How do you do camp NaNoWrimo and a full time job at the same time?
Short answer: The way you pursue any passion with a full time job – you find the time.
(much) Longer answer: Full time jobs nowadays are different than they used to be. Full time used to mean 40 hours a week with infrequent overtime, and unless you worked education, retail or food service, your schedule was pretty set. If you have a job like this, it’s still a time suck to pursuing your passions as even jobs we enjoy are mentally draining, and many people have lengthy daily commutes. All this to say, everyone’s ‘full time’ means something different in today’s world, so more traditional methods of ‘making time’ for passion projects don’t always work. Still, it can be done. Here’s a few things that work for me/folk I know (your mileage may vary):
Use the commute to your advantage. If you take public transit, use that time to write. If you have to drive, get a dictation app for your phone (along with a dash holder) and ‘write’ while you drive. It can take some getting used to, but it’s also a great way to utilize that time to do something you want to be doing.
Write during breaks. I’m not saying don’t take a break to get some fresh air and/or eat. Eat. Drink water. Take care of yourself. But bring a notebook to work and take ten minutes of a break to scribble half a page. These little bursts of time add up.
Schedule dedicated writing time and keep it sacred. This one can be really hard. You’re purposely saying to yourself, and the world: this is what I want to do with my time, and it has value to me and so I’m going to do it. It’s a discipline, pure and simple. It’s also giving yourself the permission and freedom to pursue something you want more of in your life (at least we hope you want to write more; that’s kind of why TWH exist…). That can be as terrifying as it is exhilarating, and only you can train yourself to stick with it.
One of the great things about Camp NaNo as opposed to its November counterpart is you set your goal. You control what you think you can accomplish in that month. Say you only think you’ll have time for 500 words a day, that’s still 15,000 words by the end which is major progress. 1,000 words = 30,000 (my personal goal), which once you find a routine, may only take you an hour a day to accomplish.As we frequently say, you know you best: your needs, your passions, your goals, your life, your story. Only you can decide how much time you have available to dedicate – but the time is there. You may have to give up a show you watch for a month, or stay off twitter (or tumblr) at night, or get up fifteen minutes earlier to scribble some sleepy notes, all until you hit your word count goal for the day.
Also, check out forums on the Camp site and connect with other folk. Most people participating are either working or in school full time. Sometimes both. Everyone struggles with finding the time and motivation to write at times, but those who succeed are the ones who find ways to push through the slumps and stop making excuses for not doing and just do. Ultimately, only you can figure out what works best for you, but hopefully this gives you a starting point for methods to try!
- O
