Making Time for Writing: Why We Don’t Do It and How to Change That

You’ve got a mountain of dishes to clean and a basket of laundry to fold. Your loved ones are all vying for your attention, and your couch and Season 3 of Stranger Things are calling your name. 

On days like this, writing seems like the last thing in your long list of priorities. 

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We all love the rush of coming up with a new idea, the satisfaction of finishing a song we’ve been working on, and the emotional release of expressing something that words alone could not express.

Plus, studies show that creativity leads to benefits like improved mood, decreased anxiety, heightened cognitive function, reduced risk of chronic illnesses and improved immune health. 

So why is it so hard to make time for writing sometimes?

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In our own personal experience and through working with other songwriters, we’ve seen it boil down to two main reasons. 

1. If music isn’t your job, it can feel frivolous or even selfish.

In a world full of deadlines, responsibilities and people depending on you, it takes real effort to prioritize something that doesn’t make you money, isn’t on a deadline, and is just for your own personal happiness. Many of us tend to put ourselves last and, of course, our creative pursuits suffer.

2. You procrastinate out of self-doubt.

It can be scary to sit down with an instrument and a blank page and have no idea where to start or how it will go. You need to have a fearless blind trust in yourself and an openness to failure. That can be hard when you have very high standards for your songs. And the longer it’s been since you’ve last written, the harder it can feel to break through this wall of self-judgment and fear. 

Do you relate to any of those? 

We certainly do. 

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But there’s good news! 

We’ve found a few simple tricks that help us to prioritize writing and we’ve seen firsthand how well they work in our workshops.

These are three of the big ones that you can easily do at home.

1. Find an accountability partner.

In our workshops, writers have to show up every week and play us a new song. That deadline and expectation keeps them on track and literally forces them to prioritize their writing. But you can do that on your own, too. 

Find someone in your life to be your accountability partner and agree to keep each other in check with weekly updates. Tell them you will send them weekly proof of your writing efforts and that you expect them to hold you to it! You can do the same thing for them for one of their goals, too. We (Allie & Bess) do this for each other every week as well as in our private Thinking Outside the Blocks Facebook group. We can attest that it helps!  

2. Focus on small, low-pressure goals.

Instead of trying to write a super meaningful song about something intensely personal or important in your life, try writing something that doesn’t hold nearly as much weight. Make it so light that it’s straight up silly! For example: a children’s song about pizza, a sequel to “Party in the USA” or an ode to your neighbor’s cat. It really doesn’t matter. 

The goal of something like this is to just get yourself to sit down and write with absolutely no pressure. Once you get your gears turning and dust some of the cobwebs away, you’ll find yourself naturally starting to write more meaningful songs with less fear.  

3. Consider it part of your health regimen.

Many of us try to eat well, exercise and get 8 hours of sleep (heavy emphasis on try) because we care about our well-being. We know that when we take care of our bodies, we are able to be more efficient in our work, family life, relationships . . . everything! 

But one thing we all tend to overlook is our mental and emotional health. Creativity is such an important part of that, and it's scientifically proven to be incredibly beneficial. A simple mindset shift from seeing writing as something frivolous, to being an important aspect of your health regimen, can help you to set aside more time for it in your busy life. 

So it’s time to stop believing the story that writing is not a priority!

A few simple tweaks can make a really big change, and you’ll be amazed by the ripple effect creativity will have on all other aspects of your life.  

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Happy writing, 

Allie & Bess