Juggling Life & Writing; a Balancing Act by Pamela S. Thibodeaux

As a writer who is also a wife/mother/grandmother/full-time insurance sales producer as well as the co-founder/president & treasurer of a local writers’ group, I’m often asked “how do you do it all?”

My response, “It’s a balancing act.”

Anyone who wears more than one hat in life knows the art of balance.

Wife & Mother? You know how to juggle and balance your time. Add full-time employee and you should get an award for multi-tasking.

So how does someone who does all of this, plus more manage with the same twenty-four hours as everyone else and stay sane?

I don’t know….I never professed to be sane LOL!

Honestly it’s all in prioritizing, maintaining balance and learning when to walk away.

Juggling life and writing is more than a balancing act; it takes discipline, dedication and determination. The first -and best- thing you can do is to evaluate how you spend your time, where you can shave off a few minutes (or couple of hours) and use that time to write.

Budget your time just like you budget your money.

Once you become published, incorporate promoting into your schedule. You may have to substitute writing time for promoting, but it must be done.

Think about this: It’s been proven that frequent 10 minute walks are just as beneficial physically as longer walks two or three times a week. In the same sense, frequent 10 minute writing sprees can be just as beneficial as longer blocks of time two or three days a week. Remember, even if you write one or two sentences, or a paragraph each day, it all adds up and, just one-page-per-day equals a 365 page (or 91,250 word) novel at the end of a year!

Another thing to keep in mind: Writing doesn’t always mean sitting in front of the computer and pounding away on the keys, writing is a state of mind. Even in the midst of mundane, every-day challenges, writers are writing; storing up information for future use.

One thing women in general face is burn-out. By keeping things in perspective and in balance, this can be avoided. So no matter how busy your schedule is, even if it means shucking everything for an evening (to take that long, hot bath), a day (to go shopping or just play with the children) or a weekend (to run away with hubby or significant other), make time for God, family, friends and most importantly-yourself.

You’ll be a healthier, more effective person all around if you do.

By keeping things in balance I’ve managed to have 4 novels, numerous articles and several short stories published. Does that make me as prolific and productive as I want to be?

Not at all, but I’m happy and steadily working toward my goals.

Prioritize, maintain balance, know when to walk away, and you can too!