“I don’t have time.” How many times have we heard that excuse? Perhaps we’ve used it ourselves. Here’s another one: “I’m too busy living life to write about it.”

We are writers, creative individuals. It’s small wonder we’re also creative in our ways to avoid doing something which should be, to all of us, as basic and necessary as breathing and eating. But there you have it. Even the most devoted of all writers is an innovative procrastinator. Too busy? You say. I have a pat answer, one I insist on following with regularity: “Make time.” And I do. So should you.

Granted, not all of us are meant to be writers. That may be a good thing, as there are a lot of people who lack skills. But there are so many stories out there to be written: both fiction and nonfiction and everything in between. If we cop-out with the standard ‘lack of time’ excuse, then nothing will get done.

While teaching creative writing to adults, I came across this dilemma frequently. Time. We’re all so busy in our lives, it’s so easy to forget how to program ourselves to accomplish more without adding more hours to the day (which, obviously, we can’t do).

I always tell my students to set a routine: start each day with at least five minutes of writing. It doesn’t have to be anything earth-shattering. It doesn’t have to be in-depth in any way. Just write: write in a journal, describe a scene outside the window, choose a word, a noun, and brainstorm that word. There are lots of ways to write, to keep the writing momentum going forward.

Too often we fall for the time excuse. Another excuse is writer’s block. Okay. Admittedly, there are days when we don’t want to, or can’t, work on the great best-seller. The ideas just aren’t flowing. But there are other things to write about; other ways to write. And, by making the five-minute exercise a routine, who knows? It might lead to something more prophetic and inspirational.

Think of it as a practice routine. Musicians practice daily; so do dancers and other artists. Why not writers, too? Writing a descriptive paragraph about a randomly chosen noun, or even the scene outside your bedroom window, will improve your writing skills, strengthen your powers of observation and ability to describe a scene or a thing with great detail and, of course, get you writing. It may be a useless exercise in that the end result will be added to your personal slush pile. But, who knows? This random paragraph, a random descriptive passage, may come in handy someday when you’re writing that next big best-seller.

The routine established, I find I transcend from one writing exercise to another, and, eventually, into something larger, something more substantial. The other thing I do is carry a notebook with me – everywhere. I’m not talking about the computerized, high tech type of notebook, but the paper that requires a pen or pencil type. There’s one by my bedside, for that middle of the night brainstorm. There’s one that fits in my pocket, along with a chubby pencil, for walks with my dog, or puttering in the garden, or, even, cleaning the house. And there’s one I carry when I go out to those necessary appointments at doctors and dentists, the ones where you always have to wait. That’s the best time to write random ideas, do more writing exercises, or scribble away at nonsensical verse. Whatever, it passes the time and you’re writing.

All these tips aside, the important thing is to establish a routine. For me, first thing in the morning is the best writing time, before life gets busy and excuses multiply. Once the morning ritual is accomplished, I carry on with my other routines, with every intention of returning to one writing project or another later in the day. Once those creative juices are flowing, there’s no stopping the writer from writing and there’s no place for excuses not to write.