Make Writing a Priority – Secrets Learned from Austin Boyd

By Kathryn Lang

Time keeps on slippin . . . slippin . . . slippin.

The song mentions time slipping into the future – I just want to know where my day went. I started out with the best intentions and even a schedule. Then time just kept on slipping and it was the end of the day.

Austin Boyd took chose to spend some of his time talking to newer writers at the Southern Christian Writers Conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He said that to be a writer we had to write, so there had to be a moment when writing became the priority.

Time Budgeting Tips Learned from Austin Boyd

- Differentiate between the important and the urgent and then choose the important. Family is important. Writing is important. Taking the neighbor to the grocery would be urgent. Developing a filter to focus on the important will begin to reduce the time clutter issues in your life.

- Make a list of what you need to do. Go through the list and put the most important things at the top of the list. Review the list once again. Now exclude all of the small stuff at the bottom of the list. If you still have trouble figuring out how you will get it all done then reverse your thinking and start determining what you will not be done. In the end, you will have a list that you can accomplish.

- Schedule out the time stealers. Buy an egg timer that you can set for different amounts of time and then set it when you get involved with the internet, social media, games or the television. There is nothing wrong with taking a break, but take a determined break or you will look up and realize the day is spent.

- Set aside five minutes each day to brainstorm ideas. Be creative. Think outside the box. Now write down these ideas and keep them in a way that you can easily access them. As your time balances out, make room in the schedule to address these ideas one at a time and you will have the tools to keep the wheels turning in your writing.

One step at a time and you get there. Time will not keep slipping away if I keep it duct taped to the floor. I will determine how I spend my time and I will make each purchase worth its weight in gold.

Kathryn C. Lang writes words to inspire and encourage the hearts of others. You can purchase her inspirational books through Amazon or her website www.kathrynlang.com. Her debut novel, RUN, follows the struggles of Sara as she discovers that you can only run from your past as long as you are willing to sacrifice your future.