I was speaking with a friend yesterday about finding the time to write blog posts. I offered a tip that has worked for me recently: write before dinner.
A few months ago, I had a work project and I decided to set myself a 20 minute deadline. I put my dinner in the oven, then started writing. In the time when I otherwise would be doing dishes or small tasks around the house, I sat down and wrote a blog post. By the time I was finished, my dinner was almost ready. I went back to the kitchen and finished preparing the meal.
Since then, I have written several blog posts in the time it takes for dinner to prepare. This only works for dinner that can be prepared passively; for meals that require active preparation, one’s eyes must be on the kitchen at all times.
I enjoy the constraint of having around 20-30 minutes in which I can write something without many distractions. Whereas I am in the mindset to do work or personal tasks before dinner, when dinner time comes I start to adjust to being in the time for personal activities. I feel more relaxed, then I can start writing.
I also enjoy the reward – a meal – that comes shortly after having written a blog post. This may act as a positive feedback loop. My discussion yesterday also led me to connect the dots between the physiology of eating and working on tasks. I struggle to write immediately after eating; I prefer writing either before a meal, or an hour or so after.
Another time in which I have written a lot is before breakfast, when I have time to write on a train before getting to work.
In addition, I think agreeing that blogging before dinner helps motivate me to write. I know I can make progress on a post in 20-30 minutes; having the mental model of knowing that I can write a post while my dinner cooks encourages me to think about what I could blog about after work. Of note, though, blogging before dinner is not a routine: I don’t blog every day, nor strive to do so.
I am curious: when do you like to blog?
