For me, it's the first week of classes, the week where you actually start to live your schedule and realize just how much you have on your plate. ("I have HOW MUCH homework?" "I'll be in rehearsals HOW MANY hours?!?")
I also haven't done a lot of writing this week; I've been getting back into the swing of school and, of course, spending time with my college friends. But now that the week is winding down and schedules are starting to be finalized, I'm finding myself faced with the looming question: but when's the writing time?
There are various different ways that you can go about balancing writing and student-ing.
1. Set aside a specific writing time.
Maybe it's once a day, maybe it's twice a week, but give yourself a designated time to sit down and write. I'm really bad at this, but I'm going to try and do this for this semester.
2. Use the weekends.
Weekends are your friends for lots of reasons. Fridays count too. (Obviously your homework does need to get done.)
3. Squeeze in short writing sessions between things.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I get up almost two hours before my first class, and sometimes that time is good for writing. Mostly I try and blog then (although clearly that did not happen this morning... apologies.)
4. Stay up ridiculously late.
This is probably not the healthiest suggestion, but hey... it's college. It's going to happen anyway. Caffeine has already been embraced as your best friend. And occasionally, 2 am is a really good time for writing, right?
What do you guys do to balance school or work with writing?
I am almost done with the whole student-ing thing, but I'm pretty sure I've tired all of those techniques at least once over the past few years. Number 3 is definitely the easiest one to stick to but number 1 worked really well Spring 2010 when 3pm was writing time and I wasn't allowed to do anything else until 5. You know, I could probably implement that again this semester...
ReplyDelete2 & 3 are usual strategies. I can't do 4-- it just doesn't happen for me. Although I had an amusing conversation with classmates today about lack of sleep + caffeine, and I am totally amazed at those of you who can do it!
ReplyDeleteHa, #4 is a favourite of mine, especially when my dorm neighbour is entertaining gentlemen friends. Disgusting. Headphones in, creepy sexy-time noises OUT.
ReplyDeleteI don't start back at uni for another month, but I'm already dreading having to study on top of writing. Yikes.
I just force time to write...
ReplyDeleteIt's the easiest, believe it or not.
:-)
UHHH. After years of college I still don't totally have this figured out. Mostly I just make sure my homework gets done, but I don't have a set schedule or anything. THOUGH MAYBE I SHOULD MAKE ONE, YES YES?
ReplyDelete