Everything you need to know about finding writing time with kids
Are you lucky to have little people in your life?
Certainly children make us smile and bring us joy as we watch them grow.
But is it actually possible to write productively and be creative when kids are about?
Indeed as a life-story writing mum I’ve found a few family life tricks to help you do just that …
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Set new expectations for family life
With kids you need to be realistic about how much life-story work you can get done.
For example, caring for a newborn (and yourself) will take up most of your time. And that is OK!
But as kids grow into toddlers and young children you will have more and more opportunities to write.
So firstly, reset your short-term expectations and give yourself permission to get creative when you can around family life.
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The sound of a sleeping baby
My golden opportunity to write with my two young children was when they were sleeping or napping.
In short, I did my creative work early in the morning, middle of the day or late at night.
However, over the past decade, the early morning session has always been the most successful because I am rested – or should be!
Certainly, such best-laid family life plans will occasionally go astray (think illness, teething, tantrums) and depend on how many children you have and their ages.
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Family life calls for reinforcements
Being a parent or caregiver is hard work and requires timeout from family life for recharging, sanity and hopefully writing.
Firstly, lean on your partner for this by agreeing on a set time per day or longer period weekly.
Also consider family, friends, trading playdates and other creative ideas.
However, if you can, regular babysitting, daycare or kindy will surely boost your life-story creating!
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Final say: Family life
As a mum I know kids fill your life with love and responsibility.
But there are definitely ways to navigate this season and make life story progress.
For example: revise short-term writing expectations, take advantage of nap plus sleep times (no matter how brief), and ask for help.
Finally, work consistent writing around family life because kids and building memories together takes priority.
Happy writing!
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Your say
Got a family life productivity tip to share with fellow parents or grandparents? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Send me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.
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