When you do something else you miss writing. But when you sit down to write you want to do something else.

When you do something else you miss writing. But when you sit down to write you want to do something else.

We all know that feeling. We do something, maybe something that we don’t particularly like, and we’d rather write. Then, when we finally have time to write we’d rather do something else.

Why is that?

Some reasons come to mind:

• Compared to what you have to do (dayjob, …) you’d rather write because you like writing more.
• Compared to your free time you’d rather do something else. So, the comparison is different here
• Until you find time to write, you’re exhausted and are lacking inspired energy
• You generally don’t like writing that much, it’s just the idea of having written that appeals to you

Possible solutions:

• Treat yourself first: try to do the writing at a time when you’re fresh, before going to work for your boss if possible
• When you have time to write, think about if you really want to do that right know. Sometimes you need a kick in the butt, sometimes you might be better off doing something else. That can also get your creative juices flowing.
• If you feel like you’d have a bad conscience writing nothing that day, just write a little bit, then treat yourself. A little is a lot more than nothing. And it wasn’t a “wasted day”

The important thing here is not to judge yourself. Find out what routine works best for you.

Learn not to judge yourself: