Hey there! It’s been a bit crazy since my last blog post went live. Although, now that I type that, it’s kind of always crazy, isn’t it? Life just kind of happens that way. Lately when someone asks “how are you?” or “how is everything going?” instead of saying “fine” I, like many others, find myself answering “busy.” Which is honestly in conflict with how I’m trying to view the world these days–through the lens of a minimalist writer.
Not one who writes about minimalism, but a writer who pursues minimalism as a lifestyle.
Busy seems to be the new normal. And there are thousands of things fighting for our attention at any given second. When you go to a web-page, count how many advertisements flash the sale of the day and try to capitalize on your FOMO (fear of missing out). Sidenote: I just learned that acronym–forgive me for being a bad millennial. And those videos that autoplay! I. Hate. Them. With. The. Fire. Of. A. Thousand. Suns.
Really it comes down to us though, and how we make choices about how to spend our time. Am I going to binge watch seventeen episodes of Parks & Rec on Netflix, or am I going to read a book, or am I going to write my book?
Making Deliberate Choices About How To Spend My Time
There are a lot of layers in our schedules these days that we maybe don’t even think about as occupying our time. Walking the dog, getting ready for work, commuting, just to name a few. I physically mapped out my time the other day on my Google calendar because I wanted to know how much time I have in a day that wasn’t already spoken for. Basically I wanted to see realistically how much time I could spend writing each day. Here’s what a typical day looks like for me:
This exercise was a bit eye-opening. As you can see, I have a pocket of time between work and dinner that adds up to 1.5 hours, and then another one after walking Ypsi (our dog) that’s about 1.25 hours. Occasionally my husband walks her alone, so sometimes I have an extra 30 minutes in the evening. However, on most days I have 2.75 hours that are “my time” to do with whatever I want. I include reading as time “spoken for” because I think it’s essential to sharpening my creative writing and analytical skills. And I’ve tried sacrificing sleep in the name of getting more done, but I ended up sick and netted even less work because of it. I was writing minimally instead of being a minimalist writer.
2.75 hours out of 24 isn’t a whole lot of time, if you ask me. So I had to prioritize. Decisions about what to do in the evenings became more important, especially when I considered how long it takes me to write and what my end goals are.
What’s this have to do with being a minimalist writer?
Minimalism means something different to everyone. For me, it’s about seeking simplification, eliminating excess, and only doing activities that add value to my life. Since I have fewer than three hours to spend doing whatever I want, I’ve chosen to use at least half of them to work on my manuscript. The other half I generally spend with my husband, because I think it’s critical to make important relationships a priority.
Having only about 1.5 hours a day to work on my writing has pushed me mentally and creatively. I have to hyper focus for that time in order to be productive, and the time-crunch has forced me to stop censoring myself in the interest of getting words on the page. By actively choosing to forgo other forms of leisure and focus on my writing, I’ve raised the act of writing to a new level of importance in my mind, which motivates me even more to do it well.
If I only have a few free hours, I might as well spend them creating something I’m proud of. To me, being a minimalist writer is all about placing importance on a few key areas of life and truly living them out.
From here on out
I’m trying to constantly stay aware of how I’m spending my time and with whom. It’s so easy to fall into a pattern of consumption, whether it’s mindlessly scrolling Pinterest for five hours, binge-watching the newest hit show, or obsessing over the shiny new tech toy. When making a decision about a purchase or a time-commitment, I ask myself a few questions:
- Will this still make me happy tomorrow? Next week? Next year?
- Does this serve my goals for my life/career?
- Is there something else that would satisfy the want I’m trying to fulfill as well as make me answer “Yes” to numbers 1 and 2?
This isn’t meant to be a preachy post. Recently I’ve been noodling what’s important, what’s not, and what’s going to serve my long-term vision for my life. This is really just my view on the current world, and is in no way meant to diminish or attack anyone else’s views.
My answer is to pursue a life as a minimalist writer–a writer who appreciates the simple things in life, strives to experience life through active choices instead of passive reactions, and translates the stories in my head to words on a page.
Had any revelations about life, writing, or both lately? I’d love to hear what you’ve got going on. Leave a comment or send me an email at author@kierstenlillis.com
For more information on minimalism, I recommend checking out the Becoming Minimalist blog.
