If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. ~Toni Morrison

Now is the time of year when academics typically say to themselves, “I have a great big junk of time so I can get all that writing done that I have been putting off,” whether it’s their master’s thesis, dissertation, articles or books.  But the truth is, most academics squander their break, procrastinating on the writing and generally frittering away the time visiting with family and friends, just like the rest of the world does.  Here are some tips to keep you writing through the holidays:

1. Enlist the support of your family and friends to ensure you get your writing time. Explain that you are going to need to work during the break, much as you love them and want to spend time with them.  This puts everyone, including you, on notice about your intention to work. Because you may be in unfamiliar surroundings, find a visual symbol to let others know that you are thinking and writing: one friend used a red hair ribbon and explained it meant, “Do not interrupt me because I am working,” to her family.  Friends and family are generally happy to abide by the rule knowing there will be a time when the symbol comes off, and it will help you stick to the plan to write instead of schmoozing.

2. Prioritize by planning reasonable chunks of work time. Accept the fact that you are not going to get as much writing done during the holiday season.. Take out your calendar and pencil in a scaled back version of your typical writing schedule for the next 4-6 weeks. If you have been writing one hour a day, plan on a half hour instead, or cut 6 hours a week down to 3. Mark off times you know you won’t write, like New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, and lessen your guilt up front.

3. Write every day. Don’t expect to binge write.  As always, I recommend writing in small chunks instead of waiting for big blocks of time that somehow never materialize, and you never even get started with the writing. Even when you can’t actually write, you can still make notes on what you need to do, references to look up, or arguments you want to make.

4. Pick your time and go off-site. Going to a coffee shop, park or library works well if you are good at ignoring distractions.  Having been raised in a family of four children born in a span of five years, I find it extremely easy to ignore the bustle of a coffee shop, and sometimes it even helps my concentration to shut out the noise. If you are entertaining family or other visitors in your own home and have an office, make use of shutting your door and placing a sign on it that indicates you are working.

5. Use academic libraries during the holidays. If you are tired of writing, take a break by visiting your nearest academic library because it will most likely not be as crowded.  Make sure to check the hours before you go, though, because they often have reduced hours due to unavailability of student staff.

6. Maintain momentum by keeping a writing journal. Keep track of how much you are actually writing by keeping a bound journal. Why bound?  It’s both portable and your will not lose papers with good ideas on them. Note the when you sat down to write, what you did (a phrase or two, no need for paragraphs), the amount of progress you made (word or page count), how long you spent, and most important of all, where you will begin again the next time you sit down to write. Maintain the journal even on days when you don’t write, with your ideas or other things you want to do.

7. Write while traveling. Whatever way you choose to travel, plane, train or automobile, you can still get a lot done. Many airports now have banks of desks with plug-ins for laptops; trains have a lounge car, and if you don’t get carsick and someone else is driving, you can even work then.

8. Keep your EYES on the prize. EYES is an acronym to help you remember healthy habits

  • E is for Eating right: Pay attention to feeding yourself the right things at the right time. The body makes extra ghrelin, the appetite-boosting hormone, in response to anxiety. That may cause you to crave food high in carbohydrates and fat. Eat low fat foods that are rich in protein to help suppress ghrelin production;
  • Y is for Yoga or another spiritual practice: Attending weekly services or other meditative practice can protect against age-related memory loss and thinking problems, lower your blood pressure, help you stay connected to the wider world and enhance your sense of well-being;
  • E is for Exercise: Aerobic exercise also decreases the hunger hormone ghrelin, and lowers stress.  It reduces depression, by setting off pleasure chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine, making you feel calm, happy and euphoric. It reduces anxiety, and the effects last for hours.
  • S is for Sleep:  Most people need eight hours of sleep for 16 hours of “awake” time. It’s counterproductive to sleep too little and spin your wheels at night attempting to write. What you write may not make sense when you are overtired, and you will be less productive in the long run.

9. Be aware of your own limits: During the holiday season of parties, we often find ourselves indulging in alcohol more than we would during the normal course of the year. Moderate your intake alcohol, and don’t plan to write when you might be hung-over. You might serve yourself better by going back to bed.  Also, be aware of your own limits concerning time spent with relatives and friends, as some people find this extremely stressful.

10. Reward each planned chunk that gets finished. If you are slogging along paragraph by paragraph, but have managed to finish an entire section of your piece, take time to celebrate. Reward yourself in a way that refreshes you: go to the movies, have a cup of tea with cookies, spend time with your partner time.  This will make it easier to return to the task later.

So, those are my tips for being out of your usual routine and still get your writing done over the holidays!