Hello, lovely writers!
My name is Kaitlin Cuevas, and I am honored to be writing this guest post for you! Your fearless leader, Sarah, reached out to me because she noticed a trend in this community: authors not only struggling to find time to write but also experiencing feelings of guilt when taking time to write.
That’s where I come in! For the past four years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with over 50 women across the country on creating more guilt-free, stress-free time to pour into their own cups and spend quality time with the people they love most! Often, this looks like optimizing time and task management, creating sustainable habits/routines, and lightening mental load. You can read all the background deets HERE!
Now, let’s get to tackling these two speed bumps!
I have three main thoughts to share with you. The first is addressing a possible deeper fear, the second is addressing “not enough time,” and the third is addressing guilt. We’ll break down each of the three, but I like the approach of “telling you what I’m going to tell you, telling you, then telling you what I told you.” 😊
First: Is there a deeper fear here?
Are you avoiding writing because you’re worried your work won't be “good enough”? Are you uncomfortable with the thought of others reading your writing? Does the thought of success make you concerned about losing time with your family?
If this resonates with you, know that you are not alone! It’s human nature to lean into comfortable situations and shy away from uncomfortable ones. In this instance, not writing might feel more comfortable than writing. And that’s okay!
For any lasting change to occur, these fears must be addressed. Keep this in mind as you start implementing the tips below!
Second: If it’s truly about a lack of time…
Let’s work on creating more time in your weeks. One of my most popular free resources is a guide that helps you identify unproductive time and reallocate it more effectively (you can download it here).
In this instance, writing is a great use for the time you discover!
Start small. If you find ten hours of unproductive time in your week, start with just one hour. Practice that, then gradually add more time.
Third: If it’s truly about guilt…
One of my core beliefs and teachings at Think Happy, Co. is this:
You serve others better when you serve yourself first.
This means you are a better wife, mom, friend, daughter, sister, employee, and author when you take time to do things you love.
Think of it this way: You can’t pour from an empty cup.
Contrary to this analogy, I believe many women, especially mothers, can pour from empty cups. However, it’s not sustainable, it doesn’t feel good, and we certainly are not the best versions of ourselves when our empty cups go unattended.
I challenge you: Do you enjoy writing? Does it fill your cup? If yes, it deserves to be a priority—not only for the sake of your work but for your happiness and wellbeing.
This mindset shift can be life-changing. Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and if it had been, it probably wouldn’t be around anymore!
And that’s a wrap, my friends! But first, let me recap what I told you!
Today we talked about overcoming the obstacles of not having enough time to write and feeling guilty when you do take time to write.
First, identify if there’s a deeper fear associated with these challenges. Second, reassess your unproductive time and allocate some of it to writing. Third, practice this reframe: You serve others better when you serve yourself first.
XOXO, Kaitlin :)
P.S. - Come hang out with me on Instagram @thinkhappy_co!