One of the many questions I'm asked when I share that I wrote a book is, "How do you have time?" Yes, I spend most of my days working a demanding job that leaves me barely enough time to use the bathroom, let alone write a book. If I'm not at work, I'm shuffling my kids around to their many sports and activities all over the county, doing my best to be there with my appropriately-themed attire cheering them on. If I'm not at basketball, football, baseball, softball or drama, I might be home attempting to keep up with the never-ending demand of household duties - laundry, dishes, breakfast, lunch, dinner, homework, sleep, breakfast, lunch, dinner again...
So, how DO I have time? My answer is as simple as it is true- I MAKE time. I think it's so important that we make time for the things that matter. I make time each morning for personal time with God, to read a devotional and journal, a habit I've practiced faithfully for the past eight years or so. Let me tell you, that matters! I believe I wouldn't stand a chance each day without covering my day and my loved ones in prayer each morning and starting my day looking through a God-filtered lens. I often find that the majority of my time goes to my career and my children. Those things aren't bad; I love those things and am grateful for them. But, surely I am here for more than earning a paycheck and waving pom-poms for my children. We get one life here on this Earth, approximately 80 years, if we're lucky, and you're not guaranteed that. Have you done all you want to do? If not, what is holding you back?
How did I make time to write a book? It wasn't something I did in one sitting, or even in one year. It was something God had placed on my heart and I came back to time and time again. It kept tugging at some far corner of my mind and I knew it was important to share. Do you know when I put the biggest dent in the completion of my book? A couple of years ago, I was needed to accompany a club, a group of all girls, at my school, who had reached the World level of competition in their organization. The competition was scheduled for Memorial Weekend in Iowa. (Did I mention we live in New York?) I was needed to go because, out of three administrators, one had COVID and one was male, so that left me. At first, I was disappointed that I would miss a holiday weekend with my kids, probably get behind on work, and have such a long bus ride- 24 hours there and another 24 hours back to be exact! Then, I saw this for the opportunity it was, a chance for me to focus on something I had been putting off, something I didn't have time for at home because I'm working and mothering and cheering- my book. A 24-hour bus ride is a long time to think and write. The 24-hour ride back feels even longer. We stayed in the dorms at Iowa State, and before bed, I wrote some more. That trip wasn't enough to finish the book, but it had certainly started to take shape.
The following year, the same club made the World Competition AGAIN! This time it was in Detroit, about a 9-hour bus ride, and THIS time I VOLUNTEERED to go. It was during this trip that I finished the rough draft of The Unlikely Leader.
After that, I began editing and revising. Sometimes, this part isn't as exciting, but it is necessary. I was back home, back with my kids, working, cheering from the bleachers, breakfast, lunch, dinner... How did I have time to finish the book? Again, I MADE it, this time scheduling blocks of time for myself on my calendar, an hour here or an hour there on weekends or days off from school, time I would commit to working on the book. I did this faithfully until it was finished!
Everyone has a story to tell. If you want to tell yours and the daunting task of putting pen to paper is discouraging you, here are a few things I suggest you try:

1. Schedule Time (Actually Schedule it)
Schedule a block of time to devote to just brainstorming or journaling. It's a start. If you have something written down in your planner or scheduled on your calendar, you are much more likely to actually do it, or at least reschedule it.
2. Location, Location, Location!
Choose a quiet space, somewhere that inspires you, somewhere with no interruptions. Maybe a cafe or comfortable space just outside of town where you don't know anyone. Maybe you know of a place with great scenery, lakeside, or even in the local Library.
3. Make the Most of Margin in Your Schedule
Maybe you have to take the kids to practice and wait in the car. Instead of scrolling on social media for an hour, bring your laptop and devote some time to your book. Have you ever been stuck at the airport? This was another place I worked on my book and was really able to make the most of precious time.
We all have the same amount of time, 24 hours in each day. It's not about HAVING time; It's about MAKING time. If something matters to you, make time for it!