

6:30-7:00 p.m. Buffer time

Typically this is filled with finishing homework, cleaning up, or running back and forth from activities

7:00 p.m. Bath/Bedtime routine begins

8:00 p.m. Kids in bed

8:00-9:30 p.m. Work on reading, checking e-mail, blogging

I can’t usually draft anything at this time. I’m too burnt out, but I can read books or other people’s blogs at this time.

9:30-Bed or TV

10:00-5:00 Sleep, most nights I fall asleep before 10

Each day is different. That 4:00-8:00pm time may change daily, but it’s usually filled with family time, running kids back and forth to activities and exercise classes for my husband and myself.

I’ll be talking about other times I find times to write in the upcoming posts.

The thing that has made the biggest difference in my writing life has been the solid hour in the morning where I have quiet, uninterrupted time.

Your Turn

Having trouble finding writing time? Write out your schedule for a typical day. Where could you fit in some writing time? It may not be time at your desk, so think a little outside the box.