Even the best laid plans and schedules can fail. What do you do then?

  • Attend to your energy levels. Sometimes writing schedules don’t work out because you don’t have the energy to maintain them, or you’ve been too ambitious. Reschedule, considering starting small.
  • Start small. For significant life disruptions, particularly when there is considerable emotional challenge, getting back to your work all at once might be too big of a leap.
  • Recognize that disruptions happen and that it’s ok. A big part of getting back to regularly scheduled writing was saying “this happened, and it is ok” rather than beating oneself up over guilt.
  • Find a new pattern. When life circumstances change, sometimes our goals and time management plans must necessarily change as well.
  • Find support and accountability. Take on a co-author on a project, form or join a writing center writing group, or find some external support to help you stay accountable.

Neurodiversity, Neurodivergence, and Writing Processes

  • Scheduled writing time works well for most professional writers.
  • Neurodivergent academic writers, or those with chronic illnesses, may find that regularly scheduled writing time is not always a reasonable approach.
  • These writers may find more benefit in:
    • creating an “energy schedule” and working according to what they can do at that time.
    • creating time for writing, but being flexible.
    • writing when one is able.
    • understanding their needs as writers.
    • setting themselves up for success based on their own unique processes.
  • The key with all of this is to create time and space for writing.

Download ND Writers Weekly Schedule (pdf)