It’s not so easy to put first things first. It’s not even easy to decide what should be first!
I want to write first in my day because so many writer bios of famous successful authors say that’s what they do. They stumble to their offices first thing, in their slippers and carrying coffee, to pound the keys for a couple of hours before breakfast.
I’ve always wanted to write first. I’ve tried accountability partners to accomplish it. Lately I’ve devoured and tried to implement The ONE Thing and The Miracle Morning routines. Both have been valuable, but it hasn’t make it easier to making writing the first thing. I did it for a while, but then other things got out of balance.
First Things First?
Writing first thing in the day isn’t always possible. It depends on your season of life sometimes. So many things vie for first place in your day!
- For many years, early rising babies and children clamored for my attention first thing every morning, and let’s face it, hungry kids and soaked diapers won’t wait a couple of hours.
- Even after the kids were older and there was just the dog, he had to go outside very quickly every morning. Waiting two hours for that “first” would have also been disastrous.
- Some health gurus say exercise first because you’ll never do it later, and it’s critical to your stamina. Others say eat a healthy breakfast first.
- Still others say you must journal first and dump whatever is bothering you where no one will ever see. (I used to do this using Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” when going through a traumatic time.)
- If you’re an e-mail or Facebook junkie, you may feel checking online must be first since something there might affect the course of your day.
- Your pastor will suggest that devotional time needs to be first or it will be pushed aside when you get busy. (I do find that to be true, so that is my “first first” of the day.)
There are calls to make and showers to take. They all “need” to be first in your day before you lose control of your time.
Calgon, Take Me Away!
Enter Decidophopia. It’s a term I read in Carol Rottman’s writers in the Spirit. Here’s how she describes it:
Every morning from those early stirrings in bed of sluggish body and scattered mind, I must make some choices. What first? What next?…As I face my desk each day, I know I’ve got [Decidophopia]. I must decide, but I am afraid. To make one thing first pushes everything else lower on the list. My desk is usually covered with notebooks and loose paper in stacks–each one a ‘should.’
Do You Have Decidophopia?
When my children were small, I didn’t have decidophopia. There simply were few choices! The kids’ needs came first. The writing stuff came later–often much later when they were down for afternoon naps.
Years down the road, when the kids were in school and then grown, Decidophopia set in. Suddenly I had some choices. Even with teaching part-time, I could schedule most of my days however I wanted.
Choices! Choices!
I learned fairly quickly that I love structure. “Going with the flow” every day actually fed my Decidophopia and made it worse. Making that “what next?” decision every hour or so resulted too many times in cruising on out to the kitchen for a snack or reading e-mail. As boring as it may sound to many people, I now have a written list for my important daily stuff and habits. I like order.
My devotional time comes first. My exercise comes next if the weather is decent enough–otherwise it comes at noon. My healthy breakfast is next. And the writing comes next. It’s my first work of the day, but it’s not the first thing I do.
But unless you live on an island alone, you have to be flexible when you can’t write first. For example, I got up early to write today before my granddaughter came. Now I’m blogging while she is down for a nap. Since she staying overnight, I can almost guarantee we’ll take a trip to the pond in the early morning to see turtles before I get any writing done.
No One Right Way
What’s your routine like? Or do you have one? Are there so many “important firsts” vying for your attention each day that it’s hard to get started? Are you able to be flexible and “go with the flow,” or do you need more structure?
I love hearing how other writers work. We’re all so different and there’s certainly no “one right way.” If you have a day job, a spouse, a home, and/or children, you must decide to write. It won’t just happen.
How do you decide which first things come first?
Thank you! I have decided that “first things” differ from person to person, and that you have to do what’s right for you. Just because so-and-so Famous Writer used a certain time management method doesn’t mean it will work for me. I agree about life’s seasons–and weather seasons, too.
I agree, Jane! I have turned myself into a pretzel a few times, trying to adopt someone else’s excellent-sounding system, but then that season of my life would change, and you just have to adjust. I don’t mean this as a sexist comment, but nearly every writer I read about that could put the writing first consistently was male, with a wife who kept the kids from his office door. Or in the case of female writers, they tended to be single or have no children.
It changes for me when my children at home in the summer. During school, I write within an hour of waking up. I work night shifts, so that’s about 1 pm. I only get a couple of hours before my daughters come home.
Sometimes, because of time constraints like yours, you will get more writing done than someone who has all day to write. Mothers who work outside the home AND have young children are some of the most organized writers I know. When time is limited, somehow we tend to make the time count more. Good for you!
Kristi, you made me laugh–I don’t mean to laugh at your plight but I was thinking how you’d benefit from a furry purry cat. Mine keeps me in bed and it’s pure pleasure for me. I also want to be a morning writer but I find that petting the cat comes first, then Bible/prayer time, then my rosary walk with the dog (she has an iron bladder, thank God). I find that I write much better when the morning chores are done, which includes laundry and answering emails. A big part of this routine is the habit I developed of doing my chores with the kids so that they’d learn to do them well, but I find I work best in the afternoons and nights. I’m trying to shift my routine to match my husband’s but when push comes to shove, I revert back to my old habits. I turn into a night-time writer.
Vijaya, you make me smile too! We are all so different. In the past I tried to write at night because my husband works second shift. But it never did work well for me. My brain was already shutting down about the time he left for work and I went into my office. No thanks to a furry pet indoors. 🙂 We had 22 barn cats on the farm, which I loved, but pets indoors give me the itch to always look for loose hair! It’s fun to hear about other writers’ processes!
There are must dos and wanna dos. I exercise with neighbors. It’s first because that’s when they’re going. Then I like to get business out of the way, any phone calls or emails that need answering. I also have obligations as a volunteer. This all precedes any personal writing projects because it annoys me to have stuff in my inbox and on my desk that’s pending. My own projects (both reading about writing and writing) fit around my kids’ scheduies after that. Paid assignments are another matter. I’ll exercise and get the kids where they need to be, but the other stuff may be delayed. Deadlines are not optional.
All very good tips, Debbie! I do something similar if I have a nonfiction deadline. But if I’m working on a novel, I have to hunker down alone very early in the morning before anyone else is up to disturb me. The characters in my head don’t talk to me very well if I’ve already talked to a lot of people in my “real world.” Does your system work for you with both fiction and nonfiction? Just curious!
I usually wake up before my retired husband, so I take advantage of computer time without interruption. We share a computer which can sometimes get frustrating. By evening I’m tired and ready to relax with a good book or TV program. So, I guess I would say my best time is morning when I’m fresh and wide awake. Unfortunately, there are days when neither morning or evening work out. When we’re super busy or have places to go to, I sometimes don’t get any writing time at all. I usually try to do my devotions every morning before we go anywhere.
I know exactly what you mean, Elizabeth. My husband still works, but it’s a 3-11 shift, so he’s around most of the day when I need to work. I get up very early too, and when he sleeps late (usually), I get about 4 hours to myself in the quiet. I don’t think I could handle sharing a computer though! But yes, do devotions no matter what else the day holds! Amen!
Thank you for sharing this great post. I often feel that I have quite a list of “First Things” and then question myself about the one I have chosen to respond to! One thing that has helped, however, is noting which things feel better to have accomplished and which things help me to move forward to the next. Clearing the workspace, exercising, devotions, doing the calendar check, reading, and writing are all things that I would like to do FIRST. Some days it is one thing and some days another. Getting up early helps. And being flexible is probably the best advice!
Yes, this is exactly the problem! There are so many important things. When I was in England and had so much time to myself, I experimented with various schedules and discovered that an hour of reading and devotions at 5, then start writing at 6 worked wonderfully. I have been able to keep doing that since I got home because everyone else sleeps several hours longer than that. I was determined to find something that would work for me in this season of life. Good luck for yourself too. Yes, as long as we live, being flexible will always be needed!!