So I changed my writing schedule. I used to write in the afternoons, after finishing work. Now I’ve moved my work hours around so that they’re happening in the afternoons and I’m writing in the morning.
The result?
1) I’m actually making progress on my book.
2) I look forward to my day, instead of dreading it, because I get to wake up every morning and know that I get to do some writing. It’s a great way to start the day: “Hey, I get to go be creative now!” This leads to…
3) I’m happier.
4) I have more hours available for writing, because I no longer allow my work hours to slide into my writing hours. I used to go to work, and if I was dealing with an important project, I’d just let it slop over into writing time in order to get the project done. My writing quantity and quality both suffered.
5) I’m no longer sitting down to write after a long day of draining or demoralizing events. Again, my writing quality and quantity both suffered because I was mentally beaten by the time I was sitting down and trying to be creative.
Fundamentally, even though I haven’t changed anything other than the sequence of events in my day, the effect is quite profound. I used to put my work hours first, because, after all, work is important and writing doesn’t pay the bills. And the result was that my writing was secondary, not only in the order of the day, but also in my mind. Now, with a simple change in my day’s order, my entire sense of myself, my time, and my priorities has shifted.
It feels like I just found a hundred dollar bill lying on the sidewalk. And like I’ve been walking past it for years.