The very first blog entry I wrote for Seriously Write was entitled “How Many Four-Letter Words Do You Need?” It was a tongue-in-cheek look at marketing. Most of the “four-letter” words didn’t actually have four letters, but they often feel it and roll off the tongue with the same air about them.
This month, I actually have a four-letter word I want us to address: TIME.
It’s a big deal. We’re so tied to it (and I’m not so sure that was God’s plan in the beginning). Every day is controlled by it. Our jobs. Our tasks. Our marriages. Our livelihood. All judged by some increment of time. As a result, it seems even our worth is inextricably tied to it whether we want it to be or not.
I’ve been struggling with this age-old dilemma (See? Even our phrases are tied to time!). As an assistant principal at a middle school, we are now four weeks into the school year. Time is literally of the essence these days. With the demands of education growing like amorous rabbits, it often feels like you can only be a good educator if you live and breathe it 24/7. Just ask a teacher you know. They’ll tell you. Doesn’t matter where they live in the U.S. The demands seem to cross all boundaries.
Now, I’m being strongly encouraged to take the next step and become a principal. Sit in “The Chair.” Having talked and worked with numerous principals I respect and admire, many of them being those encouragers of which I speak, I know what a pinch for writing time that move would be.
I, like you, am always trying to carve out healthy, productive blocks of time wherein I can do something I truly love. Sometimes, it’s twenty minutes here, forty minutes there. I often get up at 4:00 AM and spend upwards of two hours plunking away at the keyboard before getting ready for work. Writing in the AM is better for me. I’m fresher. My mind has had a chance to shut down and reboot. Conversely, writing at night is hard after a long day for me. The only time it works is when a lightning bolt of inspiration strikes, the adrenaline kicks in, and I have to get that “Eureka! Moment” down on paper before it fizzles out into a wafting rumble of thunder.
How about you? And no, I’m not going to ask if finding writing time is an issue for you. That’s like asking a dentist if he enjoys looking into the mouths of his patients. Some things are a given. They go with the territory, and you’d better enjoy dealing with it if you wish to be productive.
I’m asking the tougher question. What extremes are you willing to take to make time for your writing? I’m not advocating becoming a recluse and abandoning all family activities. So, don’t go and tell your spouse Kevin said you should stop mowing the lawn or cleaning the house or babysitting the grandkids because you have to write. Some sacrifices trump writing. But for those other activities you enjoy that have little or no eternal value, are you willing to enjoy them a little less for the sake of your writing? I find this to be the #1 reason why those who say, “I want to write a book!” never do. Like so many other correlations we could list here, writing “that book” will only be important enough to you if you make the time, sacrifice the time, and enjoy it along the way.
How do you sacrifice that precious thing we call time? What methods have you found useful? What works best for you?
*Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
