Getting a Handle on Time

How many times have you told yourself that you don't have time to write? To go to the gym? To read that novel for your book club? Like most people, you probably are busy and perhaps even over-committed. Because you're running around from school to work to extracurricular activities, while also trying to have a social life and manage your living space so that you don't end up on an episode of Hoarders, it can seem like there's no time left. The first step to getting a handle on time is a time audit.

The concept here is pretty simple: you map out all of your existing commitments (big and small) to identify space in your schedule for writing (or whatever other activities you need to do to accomplish a particular goal). If your main commitments are generally consistent from one week to the next, you can probably do this audit once a term or season. If, however, your commitments shift -- for example, if your work hours as a cashier at a retail store change every week or two -- then you'll want this to be more of a living document and update it more frequently.

You can download a blank schedule and complete it in paper form or you can open up a spreadsheet or document on your computer or tablet and create your own. The important thing is to be thorough when identifying and blocking activities and commitments. Include classes, work hours, exercise time, time for studying, time for commuting (especially if you take the bus or live a significant distance from school or work), time for meals, other personal time, recurring appointments or meetings, etc. In fact, if there is one television show that you absolutely must watch each week, add that in as well (just don't schedule in multiple shows per day or a show for every night of the week). And if you have responsibilities related to other people, such as taking mom to church or the kids to hockey, then you'll need to include those activities as well. Colour code if you like. When you're done, you'll have your own version of something like this:

Following this process, which really doesn't take a lot of time and is time well spent, you quickly see where your pockets of open time exist -- and hopefully you do have some. Some people will have more open time than others, of course, and open time will change as circumstances do. For example, if I had done this time audit in June, there would be much less white open time in my schedule: 5pm-9pm Sunday through Thursday would have been filled with course prep and teaching. So, when I said during the summer that I'd like to be swimming in the evenings, but I didn't have time, that was an accurate statement. Now that the fall has arrived and I'm not teaching, it is in fact a lie that I've been telling myself.

Pockets of open time identified, you now have the power to block off time for writing (or, for me, swimming). Even if it's just an hour or two that you can commit, it will get you started on your goal.

Now, some of you  undoubtedly are thinking, what if my time audit reveals no open time? I suppose that is possible (though in most cases I don't think it's probable). Nevertheless, if you do find that there is no white in your colourful time audit, you have some decisions to make. The only way to finish a major research paper, thesis, or dissertation is to actually commit some time to it. If you can't find a few hours a week, then you need to make time. This may mean taking a temporary leave from your volunteer activities, cutting back on work hours, asking family members or friends to take the kids to hockey, or spending one hour at the gym instead of two. Only you can decide what activities you'll compromise on to make time for writing. If I may, though, I would suggest that you attempt to maintain a healthy amount of sleep, time for prepping and cooking food (instead of turning to fast fixes), and some sort of physical activity, since these are important for general health and well-being.

One last point: once you've blocked writing time in your schedule, remember to defend it. Treat it as if it's your job or an appointment with a specialist -- don't be late and don't think you can just not show up without repercussions. And if someone asks you to do something, like volunteer for a very worthy cause, during your writing time, politely say no because you are already committed at that time.