How to Make Time to Write with a Full-time Job (or School) (or Life in General)
- Jenna Moreci
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
Today, I'm covering one of your most requested topics, which is how to write a book while going to college, working a full-time job, or being a parent, without slowly driving yourself insane. Before I was a full-time author and YouTuber, I was a stockbroker and then an accountant, who just so happened to be writing a book. And that’s how it is for most of us. A vast majority of writers at least start off working a "real job,” and writing their book at night and on the weekends. And let me tell you, it's a bitch.
But hey, I've done it, other writers have done it, and I'm here to break down how you can do it as well. I'm sharing the ten ways you can make time for writing, despite having a cluttered, chaotic life.
This video is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to also subscribe to my YouTube channel for more writing tips, sarcasm, and of course, more of Princess Butters!
Number 1: Accept That It’s Hard
I talk about this stuff with a lot of people, and the number one response is, “But it’s so hard.” I don't know if you know this, but writing a book is hard, period. Add a full-time job, or school, or both on top of that, and it's batshit. But millions of people still manage to do it all the time, because hard and impossible are not the same thing. And think about it, what great things in life are easy? Besides pizza and Taco Bell. All accomplishments involve struggles, so you just gotta decide right now if this is a struggle you're willing to endure.
Number 2: Be Realistic
You're juggling multiple burdens at once, so you need to be realistic about the fact that your writing journey is going to take a long time. If your six-year-old is home with the flu, your writing isn't gonna get done that day. If you've got midterms to study for, your writing isn't gonna get done that week. It's important to hold yourself to strict standards. I always say if you want writing to be a career, then you gotta treat it like a career. But for God's sake, don't flunk out of school or get fired because of it. It's not paying your bills yet.
And if your writing does take a while, which it will, cut yourself some slack. It took me five years to write and publish my first novel while working a full-time job. But it took me half the amount of time to do the same thing as a full-time author. Shit's gonna move slower than you'd like. It's not ideal, but you're working with what you've got.
Number 3: Communicate
A lot of writers don't like telling people about their work. And that's cool, you don't have to shout from the rooftops. But if you don't at least tell your friends and close family, how do you expect them to respect your writing time? They're not gonna understand why you're not available to hang out as often as you used to be. And even when you do tell people, guess what? They might not give a shit.
So, depending on the circumstance, you might have to communicate your standards firmly. “As I said, I won't be able to go clubbing with you tonight. Please respect my decision, Grandma.“ Let the people in your life know your needs, so they can help accommodate you during your writing journey.
Number 4: Make Reasonable Sacrifices
If you work eight hours a day, I've got good news for you: there are still sixteen hours left to write. The bad news is, some of those hours are accounted for. Like for eating, sleeping, general hygiene, and basically living a semi-tolerable existence. If you wanna squeeze writing a book into those sixteen hours, you're gonna have to make some sacrifices. Do you watch twenty shows on Netflix? Now you're only gonna watch two. Do you grab a drink with the boys once a week? Make that once a month.
If this sounds extreme, you are in for a rude awakening, ’cause I haven't hung out with friends in years. What are friends? Seriously, what are they?
It sounds shitty until you consider the fact that I've turned my passion into a career, and I'm living my dream. Take a look at your habits and be honest about what's more important to you: writing your book, or binge-watching The Walking Dead. The more meaningful tasks should probably take up more of your time, don't you think?
Number 5: Keep a Schedule
The key to managing a million obligations at once is to keep yourself organized. Some people like calendars, some like planners, and I myself am a list lady. You know those quarterly goal videos I put out? I created that system back in college so I could help manage my passions alongside my full workload at school and at my job.
And it's not just a quarterly goal list. I keep a monthly to-do list, a weekly to-do list, and a daily to-do list. This may sound like a lot, but I accomplish a shit ton. Seriously, I am on fire. And I seriously could not handle the workload of writing a book on top of, I don't know, going to school or being a mom, if I didn't have lists to keep me on track.
Oh, and by the way, if something's on your to-do list, do it. You wrote it there for a reason after all. Unless your house is on fire, or your balls are on fire, or pretty much anything is on fire, stick to your schedule. You'll be glad you did.
Number 6: Be Strategic
Sometimes you're gonna be in situations where you have the time to work on your writing, but you may not have the energy, the proper resources, or the ability to write. When I was an accountant, sometimes I'd get my work done, and I'd have a long stretch of downtime. It sounds like the perfect opportunity to write, except for the fact that I'd probably get fired for writing about violence and bloodshed on the company computer. Instead, I read articles about the publishing industry. I read blogs about plotting and structure.
If you're driving, you could be listening to audiobooks within your genre. What if you're home from work after a hard day and you have the time to write, but you just don't have the energy? Do you have the energy to connect with other writers on social media instead? Don't let any free time go to waste. Be strategic about every opportunity you have, and make it work.
Number 7: Compartmentalize
Sometimes your windows of opportunity are really small: a half hour in the study hall, a ten-minute work break. When this happens, break up your tasks into smaller chunks and shove them right into those breaks. This is one of the things I love about Skillshare: all their classes are divided into smaller parts, ten minutes at a max. And so it's really easy to get them to fit into your schedule. You can literally start and finish an entire writing course during your breaks at work.
Not only does compartmentalizing your to-do items get things done a lot quicker, but it also makes them a lot less overwhelming. It's so much easier to take an hour-long Skillshare class knowing you only have to watch it in ten-minute intervals, versus having to sit through the whole thing at once. Break up your goals into easily digestible parts, and they'll go down a lot smoother.
Number 8: Implement Rewards
Sometimes, especially if you've been working all day, the last thing you wanna do is work some more. That's when you gotta treat yourself. "If I finish writing this chapter, I get to reward myself with a slice of cake, or a slice of cheese, or a slice of cheesecake!" I've also found ways to reward myself with more work, but it's fun work. If I finish my outline, I get to reward myself with a writing class on Skillshare. Find ways to provide a light at the end of the tunnel. That way, the journey won't feel like such a fucking nightmare.
Number 9: Find a Cheer Squad, or a Drill Sergeant, or Both
Back in my early writing days, I was surrounded by people who would say things like, “You don't have to work today if you don't want to. Taking a break is healthy.” I don't need health advice. I need someone who's going to hold me accountable while I write this fucking book.
Everyone needs people in their corner to cheer them on. “Yes! Finish that chapter. I believe in you.” And everyone else needs an asshole to whip them into shape for their own good. “Quit your whining and get to typing. Less lip flapping, more keyboard tapping. I wanna see those fingers bleed!”
“But Jennaaa, I don't have supportive friends.”
What if I told you the internet is a thing that exists, and you're utilizing it right now? You can easily meet other writers in forums and on social media. And I see students in my Skillshare class connecting with one another and encouraging each other constantly. These people are out there. You just gotta find ’em, and hand them some pompoms.
Number 10: Take Advantage of Resources
If you've got a full-time job, I'm guessing you don't have the time to enroll in a creative writing course at your local college or visit every writing event in your neighborhood. Good thing you don't have to do any of those things in order to become a successful author. Take advantage of the resources around you. There are libraries filled with books about agents and publishing. There are blogs and YouTube channels devoted to the craft of writing. Like this one right here! And there are thousands of classes on Skillshare taught by New York Times bestsellers, career authors, self-starters, and entrepreneurs. This is about working smarter, not harder. Your time is already limited. So utilize the resources available to you that most easily fit into your schedule.
So that's all I've got for you today!
Skillshare is a great platform for learning, especially for creators like you and me. Premium membership gives you unlimited access to high-quality classes, and it's way more affordable than most learning platforms. I believe an annual subscription is less than ten bucks a month. Skillshare is offering two months of Skillshare Premium for just 99 cents to the first 500 people who sign up. I've got the link listed right here. Get in on that shit, that is two months' worth of access to tens of thousands of classes, for less than a dollar. A huge thank you to Skillshare for always doing right by my audience. And a huge thank you to you guys for rallying behind my channel and my writing!
*This post is sponsored by Skillshare. As always, all opinions are my own.
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