How I Balance My Writing Routine With a Full-Time Job
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Most (if not all) authors don't start their careers as full-time writers. Many writers work a day job to support themselves and have to put in a lot of effort to make time for their creative careers. I find myself in that boat this summer as I work over 40 hours each week to save for the school year. In this post, I'll share tips for how I manage both time constraints and mental fatigue to continue working on creative projects. I have two tips for working around time constraints as well as two for combatting mental fatigue.
Time constraints - Putting the phone down
This one is pretty straightforward. Right now I'm putting in 20 hours a month on revisions and promotions, so a half hour here and there in the evenings really helps lighten the load for when I get a day off from my job and I can devote all my daylight to my creative work. But it's not going to happen if I spend the half hour of free time I have in the evening scrolling. When I get off of work, I feel mentally fatigued and a lot of times I'm tempted to get on social media for “a few minutes” which usually sucks all my time away before I know where it went. Going straight to my computer in the evenings ensures that I'm able to use the little time I have for being productive. Try having a social media-free day and see how many minutes (or even hours) you can add to your life by putting the phone away for a little bit. Ultimately, while we all have time constraints on our lives, you have to think about which time constraints you control and free yourself from the unnecessary ones.
Time constraints - Keeping track of where I'm at
Something that has always helped me complete tasks on time is checking in regularly to see how much work I have left and how much time I have to do it. I honestly don't know how it works like that, but if I do these check-ins, it helps motivate me to put in a little extra effort. Connecting back to my first point, I'm more likely to put the phone down and get some work done if I've done a check and a calculation of where I'm at in the month. When I worked as a peer mentor at community college, I was taught that tracking progress has been shown to increase it. This was in the context of learning material in college classes, but I think it's true in many different areas. It's definitely true for me with my creative work. If you feel like you're stuck in a period of not being productive, try tracking your progress and see how much more you’re able to accomplish as a result of that habit.
3. Mental fatigue - Not using work breaks for a dopamine hit
Everybody does it—you get a few minutes to yourself at your job and the temptation is to pull out your phone and start scrolling. But I discovered something last year when I was working full-time while also taking college classes: you won't feel rested on your breaks if you spend them scrolling through TikTok or YouTube Shorts. The switch happened when I started using my breaks for homework last fall and discovered that I actually felt more rested than the times I spent my breaks on social media. I think the reason this is true is because when you have a limited amount of time to spend on your phone, you're chasing a dopamine hit that will never be enough. When it's time to go back to work, I wish I could just watch *one* more short, whereas if I spend my break reading or writing, time goes slower and I don't miss my phone as much once I can't use it anymore. Having restful breaks at work then translates to having a more focused mind in the evening, helping me to procrastinate less and accomplish more. During my breaks this summer, I started a journal where I would write any random thoughts that ran through my head, as well as documenting events around me. I’ve even written most of this blog post on my breaks. Writing on my breaks has been a lot of fun and it makes me feel more creatively charged once I get home from work. If you’re feeling frazzled and unfocused all the time, you should think about how you’re using your designated resting time and whether or not it’s truly recharging you.
4. Mental fatigue - resting when needed
I often feel that I should devote the entirety of my days off to creative work. However, when my days off come around, the thought of spending them on work feels much too daunting and overwhelming. To deal with this, I allow myself to rest as needed. If I pressure myself into doing creative work on a day when I'm really not mentally up to it, I'll only end up procrastinating with an unhealthy habit like scrolling on social media. But if I dedicate certain days to resting, I'm able to truly recharge so that the next time a day off rolls around, using the creative part of my brain doesn't feel quite as intimidating. On my resting days, I try to have as few responsibilities as possible so I can really clear my mind and decompress. I also keep whatever plans I do make fluid depending on how I feel. If I've planned on spending some time revising but I really just need some extra sleep, I take a nap instead. Taking time to rest is vital to avoid burnout, which is the killer of creativity. Recently, I heard a woman who is a workaholic like me say, “rest is overrated.” I truly believe it isn’t. Rest is central to maintaining good mental and physical health, which should always be at the top of our priority list.
This is by no means the ultimate guide to pursuing creativity while supporting oneself with a full-time job. These are simply some tips that I personally have found helpful for me this summer.
Having a full-time job and writing on the side is hard, and to me the most important thing is approaching it with a balanced mindset. On the one hand, I think it's healthy to continually reevaluate one's habits to figure out what can be cut out in order to make space and time for more important activities. But on the other hand, I strongly believe that you shouldn't feel guilty for prioritizing the necessities in life, such as a day job, over creative pursuits. I hope that some of you found this helpful, and as always, happy writing!
