Having a side hustle is challenging even if it is a simple blog that does not require daily maintenance.
Despite the fact I started writing on Medium to grow a personal brand, I have realized it is a second full-time job that requires my time, energy, and efforts.
I sometimes have to give up meeting with friends, reading a book, watching a movie in order to stay active as a writer. Why do I do it? A short answer — I like it. I get excited each time I see a new follower, a new clap, or a happy comment from a thankful reader. It motivates me to come up with more topics to amaze my readers.
When I joined Medium, I used to write a few articles a month without a certainty that I am mentally ready to move on. Last month I published 16 pieces, became 4X Top writer, and made over $3k from my writing.
"Writing is a long-term play! " "Winners never quit, and quitters never win. "
— Vince Lombardi
Wondering how to fit writing in your daily life when it seems there is no time and energy to do it? I feel your pain. Here is what you can do to develop and maintain your writing habit.
To Achieve Big, You Need to Think Different
Before the home-office regime, I used to wake up at 7:30 and get to the office by 10 am. The most productive hours of my day were wasted on cooking, makeup, household activities.
I used to get home at 6–7 pm, where I was cooking again, talking to my parents, reading, and hanging out with my friends. This is the typical lifestyle of office workers.
There is an important element missing here — personal growth!
Every working day follows the same pattern, while no free time is available to break this flow and think out of the box.
If you want to achieve big, you need to think and act differently. Since I decided to pursue a writing career, I had to transform my life and find extra time for a new passion.
Here is how I did it and what you can replicate if you want.
1. Calculate Hours Spent Daily Within a Week
Once you know what consumes most of your time, you are able to cut irrelevant activities.
I reduced working hours, by starting earlier and finishing faster. I began studying at 7 am instead of doing it in the evening. I have also allocated all meetings with friends and others on Saturdays, keeping Sunday for myself.
The changes reserved me some 3–4 extra hours a day that I can dedicate to writing.
2. Figure Out Your Peak Productivity Hours
Every human is different. I know some colleagues who prefer starting work at midday and finish by 9 pm. Whereas, others wake up early and finish a bunch of tasks by 12 pm.
I had to feel, listen to, and check my mood daily to understand what my body wants and what makes me work faster. Surprisingly, I am very active in the first part of the day, but if my "flow state" is ruined, I will waste much time finishing tasks within a day.
3. Work Less, Do More
I aim to start my work no later than 8:30 am and finish by 5 pm. I sometimes finish earlier or later depending on the work-related meetings.
Sweden has been experimenting with 6-hour days, with workers getting the chance to work fewer hours, while Denmark has been experimenting with a 4-hour working day. These changes prove that human productivity and work output do not depend on the number of working hours.
4. This Practice Helps Me to Write 2,000+ Words at Once
I wake up around 7:30 am. I do a short warm-up and have breakfast. With the home-office regime, I save at least 2–3 hours a day since I do not commute and I no longer cook lunch in the morning.
I quickly do my job from 8:30–9 am and finish by 5 pm. I have a short break to eat my late lunch and cook dinner. Once I am done with household stuff I jump into writing for 2–3 hours and finish by 10 pm.
"You can make anything by writing." — C.S. Lewis
Surprisingly, it took me time to figure out the schedule that makes writing a daily habit. With consistent writing, I managed to speed up from 500 to 2000+ words at a time. It is a real achievement!
Last, but Not the Least
Life transformation is a serious step and not everyone is mentally ready for it. Significant efforts are required to maintain 2 jobs at a time. I do not say it is not possible to achieve — it is!
However, you need to clearly see why you do it and what you want to achieve. For me —writing should completely replace my current job in the nearest time. I've been working as a marketer for more than 3 years, but now I want to focus on personal growth and my own business.
As a writer, you most likely want to write fast, effectively, and consistently. You know what — it is doable!
- Cut irrelevant daily activities;
- Define your peak productivity hours;
- Work less, do more;
- Keep writing daily at the same time, develop a habit to speed up your writing.
Interested in creating content people want to read? Grab my free guide "How to Discover Popular Topics For Any Country In a Few Minutes."