No Time to Spare
by Betsy Ellor
If you read writing advice across the kidlit blog-iverse, I’m sure you’ve read articles that say: “To succeed as a writer you’ve got to make the time for <insert long list of tasks here.>” But can we get real one second? No one can make time. Each of us gets one bucket of time each day – 24 hours. That’s it. No matter how many tasks you add you can’t make more time to do them. We can eliminate unnecessary tasks, but what do you do when real-life priorities drain the bucket leaving you no time to spare for writing?
I joined 12 x 12 five years ago, shortly after I reduced my hours at work to focus on parenting and writing. For years I’ve watched every webinar and read every article, taking notes to hone my craft and sharpen my business skills. One of my critique partners nicknamed me Front Row because I vigilantly applied everything I learned like a front-row student. It paid off. In September of 2021, Yeehoo Press reached out about acquiring My Dog Is NOT A Scientist which came out in April. Yeah!
As fate would have it, two days before Yeehoo contacted me I’d filed for divorce. Suddenly instead of writing, editing, and preparing for my debut while my son was in school, I was moving three times, purchasing a house, fighting a legal battle, and starting a new full-time job. I went from a front-row student to that kid in the back who forgot the assignment and showed up without a pencil. My time management story is a little extreme, but I’m betting any writers out there who have big dreams but also big real-life demands will understand how demoralizing it can be to read things that advise you to “make time.”
I’m still figuring out how to balance everything but here are some things I’ve learned that have kept me going even when I felt overwhelmed to the point of giving up.
1. Choose What To Water
If we only had one bucket of water to care for a garden we would have to choose which plants would thrive and which would wither. If you only have one bucket of time and you take out life priorities you must be ruthless at determining what you do with the rest of the time left in your bucket. For example, a year ago I was on all the social media platforms daily. When life got busy I had to make a hard call and cut TikTok and Twitter to almost nothing. Instagram is the platform I enjoy the most and it cross-posts to Facebook automatically so for me feeding that one plant well is better than trying to feed all of them and other priorities suffering.
If it feels insignificant to water only one pumpkin when your neighbor’s garden is growing like something out of Beatrix Potter remember – it only took one pumpkin to make Cinderella’s coach.
2. Celebrate Every Drop From Your Bucket
Once you know what your priorities are, you need to celebrate every small drop you pour into your writing from your valuable bucket. Each week, I pick a few REALISTIC goals based on my priorities. Right now what works for me is to shoot for doing 2 book marketing touchpoints, 2 queries, and 2 writing-related social media posts each week plus 4 good sessions of writing/editing time. That’s twice as much as I had time for 6 months ago but doesn’t seem like a lot compared to other writer friends. Still, I know I can consistently achieve these goals and when I achieve them I celebrate! There are hundreds of thousands of people in the world who say they have a story to tell, but who never make time to write a word. Anything you achieve is worthy of celebration. Even one drop from the bucket will help keep your writing dreams alive.
3. Defend Your Bucket
I get up at 5 am every morning and write for an hour before I start the day. I’m an early riser and sitting on my deck with the crisp morning air, a cup of tea, my laptop and the sun coming up through trees is frequently the most bliss I’ll have in a day. I fiercely guard that time for writing so I can pour time from my bucket into writing first before it can get sucked away by everything else. Whatever time works for you – lunch break at work, weekend morning, after the kids go to bed—block it on your calendar, let everyone know, and then fiercely defend that time. You won’t always be able to. There will be days when you have to do an emergency pharmacy run instead. That’s ok. Forgive yourself and try again the next day. Do not easily give up time to water the things that nourish your soul.
4. Find Cheerleaders
You’ve got this step half done already if you’re a member of 12 x 12. Celebrating your small achievements is nice, but having cheerleaders celebrate with you is invaluable. I don’t have time these days to participate in the 12 x 12 community the way I used to, but just checking in with the Friday Dance parties on Facebook and connecting with the chats on the Forum can pump me up whenever I need it.
5. Prime the Pump
When you ladle time out of your bucket for one thing, it won’t be there for other things. So after you parcel out time for writing, work, family, etc., don’t forget to hold a little back for yourself. Time to play without guilt. Time to follow your curiosity. Time to rest and renew yourself. In those moments you’ll find the inspiration that feeds your soul and aligns you with your priorities. Those old-fashioned hand water pumps start easier if you pour a little water in first. Holding back guilt-free time for self-care is what you NEED to prime the pump for the next day and the day after and the day after.
Writing is a slow journey with no real “finish” line. I know full-time writers with more than 30 published books who will tell you they struggle with the same feelings of not having enough time to do everything thing on their list. Each of us has our own limited bucket of time and we have to figure out what to nourish with it. Each of us grows our writing at our own pace. Enjoy watching it grow!
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Betsy Ellor lives in a house near the beach where curiosity and chaos run wild. She divides her time between seeking out great stories and designing spaces like science labs, classrooms, and restaurants where others can cultivate their own curiosity. Her works include the anthology Heroic Care, Sara Crewe- a family musical that’s been performed across the U.S, and My Dog is NOT a Scientist out now from Yeehoo Press.
Betsy is offering one lucky 12 x 12 member a choice of a critique or a signed copy My Dog is NOT a Scientist at the July check-in! Go write a new draft today!
12 x 12 may earn a commission from books purchased through the links in the post. Proceeds go to fund 12 x 12 diversity programming and scholarships.
91 Responses
I can’t wait to read your new story of the dog is not a scientist,. I found your article to be thught provoking.There are limits to time and buckets of water. We need to be kind to ourselves.
Oh, Betsy! I needed to hear this message about time management today. I really like how you compare time to a bucket of water. Congrats on your fantastic book and for finding a writing/work/life balance that is working for you right now!
Betsy-thanks for keeping it real! Your advice resonated with me -I’ve been trying to pick a few realistic things I can do in a week and not dwell on the ‘didn’t do’s’. We are full people with full lives-and we are doing just fine. My mantra as if late!
Great points.
Thank you for your transparency and for the great analogy of the Garden!
This is wonderful advice. Thank you for sharing, and congratulations on the new book! I love the watering analogy. I’ve been feeling stretched in too many directions, but I will take your advice and ruthlessly choose where I put my energy.
Great post, Betsy! Thank you for giving us a peek at your writing journey and for sharing how you manage your “bucket” of writing time. I love your advice to “water the things that nourish your soul.”
I love the idea of priming the pump. I had a teacher that explained it as writing anything you can until the ideas begins to flow. I like your spin on that with self care. Thank you!
Great tips and a great reminder that each of us are on different paths, living different lives, with different priorities that fill up our time. No two people will have the same “time bucket.” Thanks for sharing your inspiring story!
Thanks, Betsy, for being real and taking some of the guilt away. I had a life before I started writing with intensity, and I still have to have time for it.
I love the analogy of watering our gardens from a bucket of time. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your book!
Thank you for the deep well of writing tips. Picking which things to water is an important personal discussion that I have with myself daily. I always hope I get it right.
Such an awesome post. Thanks for the reminder to protect the time that nourishes the soul. I am definitely guilty of letting others or mundane tasks squander that time.
Thank you for the advice to focus our goals and the example from your life. And I’m going to buy and then review your book! I know just the teachers who will want to read it with students and cultivate their creativity and curiosity.
Thank you so much for sharing your “keeping it real” advice. This SO resonates with me! Congrats on your book–can’t wait to read it!
I’ve read this book and loved it! Fascinating to hear the back story.
Thank you for this much needed post.
I’m looking forward to reading MY DOG IS A SCIENTIST. Looks like a run read.
Good luck with your first title and may there be many more! You used your time wisely by writing this great post!
Thank you for writing this and validating the writers who may not focus all their free time on writing but
On family and other things but get it done somehow. And making time when you can to do it and revising to make it better. I was never a front row person at workshops or in school, those were the early attenders and alphabetically seated by last name. But I keep plugging away and you have done well with setbacks.
Thank you for being real! Prioritizing and protecting time are such important things to do. A good reminder to be realistic and strive for balance…and realize achieving balance is always a work in progress. Best wishes!
Betsy Ellor, What a helpful and comforting essay! Thank you. It hit me exactly when I needed it! So much good advice in one brief reading.
Thank you Betsy! You’re right we can’t “make time.” I’m finding summer, with kiddos home from school, much more challenging to get any writing done. Maybe it’s meant to be my time to relax and recharge with my family.
Wow! Thank you for the vision of time being like water in a bucket – not limitless and to be carefully doled out to what’s most important. I’ve heard writers talk about the summer ‘blahs’ of writing. Maybe it’s because the summer is meant to be a time of renewal and recharging with play and fun with those we love.
What a timely and thought-provoking article. I love the vision of time being like water in a bucket – not limitless and to be carefully doled out to what’s most important. I’ve heard writers talk about the summer ‘blahs’ of writing. Maybe it’s because the summer is meant to be a time of renewal and recharging with play and fun with those we love.
Lots of great tips here! I really like how you framed choosing what to water— what activities to prioritize! I’m currently visiting my sister for a long chunk of time, and my nieces are young, and I almost never get anything done when I’m here. But you have inspired me to set my alarm for 5 am to get up and have the house to myself— while everyone is still asleep and do my writing work! When the kids are awake, it is virtually impossible to focus on anything writing related!
I love how you have found your way, not only as a writer, but to have a full life that supports and nurtures you and your writing. I’m all for that early morning sacred time – tea and writing – bliss! As a not science person, I am so looking forward to reading your latest book. Thank you for sharing your tips and great attitude!
Thank you, Betsy, for a very real and meaningful post. “Life” will happen, no matter what, so our choices determine so much. I’ve been through some similar things and this resonated!
What wonderful advice! This is a major struggle for me as well. I’m starting a new job, and I have two kids and a husband I enjoy spending time with. It can be very hard to make the time for writing. I am not published yet, and I hope I continue to be motivated enough to keep trying. The rejections are getting harder and harder to push past. Thank you for this motivation!
Great message. Thanks for sharing. I’m looking forward to reading your new book, MY DOG IS NOT A SCIENTIST.
So true! If I don’t specifically make writing a priority, and set a time for it, my bucket empties out without me doing any writing. Thanks for the reminder to prioritize.
I totally agree with everything Betsy says here. One must have a bucket because it’s the tool from which you can draw the ‘water’ (inspiration, drive, energy…) each day and which helps make things happen. Like she says we all only have 24 hours a day. What you choose to do with that ‘fixed’ time determines how well you can succeed at reaching your personal goals. Thanks for the great advice and for reminding us all to find the time to write and for ‘self-care’.
Betsy, thanks for sharing your time management tips. I fiercely guard my writing time, but I don’t always prioritize my writing during writing time. I need to get better at that. Weekly goals will help with that. I’ve added your book to my GoodReads list and I have also requested a copy from my library.
This was an amazing post, Betsy. Thank you! I love the bucket analogy and couldn’t agree more, hard as it is!
I love your observations about finding time to write while also taking care of yourself. Great YouTube view of your book.
Great tips! I love your metaphor! Thanks for sharing with us.
Great advice, Betsy! Congrats on the book, too, it sounds wonderful! I look forward to reading it.
Betsy, such a great analogy. And such wonderful tips for making use of our always limited time. Congrats to you on your book and many thanks for an inspiring post!
Finding enough time for all our priorities is definitely a challenge. Thank you for sharing your insight.
Timely words and boy are they ever the truth! I love the social media tips, the goals, and your bucket analogy- thanks for the inspiration, Betsy!
Thanks for the wonderful post, Betsy. I LOVE your “one bucket of time” idea. This is so true. There’s an abundance of opportunities available to advance our craft and so many ideas to pursue, but we have to carefully use our water in order to grow the garden of our dreams.
Thanks so much for your advice. Everything you say makes sense. Congratulations on all your success and hard work. We cannot do everything and there is only so much we can do in the time we have.
Betsy, I love your garden analogy! Your post is inspiring. Thank you for keeping it real!
Yikes! July is more than halfway gone and I am just finding the “time” to read your wonderful post. Having defined goals for time management sounds like a plan I need to incorporate ASAP. Thanks for all your great tips and congratulations on your book.
Now July is almost over, but I did manage to read your post and I’m glad I did. I’ve jotted down notes from it, particularly #2, into my daily planner (which also has been neglected) and will use them as guidelines to water my writing journey. Thank-you so much for posting No Time to Spare! I’m looking forward now to reading your doggie book, especially as I have one coming out in 2024.
Hi Everyone!! I wish I could reply to each of you individually. I loved reading all your comments over the last few weeks. I’m glad you connected with the article. I was so happy to be able to share the journey with you all. Thanks again for all your kind words!
Thank you, Betsy, for your excellent advice! What I loved most was “celebrate every drop you pour into your writing”, “anything you achieve is worthy of celebration” and figure out what to nourish with your limited bucket of time. I will remember your five points and put them to use starting tomorrow.
And congratulations on getting “My Dog is NOT a scientist” published. I look forward to reading it.
Very inspiring! Thanks so much for sharing your tips and your journey. Best wishes with your books.
Thanks for sharing. I can not wait to read your new book. It sounds fun! You are the inspiration I needed.
Great advice, Betsy! I love the water bucket analogy – it speaks to the gardener in me.
This is SO what I needed to hear today! Thank you so much for sharing your journey. It is so helpful to a newbie like me.
Thank you so much for sharing, Betsy! What a great reminder that each of us has a unique and sustainable way to journey forward as writers. “Do not easily give up time to water the things that nourish your soul.” <– LOVED THIS QUOTE!!
Thanks for a great post! Making/finding time is always so important and often hard to do! I look forward to your new book!
Thank you for sharing, Betsy! I enjoyed your comparison of time and buckets of water. Can’t wait to read your book.
Congratulations on your debut book! Can’t wait to read it!
Thank you for this honest and inspiring post. Everything you said really resonated with me and I will be putting this advice to use.
Betsy, your post was alike a visit from the Ghost of Writing (Past, Present, and Future)! It is uncanny how much you know about the writing disruptors in my life. It was as though you led me on a tour of my life events…minus any jangling chains and whooshing through time. My takeaways from your candid, encouraging post:
#1. “Even one drop from the bucket will help keep your writing dreams alive.” (But it is better to set several manageable goals each week / month…and meet them!)
#2. “…it only took one pumpkin to make Cinderella’s coach.” (The pumpkin turned into a coach while just sitting in one place. Translation: Do the seat time!)
Your new book My Dog Is Not a Scientist looks so phenomenally fun! I’m heading right to Barnes & Noble.
Wonderful post, Betsy! Thank you for sharing these buckets. I will soak myself with #2 as it will be a reminder to celebrate the tiniest efforts more often. Congrats on your book!
Thank you for your post, Betsy. I needed it, unlike any post I have seen before. I have been writing for four years and recently hit that bump in the road. It was due to fun things, but nonetheless, it was the proverbial bump. Mine was from spending a month in Wales and Ireland followed by two weeks of visiting grandchildren and a whirlwind of activities. Now it is time to start watering that garden again and I feel a little stuck.
I wrote your five points in my journal to remember them and to remind myself that whatever your age today is always a good day to begin again. I’m carrying this with me today: “Do not easily give up time to water the things that nourish your soul.”
Thank you!
Betsy – I loved your analogy using a bucket and what to water. So many everyday things get in the way of writing….your analogy was very helpful!
Betsy-This is great practical advice for every writer with a family, other career or life. I intend to prioritize and set realistic weekly goals. Thanks so much! I will definitely be checking out your new book too!
Thanks for your words, Betsy. Time management is a whole thing this summer—Eeek!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful advice. Congratulations on the new book!
Seeing your weekly goals was so inspiring, thank you!
Betsy, I completely feel you on the front-row student eagerness, as well as the “making time” fallacy–vs. making commitments or priorities. I love that you’ve found a watering schedule that works for your garden. Congrats on your book–and here’s to many more in the future! Bravo!
This is such a great post with a wonderful tips. Thank you for sharing, Betsy! I can’t wait to read MY DOG IS NOT A SCIENTIST.
Great post. Time management is always a struggle. Always.
Your book looks adorable. Best Wishes!
I don’t know how you do it all! Your time management skills are impeccable. Mine are deplorable! I’m not feeling inspired to write but your post is very helpful and realistic. Looking forward to reading your new book. Congratulations on it being your first publication.
This is one of the best 12 x 12 blogs I’ve read- they are all good, but your words went straight to my heart. Your analogy of the bucket is so helpful- been struggling with time issues for the past few months. Thank you!
love this, thank you for sharing and congratulations!
Thanks for the tremendous advice with this post. It was especially good to learn what your schedule is and that you have set meaningful goals for yourself that are also achievable. It’s good to know that, as writers, we need to focus on the things we can celebrate, and setting achievable goals gives us that chance.
Wow. Thank you for this. Hearing “make time” “set aside time” “designate a time” “protect your time” only works perfectly if you live in a bubble… I’ve been feeling major mom guilt this summer for taking time to write, and this article REALLY resonated this morning. I appreciate your honesty about the realities of allowing yourself to write, and your honesty about handling a “passion” while you’re also handling kids and a divorce. I can tell your one strong mama.
Oh, wow! This is such an encouraging post, Betsy! I love it! Thank you! And congratulations on your book! And hanging in there when your life went upside down. 🙂
Betsy, thank you so much for sharing! The thought of an early writing sesh with a hot beverage and beautiful views sounds like a dream. Congrats on all your success!!
I love any writerly advice that starts with the acknowledgment that we’re all busy busy people. Thank you for that, Betsy!! Also, thank you for teaching me the origins of the idiom “prime the pump.” I genuinely never knew how old fashioned water pumps worked, ha.
🙂 🙂
Sage and hard won advice. Thank you for this – I’m looking forward to your book.
I love the analogy of the bucket of water and time. We do only have so much and must decide how to distribute it to keep our priorities healthy and our writing careers growing. Congratulations on your book! It is definitely going on my “to read” list!
Thank you for your practical advice and encouragement.
Thank you for an inspiring and helpful post. I love the bucket of water analogy. Now if I could just put it to use. I love Renzo’s antics in your book! He’s so cute. Congrats!
Wow, Betsy! This brilliant post is exactly what I needed to read today. Thank you so much for sharing, and congratulations on your book! I can’t wait to read it! 🙂
Oh my gosh! Life gets in the way. If I have the time, I don’t have the energy – ha! I keep telling myself, just 15 minutes. Betsy, thanks for the motivation!
Thanks for the great post on how to”REALLY” balance your life and creative endeavors.
Betsy, your story is so down-to-earth right on! I love the idea of measuring out the contents of my bucket to water what needs it the most – sometimes it’s me! Sometimes, it’s a new story…
Yes, I really struggle with balancing it all! Thank you for the reminders that we can’t do it all, and that’s it is OKAY! 🙂 Your book looks great!
“Choose what to water” is PERFECT for how to think about how to spend my time! I am a gardener of sorts, so this makes perfect sense to me. Thank you for bringing that to light for us!
Betsy,
Thank you for sharing your positive approach to writing when “life happens.” This is why I love writers and the writing community.
Looking forward to your book!
Betsy, congrats on your book, it looks so much fun! 🤩 Your post is quite TIMELY for me as life has been hectic this summer, I thank you for it. Best of luck on all your endeavors.
I greatly admire your morning writing routine. I’m going to take my laptop outside more often (to be clear…not at 5 am.) I love your “watering plants” analogy and creating guilt-free time for self care, which can only help inspire more productive writing time. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, some great ideas!
Thanks so much for the uplifting message and info came at the best time for me. Deciding each week to pick realistic goals and priorities will prevent me from becoming overwhelmed and disorganized….and also prevent procrastination. I am lucky enough to,have great critique partners who are very supportive and helpful.
Love this concept of choosing what to water out of a finite bucket. For me that bucket is time and energy. My husband’s energy bucket is constantly refilling, but mine only has so much and when it’s empty, it’s empty!