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I’m always reading about different writer’s routines look like to how to write and edit more efficiently. 

The reality of my situation is I am not a full time writer and I can rarely rely on uninterrupted time to focus on my writing. I have a one-year-old and a six-year-old who we I home school. 

This means that the only time I have to write is in the mornings when both kids are still asleep. Please, don’t get me started on actually spending one-on-one time with my husband, that’s a pipe dream along with a decent bed time and watching a tv show that I might enjoy.

I listen to audiobooks and podcasts around the house and squeeze in bits of reading throughout the day, but that’s about it for “me time.”

So, to make sure nothing interrupts my mornings (that is no one wakes up before I write because that has happened), I don’t even get dressed or brush my teeth until I get the kids up around eight. Though today, I’m letting them sleep in, and it’s nearly 8:40, shh…

My morning routine right now is stumble down the hallway, start the coffee, put my smart watch and cell phone on the charger, then do some yoga or foam rolling in the living room for that wonky hip while the coffee brews. 

When the coffee pot stops, I’ve been pouring my coffee into this giant Ravenclaw insulated cup we got at Universal Studios on my birthday last year.

It’s supposed to be mine, but Mr. Six (whose birthday is two days before mine) thinks it was his birthday present, never mind that he got a butterbeer cup. 

*ahem* Once the coffee is poured into the giant cup, I sit down on the couch, open up 4thewords.com on my laptop and do my gratitude practice. And I’m a bit silly about the date. It gives me joy to write my dates like this:

The gratitude practice helps me get in the right headspace for writing.

Then I pull up my file for the day on 4thewords.com (affiliate link). 

Usually, it’s where I left off the day before and I either read my outline for that beat if it’s new words or if it’s editing, I dive right in to reading my notes and re-reading that scene. Outlining is also a possibility. The outline is a whole separate process. 

I try to focus on my file with no distractions. (See phone and watch in the other room on the charger).

When the baby inevitably wakes up, I put up the foot rest on the couch and nurse her back to sleep.

When I’m editing and need more words to beat the monster I’m battling, I might start a new document with a blog post in it or an email to my newsletter. 

The marketing, and all of that happens in stolen moments throughout the day.

While I struggle with managing all the pieces of writing and marketing, I have to accept that this is a season in life. As my friend Jill N Davies has said, this is literally the slowest I’ll ever write, thanks to the two small interruption machines who I love so much.

If you’re a writer, especially a writer mom of littles, I’d love if you’d comment back with your routine.

How do you get your writing done?