No matter what you're celebrating this time of year, the holiday season is full of love, joy, and warmth—and stress, undoubtedly.
Between all of the preparation, festivities, shopping, cooking, travel, and other obligations, time for writing can feel like something that only exists amid visions of dancing sugar plums.
It doesn't take much for your writing to get lost in the holly jolly hustle and bustle. You may feel pulled in so many different directions and tell yourself that you'll add a more consistent writing routine to your resolutions in the new year, but coming back from a break can be so much harder than it sounds.
The good news is you don't have to be on Santa's Nice List to get the time to work on your WIP. With the right strategies and planning, you'll still be able to write and make progress towards your goals without missing out on the magic of the season.
After all, the holidays are meant to be enjoyed, and the same goes for your writing!
In this post, I'm sharing some practical tips for balancing writing with the holiday season so you can make the most out of both.
Get Organized
This time of year, chances are you've got a lot on your plate—and I'm not just talking about gingerbread cookies and fruit cake!
With so much to get done, it's helpful to have a plan in place.
Make a list of your must-get-done objectives (and check it twice should the mood strike). Having everything laid out in advance allows you to plan your writing time around the non-negotiables in your schedule like family gatherings and holiday prep. You could also block off an hour or two each week for writing to ensure you can still make progress towards your goals; for example, you might decide to write on Tuesday nights from 7-8.
This time of year, it's especially easy to lose track and feel overwhelmed, so it may also be helpful to break each task down into smaller, more manageable steps.
When you're being pulled every which way, time management becomes all the more crucial. Having a solid strategy to get everything done means you won't have to miss out on the holiday fun!
Set Reasonable Goals
That said, it's also important to be reasonable in your expectations.
The holiday season is teeming with stories of defying expectations, whether it's one night's worth of oil burning for eight or a red-nosed reindeer guiding Santa's sleigh on a foggy Christmas Eve.
Many writers' routines take a hit during the holiday season. If you usually aim to write 2,000 words a week, this may not be the best time of year to shoot for 12,000 (ironically, since we're coming off the 50,000-words-in-a-month beast that is NaNoWriMo). Instead, you may only reach 1,000, or plan to write for a little three days a week instead of seven.
The main thing is to be honest with yourself and what you can feasibly accomplish.
By setting reasonable goals, you can maintain a sense of control in your writing without burning out in the process.
Find The Pockets of Downtime
While the holidays might have you feeling like you're charging head-first into an avalanche, there can be moments of quiet—which you can use to your advantage.
You'd be surprised by how much downtime there is hiding within your day. Waiting in long lines at the store, getting stuck in traffic, or a delayed flight are inconvenient, but they may also allow a little extra daydreaming and mulling over plot holes. You may be able to write a couple of pages while your next batch of cookies is in the oven. Maybe you decide to listen to an audiobook or a writing podcast as you're wrapping presents. Work in retail and are tired of hearing the same twenty Christmas songs on loop, three of which are different renditions of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (speaking from experience...)? Skip the carols on the commute home and crank up your WIP's playlist!
This downtime may seem insignificant, but it can bring great opportunities to sneak in some writing or writing-adjacent activities. You may find it helpful to keep a small notebook with you or download a writing app to jot down ideas on the go. That way, you can brainstorm and outline in the interim.
Effectively using these idle moments throughout your day will allow you to continue making progress on your WIP even when you can't sit at your desk and work for long stretches at a time. You'd be surprised how much you can get done in little dashes of time!
Give Yourself Grace
This is the season of love and forgiveness and goodwill, right? Why not extend some of that festive spirit towards yourself?
The holidays are deeply rooted in tradition, but they can still be unpredictable. Life finds a way to get in the way, as I'll often say on the blog.
Even with the most careful planning, stuff happens. That's inevitable. But while you don't always have control over what happens, you do have control over how you approach the situation and move on from it.
Balancing your writing endeavors with the holidays isn't always easy, and it's important to be kind to yourself when you feel like you're falling behind. The holidays only come around once a year, and they fly by faster with each passing December. One minute you're decorating the tree and the next you're sweeping up all the dried pine needles that fell from its branches.
If you're not able to get everything on your writerly to do list checked off, that's okay. Remember that soon enough, we'll be entering the new year with plenty of resolutions to motivate us.
Take a breath, reassess, and give yourself the grace you deserve.
Finding enough time to write during this time of year can feel like a miracle in its own right. Whether you're blitzing through your first draft, donning your editor's thinking cap, or dashing to meet a deadline, there is so much to do—and let's not forget the chaos and work leading up to the holidays themselves!
Remember, the holidays are a time for joy, connection, and warmth. They can also be a chance to find inspiration and reflect as we prepare to enter the new year. As you navigate the busy weeks ahead, remember to stay present in the moment and enjoy everything the season brings.
Happy holidays, everybody, and happy writing!
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