No More Excuses: How to Fit Writing into Your Life with Just 10 Minutes a Day
Are you passionate about writing but struggle to find the time to pursue your dream of crafting a fictional novel? Do you feel overwhelmed by your busy schedule, wishing you could incorporate writing into your hectic life?
In our post, No More Excuses: How to Fit Writing into Your Life in Just 10 Minutes a Day, we outline practical strategies to help you write a book and kickstart your author journey—one manageable step at a time.
How Just 10 Minutes Can Make a Difference:
This past weekend I had a 2-day book signing table at a special holiday event and a woman with a vendor table across the aisle strolled over, looked at my assortment of novels, and said, “I don’t have time to read.”
I told her that all it takes to read a book is just 10 minutes a day.
Just 10 minutes.
A few pages each day will eventually add up and allow you to finish reading a book.
Many people are so busy and overwhelmed, they never get to do the things that bring them joy.
After all the hard work we do, don’t we owe it to ourselves to take at least 10 minutes out of our day for ourselves?
I suppose I was rather passionate about this topic because she pointed to a book and asked, “How much is that one?”
I told her the price and she bought it right then and there.
Even better, the following morning she came straight over to my table with the book in hand, eager to show me where she had it bookmarked. The woman had read 26 pages that morning before the event! It was only a small fraction of the novel, but it was a start.
I was so happy for her! She’d taken the first step to create change, to make a difference in her life! And she was ecstatic as well.
To my complete surprise, she bought three more of my books! A 3-book series she said she didn’t want to miss out on because she knew I only had a limited supply.
Wow! What a complete turn-around!
Make a Change, Make Progress:
Here is another heartwarming story.
Recently, one of our own Aspiring Writer Academy subscribers sent us a precious note stating how one of our posts on time management had encouraged her to start getting up just a little earlier each morning to write, realizing there really is never an ideal time. Life will always be crazy. She said she is now writing each day and finally making progress on her novel!
How exciting!
These two women are the inspiration behind this post today, the proof that by taking just 10 minutes a day, you can read a book, write a book, and achieve many other things in life that you didn’t believe were possible.
Make a 10-Minute a Day Commitment:
The first step is to make a conscious decision to do it. Tell yourself: Today I’m going to take at least 10 minutes to_____________________.
- 10 minutes to walk or exercise.
- 10 minutes to start cleaning out that cluttered closet.
- 10 minutes to start sorting out that garage full of junk.
- 10 minutes to pick out a pattern or gather supplies to start crafting.
- 10 minutes to budget and create a savings plan to pay off debt.
- 10 minutes to start a side business.
- 10 minutes to call a loved one, mail a card, reach out to others, cultivate better relationships, email a friend, do something nice for your children or spouse.
- 10 minutes to start sketching out a new short story or novel idea.
- 10 minutes to start creating a cast of characters.
- 10 minutes to list possible promotion ideas for your next book.
- 10 minutes to research various agents, editors, and publishers online.
- 10 minutes to learn book formatting for self-publishing.
- 10 minutes to transform a closet into your own personal writing station.
What are the things on your to-do list that you’ve been pushing off for what seems like forever?
With just 10 minutes, a heartfelt desire, and a little determination, you can start to change ANY area of your life.
We are not talking about completing a project in one session. Just get started and work on your project for at least 10 minutes a day!
- Make a decision! What is it that you want to do? What is going to be your goal?
- Spend 10 minutes a day working toward that goal until it is completed.
Where Does Your Time Go?
Don’t lie to yourself and say you don’t have time. Is that really true? Do you really not have 10 minutes each day to pursue passions that are important to you?
My cell phone sent me a weekly status update telling me I spent 2 ½ hours average each day scrolling through my phone. Eeeek! I quickly resolved to cut that time and put those wasted hours to better use. How much time do you spend on your phone? Or on social media?
How much time do you spend watching TV at night? Can’t you spend just 10 minutes before you watch TV to change your life for the better?
List what you do every minute of every day for one week and see how you spend your time. What are your biggest time wasters? Prioritize what is most important.
Out of all the thousands of people who say they’d like to write a book only about 3 percent ever do. Do you want to join that 3 percent?
How would that feel? Pretty amazing, right? If you were able to start accomplishing all those goals in your life that you keeping pushing off for a day “when you have more time,” wouldn’t that boost your self-confidence? Make you feel great? Less stressed? Help you believe that you can achieve even more?
Warning: do not choose multiple goals that each require 10 minutes. Just choose one. Finish that, then go on to achieve another. Too many 10 minutes goals can lead to failure. Start small and build from there. Once you build momentum you may find yourself writing or working on your goals 15 to 20 minutes a day or more. Habits become easier each day.
Example:
The first day of walking or starting an exercise program is hard and you may find yourself out of breath and exhausted but stick with it and it gets easier with time. Soon you may find yourself jogging!
The key is consistency. 10 minutes EVERY DAY. Try not to break momentum. If you miss a day, get right back on track from that point forward.
It is not the smartest or most talented people who achieve their goals. It is those who are the most consistent. Persevere and keep going, one little bit at a time!
Accountability:
- Hang a chart where you can see it and give yourself a checkmark or a smiley face for each 10-minute session you do each day.
- Even better, work with an accountability partner, family member, or friend who also wants to achieve a goal and report your progress to one another.
- Write a motivational commitment letter to yourself stating exactly why you want to do this and the impact it will have on your life. Stick it in an envelope. Whenever you feel like giving up, take out that letter and read it.
Consistency:
One line that really resonated with me and had a profound impact on my life was from a book, “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy.
He says, “Every decision, no matter how slight, alters the trajectory of your life.”
It’s often the unconscious decisions that derail us, the ones we really didn’t think about at all. As a result, we find ourselves facing unintended consequences and wonder—how did I end up here?
Example:
You turn on the TV and dip your hand into a bag of chips and without realizing it, you eat the whole bag. Over time, you wonder how you got fat.
Keep using your credit card without accountability and you will end up in debt.
A series of poor choices can lead you into toxic relationships.
Saying ‘yes’ to too many commitments can end up making you feel stressed and overwhelmed.
But wise choices, empowering choices, over time, can lead you to success.
In Dean Graziosi’s book, “Millionaire Success Secrets” he says if you are driving a tractor across a large field and turn the steering wheel just a fraction to the right, over time you will end up in a completely different location than if you hadn’t turned the wheel at all.
Just look at the weather forecasts for hurricanes. If the hurricane pattern changes just a tiny bit, it could mean the difference between making landfall in one state or another.
If you want to write a book, start with 10-minute writing sprints. While writing a book may seem overwhelming (which leads to procrastination), telling yourself that you will only write for 10 minutes a day seems achievable. Doable. Less intimidating so that you will actually do it!
The battle is in your mind! Change your mindset, change your life!
You can do this!
There are quadriplegics who zoom down mountains on customized sled skies. There are some artists who are born without arms yet paint beautiful artwork with a paintbrush held in their mouth or between their toes. There are rock climbers, born without legs, who use their arms and upper body strength to pull themselves up cliffs. When life presented challenges, did they give up on their passions? No!
What do you want your life to look like? What are the action steps you need to get there? How can you break those steps down into smaller, achievable steps?
Resolve to start with just 10 minutes a day and work toward achieving that first small step.
Consistency is the key to success in any area of your life.
Small incremental shifts over time change your direction and lead you places you never dreamed you could go!
Two Additional Motivational Books That You Can Read—Just 10 Minutes a Day!
“Eat That Frog!” (21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time) by Brian Tracy.
What I love best about this book:
If you have multiple things on your to-do list, do the biggest, ugliest task first (your ‘frog’) and everything else will seem much easier the rest of the day!
“The 12 Week Year” (Get More Done in 12 Weeks Than Others Do in 12 Months) by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington.
What I love best about this book:
I use this book to create a writing plan for writing my novels. By breaking larger steps down into smaller ones, this helps keep me on track each week so I can achieve my writing goals.
We hope you have enjoyed No More Excuses: How to Fit Writing into Your Life with Just 10 Minutes a Day and have gained some valuable tips to start writing your fictional novel, one small step at a time. Consistency is the key to success in any area of your life. 10 minutes a day may not sound like much, but 10 minutes a day for an entire month can help you achieve much more than you ever imagined.
If you have any questions or would like to leave a comment below, we would love to hear from you!
If you like more help developing your story, you may wish to download our Free Brainstorming Your Story Idea Worksheet
Do you find it difficult to create compelling antagonists and villains for your stories? Do your villains feel cartoonish and unbelievable? Do they lack motivation or a specific game plan? Discover the secrets to crafting villains that will stick with your readers long after they finish your story, with our How to Create Antagonists & Villains Workbook.
This 32-page instructional workbook is packed with valuable fill-in-the-blank templates and practical advice to help you create memorable and effective antagonists and villains. Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting out, this workbook will take your writing to the next level.
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is a multi-published author, speaker, and writing coach. She writes sweet contemporary, inspirational, and historical romance and loves teaching aspiring writers how to write quality fiction. Read her inspiring story of how she published her first book and launched a successful writing career.