Ghostwriter Circus: The Paul Eckert Website

This is one of those moments where I stand on my soapbox and rant to my fellow humans. Believe me, I do this out of love. But this is more than a rant. It's also a great way to accomplish a little bit every day. This goes out to writers, musicians, artists, and every other human that desires to enrich their lives.

Today's rant topic? Time.

Among all the cliches uttered in a single day, this one has to be among the top ten: "I would do it, but I just don't have the time." You probably heard someone say that today. You may have said it yourself today. But really, what are you saying?

More importantly, what is it that you don't have time for? Reading? Writing? Painting? Whatever it is, I guarantee that you do have time.

How do I know? Because no matter how busy you are, you always have at least 5 minutes a day. What can you get done in 5 minutes? More than you think.

I will structure this example for writers since it is the example closest to my life. But this method is easily applied to all pursuits.

The best way to get something done is to do it everyday. Almost every writer will tell you two things to become a better writer: 1) Read, and 2) Write everyday.

So what if you don't have three hours to carve out of every day to write? Just take one hour. If don't have an hour, take half an hour. If you don't have any time, then take 5 minutes. If you don't have 5 minutes to spare, then you should seriously examine your life to see if you are leading a truly fulfilling, enriching life.

Once you find that hour/half hour/five minute slot of free time, start writing. Especially if you only have 5 minutes, you don't have time to waste. Just start writing. Don't overthink what you're writing, just get it on the page. You can always revise, and you will. What you're writing might be the most abominibal crap on Earth, but you will have a chance to make it better. The point is that instead of watching TV, playing video games, or doing useless Internet surfing, you are putting words on the page. I have gotten to the point where I have written almost 200 words in five minutes. And once you get in the groove, you might find yourself going over the time you set aside for yourself. You might be so engrossed that you don't even think about how much time you are spending. That is a truly beautiful point in creativity.

Again, this applies to everyone. Set aside that time, even if it's just 5 minutes, and read, write, learn an instrument, or whatever completes you. Set aside the things that leave you with nothing (i.e. video games, YouTube videos, TV, etc.) and spend time doing something interesting.

I admit, I wholly believe in this method yet I don't always apply it to my own life at all times (at least for writing). But I'm getting better.   

Don't blame your schedule because you haven't accomplished what you want. Blame yourself. Then do something about it.

Do I have to remind you of all those other cliches? That life is short, that time waits for no one, that this is the only life you get, etc.?

"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that the stuff life is made of." - Benjamin Franklin

A book I highly recommend on this subject is In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore. Buy it. Read it. It will make you slow down your life. I know I did. If you're a writer, buy Immediate Fiction by Jerry Cleaver. Hands down the best book on all aspects of being a writer, from story elements to writer's block to time management to the submission process. Buy it. You won't regret it.