I have always loved to write. I spent a lot of time as a child journaling and by the time I reached adulthood, I was the proud owner of about 20 journals! When I went into my doctoral studies, however, I found that not only was I a bit rusty and out of practice with my writing, but that as a mom of two very active boys I had to create the space for my writing.
Every person is different, but personally when I write I find it to be something that I have to immerse myself in. It is very difficult for me to tune out extraneous noise or to focus my energy when I am finding myself worrying about what is going on in the next room (#momlife). During my doctoral program, I had a couple days a week at home while the boys were at school and this became my writing time. Shortly after the completion of my doctoral program, the pandemic hit and boy, did our life change (as did everyone’s!). In fact, I have remarked many times to my husband that our life today looks nothing like it did just over a year ago. With our boys now being full-time homeschooled, there is a constant hustle and bustle around the house. Not so much the creative space needed by an introverted and easily distracted writer. Over the last few months, we have tweaked things around the house and created the space I need for writing.
If you find yourself in a program of study and encounter challenges in making space for the writing requirements, reflect upon what is hard about the process for you. Is it noise interference, constant interruptions, or beginning the writing process? By identifying your hang-ups, you can get into the solution. For example, we reconfigured the room uses in our house to accommodate our new homeschooling lifestyle. We developed signals (such as a post-it on the door) that means the occupant cannot be disturbed at the moment unless it is life or death. Additionally, using a noise canceling headset may help, as well. Don’t be afraid to try some new strategies to help address the issues. Be ready to even have to make additional tweaks. Most importantly, try your best to communicate to those you are around daily what you need from them in regards to this. Communication of these types of things is healthy in any relationship and sets an example of problem solving and respecting boundaries for our children.
When you teach you touch the future and that is a pretty amazing place to be!
Deanna Westedt 