Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

When do you find time to write? Wrong question, at least the wrong question for me.

This past week I was sharing something I was writing with another person. This person told me about how they have wanted for years to write something on a similar topic, but just couldn’t find the time. “How,” they asked, “did I find the time to write?”

For me, that is the wrong question. For me, the right question is, “How did I find the energy to write?”

I have been wanting to write a 50-page piece (long essay or short book) on a topic for several years. I have setup the folders and background materials and all those necessary building blocks, but I haven’t written a single word. I just haven’t found the energy to do it.

I am working on two writing projects currently. I couldn’t start one of them. I had all the folders and background material and such, but I couldn’t write a coherent sentence. Then, I found the time of day when I had the energy needed to write that one piece. Each day, at that time, while I have the energy, I work on that piece for an hour. At the end of the hour, I am drained. I have no more energy for that piece.

I put away that piece and work on the other piece. I have the energy at that time for that other piece of writing.

This is similar to exercising my arms and exercising my legs. While connected, they are separate exercises. I can exercise my arms to exhaustion and have to quit. Then I can immediately exercise my legs to exhaustion.

With my two current writing projects, I have been fortunate to find the energy for them. I have to stick to the schedule, but if I do, the energy is present. Yes, time is involved, but the energy is more important. That is how it works for these projects for me at this point in my life. Find what works for you. Best wishes.