It is true that people are very busy, but a little extra time can always be found. This may mean giving up watching so much television, talking on the telephone, having a drink with your friends or other activities that are unproductive in the long run...

As a independent writer you need to be a self-starter, creative, motivated, independent, self-disciplined, productive and organized all while coming up with new ideas, writing articles, or books and running your business.

There are thousands of writers that produce material everyday while looking after small children, running their web site or home business or while working at full time jobs. So how do they find the time?

Before you begin on your writing career start by freeing up the time you will require by clearing all those jobs around the home you have been meaning to do.

Clear the clutter, weed the gardens, finish any home handyman jobs that need to be done. This helps to psychologically free your mind to enjoy the time spent writing and is known to create a "flow on" effect into your writing. An organized and uncluttered life leads to uncluttered, clear and concise writing.

Once this is completed decide that from now on whatever needs to be done around the home you will set aside a specific time, and specified amount of time, to be devoted to getting these chores done as part of your schedule e.g. half an hour a day in the garden is probably all that it would take to make your garden the envy of the street.

Pre-plan your time...

It is important to think of time as your most valuable asset...and it is... when writing and running your business from home.

Efficient time management comes down to planning what you are going to do, and then doing it./P>

When you begin planning it is important from the beginning to learn to write regularly and determine a writing schedule for yourself and stick to it the same way as you would organize your regular day-to-day activities i.e. on a time efficient basis.

Plan out on a piece of paper...

- What you have to do each day.

- What you want to do each day.

- And when you are going to do it.

You may not be able to find the time to write every day but your success will be determined by the amount of time that you do spend writing.

If you find you work best early in the morning then develop a regular routine and write at this time. Similarly if you work best at night then establish an evening routine.

Choose the actual writing times that suit you best as all writers are different. Some work at two, three, four hour stretches at a time, others work a full eight hour day, while some prefer to do marathon stretches until they are finished.

Most articles or books require some research. Allocate this research time into your schedule. Some research tasks can only be done during business hours, the actual writing however can be done at a time that suits you.

It is easy to lock yourself away and spend all your spare time writing. Leave space in your schedule for your spouse, family and friends to avoid any resentments should they suddenly find themselves excluded from your life. This especially applies to young children who may not understand if you are suddenly unavailable.

When organizing and planning your time for writing...if you can only spare the time to write part-time or for only an hour a day... take heart and remember!

Anthony Trollope wrote Victorian novels before dawn or on his way to work in the Post Office. William Faulkner wrote "sanctuary" part-time while working in a boiler room.

There are countless stories of the many writers who have overcome obstacles and found the time in their personal lives to go on and achieve recognition through their writing.

Compared to these people how big are our own distractions, interruptions and other excuses we make for not getting on with earning a living from our writing.

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© Jill Black 2002

Jill is the author of "Your e-Book Business Starts Here!" For resources and ideas on developing home business writing and self-publishing visit "Net Writing and e-Publishing Success" at http://www.netwrite-publish.com