We all have busy lives and schedules. Even pro-songwriters have a million reasons to fill up their diaries full of un-writing hours. So how do songwriters find time to write?
My co-writing friend, Gina Boe, told me about her routine a few years ago. At one point, she had a full-time job, and four kids homeschooled, and she still found time each week (Thursday evenings) that was her sacred moment for writing songs. She's now a Dove award winner with #1 songs in various genres, and that would never have happened without keeping her sacred moments work. I still use her "sacred moment" idea to help with my own writing.
By the sacred moment, I mean a particular time set aside exclusively for songwriting. It doesn't have to be a great deal of time, but it should be regular and uninterrupted — social engagements, chores, phone calls, and anything else will have to wait. Moments are only sacred if you make them work.
Ten ideas to make your sacred moments work
Here are ten ideas:
1. Save it in your calendar — It doesn't need to be Thursday evenings; it can be any time, any day, or days. I'm grateful for the time I have in my studio. And it's essential.
2. Guard that time jealously — It's important to have some kind of agreement, especially if you are working around your family. Without that, there will always be another thing you will be dragged into. Guard this time jealously. Not in a horrible way. But without guarding it, it's always easy to have a million other things going on. And that would take you away from your calling: songwriting.
3. Give your right brain some quality time — Being a songwriter doesn't mean you have to spend every second of your sacred moment finding rhymes or deciding song structures. Listening to different music, reading, taking in inspiring films — this can all help. But they have to be all about writing a song at the end.
4. Fill the well — Every now and then, it's helpful to take a break from your writing to see the world from different eyes. Sometimes you need to get out there to take in the world and fill your creative well. Take a walk along the beach, view some art (either at an art gallery or online), read poetry, and consume some theatre or literature. There's always a title there somewhere.
5. Set a time for creative habits— For me, first thing in the morning is best for creative pursuits, like writing. But there are a million other creative habits that could work for you – I mention more about these in part III of my book The Organized Songwriter.
6. Schedule everything else — There are a million other things that would stop me from writing songs (or anything) — work time, family time, chores, social time, you name it! So what do I do? I schedule all of those things, too, as best I can. While my family is incredibly supportive of me as a writer, there are a million other things that we could do as well, so blocking time with the family is the best way for the family to help you block time for writing.
7. Find alternative references — If you are writing commercial songs, it's important to know as much as you can about the genre you are writing. References are brilliant ways to find ideas for your genre, especially if they are great songs in alternative genres. Spending time on references is part of this special time.
8. Spend time with your own worship — If you are a worship writer, it's great to spend time worshiping on your own. Even if it's being quiet in your space, spending on your instrument or singing Psalms or other Scripture verses in your craft is a golden thing to do. My friend, Krissy Nordhoff here, talks about this more.
9. Spend special times in your Sacred Space — Having your own Sacred Space is amazing, but it can be incredibly frustrating if you are unable to spend quality time in your space. This is how to fix that.
10. First time = quality time — Whether you are an early riser or a late nighter, the best quality time is often the first work we do each day. For me, it's actually at Nashville co-write time: 10 am each morning. But either way, you feel at your best when you’re scheduling it for your craft. The craft deserves your best Sacred Moments.
Questions
Here are a few questions for you:
When do you write your best songs, mornings? Evenings? After lunch?
What time do you need to actually finish a draft song?
Are you spending enough time on your craft? Are you filling your creative well?
Do you have sacred moments scheduled to make the most of your sacred space?
Hope this helps!
Simon