How to Find Time to Write During the Holidays (Without Losing Your Mind)

by John Wallis

The holidays are loud. They are crowded, emotional, chaotic, expensive, and relentlessly social. And yet, for writers, they can also be strangely fertile. While others complain they “have no time,” we quietly understand something different: time is not found, it is created.

This guide cuts through excuses, guilt, and calendar clutter. We focus on practical, repeatable strategies that work in real homes with real families, real fatigue, and real distractions. No theory. No fluff. Just execution.

Redefine What “Writing Time” Actually Means

The fastest way to fail during the holidays is clinging to the fantasy of long, uninterrupted writing sessions. That model collapses under travel plans, guests, kids, cooking, and obligations.

We replace it with a more durable definition:

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Writing time is any focused moment where words move forward.

Ten minutes counts. Two paragraphs count. One page scribbled on your phone while someone else watches a movie absolutely counts.

Writers who survive the holidays abandon perfection and embrace progress in fragments.

Shrink the Session, Increase the Frequency

Holiday schedules punish rigidity. They reward flexibility.

Instead of planning to write for an hour, we plan to write for 10–20 minutes, multiple times a week. This does three things:

• Lowers resistance
• Reduces guilt
• Makes writing easier to start

A short session feels manageable even on exhausting days. And once started, those 10 minutes often stretch into 25.

Consistency beats duration. Always.

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Schedule Writing Like an Appointment, Not a Hobby

Holidays expose the truth: anything unscheduled gets erased.

We don’t “fit writing in.” We block it.

Treat writing like:

• A dentist appointment
• A meeting you can’t skip
• A flight you won’t miss

Put it on the calendar. Defend it politely but firmly. Writing survives the holidays only when it is treated as non-negotiable.

Use Transitional Time Ruthlessly

The holidays create dead zones of time most people waste:

• Waiting for guests to arrive
• Sitting in parked cars
• Early mornings before the house wakes
• Late nights after everyone crashes
• Airports, trains, long drives (dictation counts)

We convert these moments into micro-writing windows.

Notes. Voice memos. Outlines. Dialogue fragments. Bullet points. Scene sketches.

This is not lesser writing. This is strategic accumulation.

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Lower the Bar for What “Good Writing” Looks Like

Holiday writing is not polished writing. It is survival writing.

We give ourselves permission to:

• Write messy
• Write incomplete scenes
• Write out of order
• Write badly on purpose

The goal is not elegance. The goal is momentum.

Editing belongs to January. December is for keeping the fire lit.

Create a Holiday-Specific Writing Goal

Generic goals fail during the holidays.

Instead of “finish the book,” we set seasonal goals:

• Draft three scenes
• Write 5,000 rough words
• Clarify the ending
• Build a chapter outline

Holiday goals are contained and realistic. They focus on movement, not completion.

When January arrives, we are ahead instead of starting cold.

Protect Your Energy, Not Just Your Time

Time without energy is useless.

Holidays drain writers emotionally. Family dynamics, social overload, and disrupted routines take a toll. We counter this by guarding energy intentionally.

That means:

• Saying no without over-explaining
• Leaving early when needed
• Taking quiet breaks unapologetically
• Skipping events that cost more than they give

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Writing thrives when energy is preserved. Rest is not laziness. It is preparation.

Designate a “Holiday Writing Trigger”

We anchor writing to an existing habit.

Examples:

• After morning coffee, write 15 minutes
• After dinner cleanup, write one paragraph
• Before bed, outline tomorrow’s scene

Triggers remove decision fatigue. When X happens, writing follows automatically.

This technique works especially well when schedules are unpredictable.

Communicate Boundaries Clearly and Calmly

We do not ask permission to write. We inform.

Simple statements work best:

• “I’m stepping away to write for 20 minutes.”
• “I’ll join you after I finish this page.”
• “This is my quiet time—I’ll be back shortly.”

No defensiveness. No justification.

People respect clarity more than explanations.

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Use Writing as an Escape, Not Another Obligation

Holiday stress builds pressure. Writing releases it.

When approached correctly, writing becomes:

• A mental refuge
• A moment of control
• A private space amid noise

We stop treating writing as one more responsibility and start treating it as relief.

That shift alone increases output.

Accept That Some Days Will Fail—and Move On

Missed days happen. Family emergencies happen. Exhaustion happens.

We do not spiral. We do not dramatize.

We resume at the next available moment.

Holiday writing success belongs to writers who restart quickly, not those who never miss.

Use the Emotional Weight of the Holidays

The holidays surface memory, grief, joy, regret, nostalgia, longing.

Writers can harvest this.

We channel:

• Old conversations
• Childhood memories
• Family tensions
• Seasonal loneliness

Even if the project isn’t personal, emotion transfers. The work deepens.

The holidays offer raw material most of the year does not.

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End Each Session Mid-Thought

Stopping at a natural pause makes restarting harder.

Instead, we stop mid-sentence or mid-scene.

This creates psychological momentum. When we return, the brain is already engaged.

This single tactic dramatically reduces resistance the next day.

Prepare for January by Writing Now

Holiday writing is not about winning December.

It’s about protecting January.

Writers who write even a little during the holidays:

• Start the new year warm
• Retain confidence
• Maintain creative identity

Writers who stop entirely face inertia, doubt, and re-entry resistance.

Small holiday sessions prevent big January delays.

Final Thought: The Holidays Don’t Steal Writing Time—We Give It Away

Writing during the holidays is not about discipline. It is about priority clarity.

We don’t wait for permission. We don’t wait for perfect conditions. We don’t wait for silence.

We write anyway.

Because writers who keep going when it’s inconvenient are the ones who finish.