Budget your energy, not your time

As a writer undergoing her first pregnancy (and yes, I use the word “undergoing” very intentionally), I’ve learned a few things. First, whoever named it “morning sickness” was full of it; nausea is definitely not confined to the hours before noon. Second, having morning sickness in the second trimester isn’t unheard of—and I’ve certainly heard of it. And squeezing your to-do list into four fewer hours is no picnic.

Don’t get me wrong; the baby is very much wanted. Memorizing the contours of the toilet bowl, not so much.

I’m certainly not the only writer dealing with unpredictable fluctuations in ability to write; pregnancy, disabilities, erratic schedules, etc., can present obstacles to writing. So I’ve looked into various methods for reclaiming some of my time and using it to continue my writing, even if it’s not as much or as often as I’d like.

The most important thing I’ve learned is the idea of budgeting energy instead of budgeting time. Examining this idea has helped me not only write more but actually feel good about my writing, even if I know pre-pregnancy me could have written more in that amount of time. Let me break down the most important parts of my process so you can adapt it for your own use:

Figure out when you have the most available energy. I use the qualifier “available” because I often have the mental and physical energy to write, but again, that toilet beckons. This requires taking a few days to just observe yourself, and as with so many endeavors, getting that baseline is so important for knowing what’s realistic in current circumstances. For me, I have the most available energy (read: energy and wellness) in the late mornings and early evenings, so that’s when I schedule my most important tasks.

Figure out what kind of energy is best for your writing. From around eleven in the morning to three in the afternoon, I’m super focused and hellbent on knocking things off my to-do list. But my second peak, in the evening around six to eight, is much more conducive to writing. So I save it for then instead of trying to write when I know I’ll be thinking about work, chores, and all the stuff that isn’t writing.

Prioritize: pick one thing you want to focus on. In writing terms, it may be realistic for you to complete that thing in the allotted time frame, or it may be better to aim for starting instead of finishing. The key—and I have to keep reminding myself of this—is to set high but realistic goals relative to the amount of usable energy I have now, not what I used to have, what I wish I had, or what other people seem to have.

Use trial and error to your advantage. If you find that several days go by and you’re disappointing yourself by not doing what you’ve set out to do (or not even starting), ask yourself why. Re-evaluate your energy if necessary; maybe your energy peaks have changed their timing. Keep notes on anything that’s not going well or any unexpected changes or challenges. Then take a few days to observe yourself, honestly and without judgment (or at least with as little judgment as possible), and revisit your plans when you understand the problem or when you have even a hunch for what to try next.

If your available energy isn’t predictable, try to figure out when problems are apt to arise. This was me during the first four months of my pregnancy. Before things evened out, I noticed that mornings were actually okay for me, but afternoons were terrible. Then things changed, and I’d have a few afternoon hours when I felt energized, but every other time I was miserable. During those times of fluctuation, I’d set aside days (usually on weekends since I still had work responsibilities to keep up with) when writing was my only thing I put on my to-do list. Then I waited (and waited…and waited…) until whenever the magic hour struck, and I’d get in as much writing as I could. Not only did it keep me productive and connected to my work, but it also helped alleviate any negativity I might feel on the days when I wasn’t writing. After all, I wasn’t “not writing”—I just had to make my writing schedule more realistically fit the constraints of my life as it actually was.

Whatever you do, keep writing—however often you can now, not what you wish you could do. Keeping the momentum going will pay off in the long run, especially if and when circumstances change and you can write more, building on the effort you’ve put in now.