Finding Time to Write in the Spaces of a Busy Day

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, finding time to write can seem like an impossible task. Between work, chores, and social obligations, the day flies by, leaving little room for creative pursuits. Night comes and your staring at the ceiling. Another day gone by without writing a single word.

It's ok, those day must be as well. Yet, I've come to realize that the secret lies in the small, often overlooked moments—those brief pockets of time where we find ourselves waiting.

To be frank, I don't have a quiet place to write without being interrupted, the home I live in always in a rush, noisy and a life to be lead. I can't go on writing retreats in the weekends and come back glowing with a manuscript at hand as I have a job with no flexible hours to take advantage over. I think most of writing people will be in a similar position. I have to slither between the tasks and demands of the day with too few hours in a day to make a living. I don't want to stop living an actual life to have time to write a fictional.

I have found though, that in between the slithers, in the minutes in a queue, life is living, and if remember to write it down, I also feel more present in the hours and days that flies past.

The Day Job Problem

There is no question that I will spend my life writing. Being a successful writer is not even my first priority as I find it scary and a little bit boring even. Success in writing often means selling books, but if that is the only reason to write or only goal, most of us will be disappointed by the end of our life.

The concept of having a day job is often seen as a problem for having the time of being a writer. I have found it doesn't have to be. Thinking that spending hours on my dead end job mindlessy scanning, cleaning, putting on shelfs and asking if people need any help, I do my best thinking. When looking over my writing I find that some of the best things I have, comes from the small encounters during work hours.

I decided many years ago, to not spend my life devoured in my journalist career I thought I wanted to be able to write about things others want to write about. I decided to work a day job instead to maximize the time writing stuff that I truly want to write for myself. Honestly, I haven't looked back since.

The Art of Writing While Waiting

In addition to work just enough to get by in my day job I clock in and out from, there is the magic in the waiting moments we should all try to utilize better.

You’re standing in line at the supermarket, a basket full of groceries in hand. Instead of scrolling through your phone looking at others people content, why not make it yourself? What if you used those few minutes to craft a sentence or two? It might seem trivial, but those sentences can add up.

The minutes or hours you spend waiting for sleep can be fertile ground for ideas as no one is bothering you or wanting your attention. Insomnia is the writers best friend as well as their monster. Keep a journal nearby to capture those late-night thoughts before they slip away instead of doom-scrolling reels.

Even mundane tasks like waiting for potatoes to boil can become opportunities. Stirring the pot, your mind wanders—let it drift into the world of your story. Imagine characters, plot twists, or dialogue. By the time dinner is ready, you might have the bones of a new chapter.

The Magic of being In Transit

Waiting for the bus? I do constantly, on average I spend about 8 or 10 hours either waiting for the bus or riding it. I still find the act of travelling magical. The landscape outside the window ever changing of road trips. Also, I don't have money for a car of my own, so I don't need to pay attention to traffic, surely winning in life by my books.

The world of highways, benches by the bus stop and chairs with strange patterns will be my office. Pull out a notebook and jot down a poem. Let the rhythm of passing cars inspire your words. Let the life of the passengers become a part of your writing life.

Really see and notice the world turning and being lived around you. I assure you, it will give a better input to your written words than staring into your mahogni desk alone ever will.

Live Life to Write about Life

One of my writing teachers told me that you should go to every party you were invited to. Never let life slip away from you because you have to find time to write. However, let writing become a part of your life instead. At every party, you should lock yourself in the bathroom for ten minutes and write away. I think my writing teacher loved to party. Another one of my teachers missed the days he worked in a dead end job as a cleaner at night. Today he is a well known and renowned writer, but there was still something missing. Making the world as boring as possible to let the imagination work in your head. If you are a creator, you just can't help yourself.

Writing doesn’t always require long, uninterrupted hours. Your words doesn't need to wait until your at your designated desk with a cup of hot tea and a quiet house. For most of us just trying to get the words out there, this is not even the reality we live in.

The Power of Small Moment Among People

These snippets of time may seem insignificant, but they hold immense potential. They perhaps even seem obvious to some, but I think we also know that these moments are so easily forgotten.

Another thing to take notice of is looking how far away writers can become when they get too comfortable. A writer who once had a keen eye of the world of everyday people readers are, turned into a high brow nonsense no one could relate to. Remember, to write about life you have to live it as well, and if you write for people to read, you should live among them.

The writing can thrive in the cracks and crevices of a busy day. The key is to be present and mindful, ready to seize those fleeting moments. The journey here is learning to grasp those, to accept that, oh, this is something I must get down, and I am allowed to take those few moment right now. The time and life is mine to do as I please.

Next time you find yourself waiting—whether it’s for the bus, in a checkout line, or for dinner to cook—remember that each moment is a chance to create. Everything moving around you are not distractions, they are inspirations. Embrace the small spaces, and watch how your writing grows.