30 | How to Find Time to Write When Life Won't Stop

You want to write your book—but life won't slow down. The errands. The appointments. The constant demands. The exhausting pull between your responsibilities and the story God placed on your heart... and writing keeps getting bumped to the bottom of the list.

Sound familiar? You've tried productivity systems, but none of them work for someone managing life's competing demands while trying to birth a book that matters.

In this honest and hope-filled episode, we unpack the real reason you're struggling to find time to write—and it's not what the productivity gurus told you.

If you're tired of worldly hustle and ready for a biblical approach to time management for authors, this episode will transform how you manage your writing time.

🎙️ Inside, you'll discover how to stop conquering time and start stewarding it so you can create sustainable writing rhythms, work with your life's seasons, and finally make progress on your book—even when life feels chaotic.

Perfect for Christian authors who want to honor both their calling to write AND their other God-given responsibilities.

👉 Ready to find time to write when life won't stop? Listen now!

Transcript

You're exhausted. You're juggling a million things and writing keeps getting shoved to the bottom of the list again.

You know God has called you to write, but life keeps calling louder. The appointments, the errands, the family drama, the kids, the unexpected.

You're stretched so thin, you barely have energy left to think, let alone create.

Every day feels like a choice between life and writing.

Between the people who need you now and the story God's placed on your heart.

Maybe you've tried the productivity systems. You've downloaded the apps, bought the planners, set the alarms.

But none of them were designed for someone managing life's competing demands while trying to birth a book that matters.

Sound familiar? Then keep listening, friend, because here's what I've learned after years of wrestling with this exact pressure.

The problem isn't that we don't have enough time.

The problem is that most time management advice treats time like a resource to be conquered instead of a gift to be stewarded.

And there's a difference. A big one.

So today we're going to explore what it looks like to manage our author life from a biblical perspective.

Not the hustle, harder mentality that's everywhere online,

but the kind of time stewardship and time management that honours both our calling to write and our calling to love the people God has placed in our life.

This is about creating rhythms that sustain us for the long haul,

not just sprint tactics that burn us out by Thursday.

So turn up the volume and get ready, friend.

This is episode 30.

I'm Urcelia Teixeira, ex real estate agent turned award winning Christian fiction author.

When I wrote my first novel on a bucket list whim, I I had no idea it would spark a spiritual journey that would redefine my calling.

But you know what, friend? Self publishing wasn't easy. I got caught in the hustle, chasing rankings and sales while desperately trying to stay rooted in Christ.

Now, by God's grace, I'm building my author business his way. And now he's called me to help you do the same.

Welcome to the Anointed Scribe podcast on where faith meets business for Christian writers. Let's write, publish and grow our author business God's way. Are you ready? Well then, let's get started.

Hey, it's your author friend, Urcelia. And welcome back to the Anointed Scribe Podcast.

We are talking about all things time and time management today. Which makes me even more grateful that you are here listening to me right now. Especially because I know firsthand how every moment of your day needs to count.

So whether you are squeezing this in while multitasking,

walking the dog, or in those quiet moments after everyone else has finally settled for the night, thank you for letting me be part of your day.

If this is your first time joining me, welcome to my little corner of the Internet, where we talk about building an author life that serves God's kingdom and actually fits into the real world you are living in.

I'm so glad you found your way here, and I'm trusting that today's episode will in some way help and bless you.

I'm going to try and edit out the neighbor's dog that seems excessively noisy today, but if the odd box slips through the cracks, please accept my apology.

It can't be helped.

Okay, so before we dive in, I want to acknowledge something. If you clicked on this episode title, you're probably feeling some level of overwhelm about time, right?

Maybe you're behind on a writing deadline or feeling guilty about not showing up consistently for your author business.

Or perhaps you're wondering how other people seem to manage it all so effortlessly when. When your writing life seems to be in constant chaos.

Well, friend, first, let me tell you, those people who look like they have it all figured out and that they have it all together, they're probably struggling with the same things you are. Trust me, I know this. Because even though I'm the one doing this podcast, I still have weeks where I feel like I'm drowning, trying to balance my writing with the chaos of raising three teenage boys and running a super busy household.

Because above all, I'm a mother and a wife first. So it's always an emotional struggle. I feel you. I hear you.

Second, what we are going to talk about today isn't about adding more to your plate.

It's about bringing biblical wisdom to how you approach the time you already have.

So where do we start? When we're in a season where life, work, and service are pulling us from all angles?

Well, before we dive into any practical strategies, we need to establish the right foundation.

Because if we're building time management on worldly principles, we'll end up with worldly results.

Right and worldly burnout.

See, the world tells us time is money, time is efficiency.

Time is about maximizing output and optimizing every moment.

But Scripture gives us a different picture.

Ephesians 5, 15, 16 says,

Be very careful then how you live. Not as unwise, but as wise.

Making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil.

Now, notice it doesn't say, make the most of every minute or every hour,

it says, make the most of every opportunity.

There's a difference between cramming productivity into every moment and recognizing the opportunities God places in front of you.

Psalm 90:12 asks God to teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom again. It's not about efficiency.

It's about wisdom, about understanding that our days are numbered and precious, and we need divine wisdom to steward them well.

This shift in perspective changes everything.

When you see time as something God has entrusted to you rather than something you need to conquer, the pressure changes.

The guilt changes.

The whole approach changes.

Now, one of the biggest mistakes I made early in my author journey was trying to maintain the same pace year round.

I thought successful authors were the ones who showed up exactly the same way every single day, regardless of what else was happening in their life.

But that's not how God designed us, and it's certainly not how he designed family life.

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that there's a time for everything.

A time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to work and a time to rest.

Your author business has seasons too, and the sooner you embrace them instead of fighting them, the more peace you'll have.

I learned to map out my year honestly.

December.

That's not a month for deep creative work when I'm trying to create Christmas magic for my family, right?

July. August. As it is here in the uk,

it's the school holidays, the summer holidays, when the kids are at home, all day and routines are completely disrupted. That's not when I'm going to launch a new book marketing campaign.

Instead,

I started planning around these realities.

I use quieter seasons for the heavy lifting,

writing first drafts, developing new content,

strategic planning.

Busiest seasons get lighter tasks.

Editing, social media engagement, nurturing existing relationships with readers. Those are the things that you can fill your busy seasons with.

Now, this doesn't mean I stopped working on my author business during the busy seasons. It means I'm realistic about what kind of work fits those seasons. And I don't guilt myself for not being able to do everything all the time, right?

Something else that transformed my approach to time is treating certain time blocks as sacred appointments with God.

Now, I know that sounds dramatic or weird or whatever, but hear me out.

When you sit down to write,

you're not just working on a book.

You are stewarding a message God has placed on your heart.

You are partnering with him in something eternal and that deserves protection.

For me,

at this moment, this looks like 11 to 2pm being sacred writing time or depending on the week and the demands of my family.

Sometimes this has to change to maybe, I don't know, 4 to 6:30 or 7pm My family knows that unless there's an emergency,

that time belongs to God and the work he's called me to do. I told them beforehand and they respect it. And open communication with your family members, your husband, your children.

It's vital to protect yourself and those boundaries in that sacred time that you have to write.

I don't check my emails during this time either. I don't scroll on social media. I don't mess around with things that aren't important.

I don't even think about what's on my to do list for that day or the next day.

My full focus is on my writing in that particular time slot. Whether it's an hour or half an hour or three hours.

My full focus is on my writing.

But here's the key.

I also protect sacred family time with the same intensity.

Dinner conversations are sacred.

Game nights are sacred.

Saturday afternoons are sacred.

When I'm with my family and I'm fully present,

they not mentally editing chapters or planning marketing campaigns. Now this takes a little bit of training.

It takes a little bit of discipline. But once you get into the swing of it, you'll know how to switch your mind off of work and how to focus on the family.

The boundary works both ways and that's what makes it sustainable.

But even with boundaries in place,

I know it can still feel like we are not making progress because we simply don't have enough time in the day, right?

So when time feels limited,

the temptation is to wait for big blocks or of time to show up. We wait for those big blocks. I'll work on my book when I have a whole Saturday free.

Or I'll start that marketing plan when things slow down at work or at home.

But realistically speaking,

big blocks of time are rare,

especially for those of us juggling multiple responsibilities.

Whereas small blocks are blocks of time.

Those happen every day, right? 15 minutes of focused writing is better than 0 minutes of frustrated writing.

10 minutes responding to reader emails is better than putting it off for weeks because you can't dedicate an hour to it.

Right now I'm in my small time block season and I'm faced with having to maximize the 30 minute writing sprints I have available between my family's schedules.

Oftentimes I'm writing in my car while I wait for my youngest to come out of school.

And that's okay.

I've come to accept that this is all that I have available for me right now. And with that acceptance comes surrender,

comes trust, and faithfulness.

So instead of wallowing in self pity, which is often our default,

or putting pressure on myself to do more,

I celebrate the consistency that compounds over time.

Because faithfulness in little things really does lead to faithfulness in bigger things.

Just like Jesus promised and you know what else was probably the most important shift I've made in how I approach time management.

I start each week with prayer before I start with planning.

Every Sunday evening, I spend time asking God what He wants me to focus on in the coming week.

Not just in my author business,

but in all areas of my life.

What needs my attention?

What opportunities is he placing in front of me?

What should I say no to so I can say yes to what matters most?

Then I plan my schedule around what I heard in prayer,

not around what seems most urgent or what other people are doing.

This practice has saved me from countless rabbit trails and helped me feel confident about my choices even when they don't look productive from the outside.

Now we have to also talk about rest today because it's probably the most countercultural part of biblical time management.

And I think it's so easy for us to slip into the cultural norms when we're short of time, right?

See, the world tells us that rest is what we do when all the work is finished.

But work is never really finished for us authors, is it?

There's always another chapter to write, another marketing idea to try, another strategy to implement, and oftentimes this happens in our heads too.

Our brains never stop churning, right?

But see,

biblical rest is different.

It's not the reward for completed work,

it's the foundation that makes good work possible.

God modeled this for us in the creation. He rested on the seventh day not because he was tired,

as Isaiah 40:28 tells us when it says God does not grow tired or weary.

And God resting on the seventh day was also certainly not because he was done,

but because rest is part of the rhythm he designed for productivity and creativity.

See, after the seventh day, God continued His working of sustaining, governing, and caring for creation.

Jesus refers to this in John 5:17 when he says, my Father is always at work to this very day.

So God's rest on the seventh day wasn't about finished being finished with all work forever,

but about completing the work of creation and establishing the rhythm of work and rest.

That little pause, that seventh day break, that was just him pausing at the end of a chapter of chapter one.

He continued and continues his ongoing work of providence, care and relationship with his creation.

So what does rest look like for you and me?

Well, for me, this means Sunday is truly a Sabbath.

No author business tasks, no checking book sales, no stressing about deadlines. I don't even open up my social media.

In fact, I hardly pick up my phone at all.

I worship. I spend time with my family. I read or watch a movie. I rest my mind and my body.

And actually,

depending on how busy my week was, I sometimes rest and do this on a Saturday as well.

And you know what?

Monday morning I'm more creative, more focused, and more grateful for the calling God has given me. I can show up fully in mind, body and spirit to give it my absolute all during the week.

But I know it's often easier said than done because I, for one,

have an incredibly busy mind that honestly never switches off.

So how then, does one actually implement this in real life?

The same way we eat an elephant friend. Chunk by chunk, right?

We start small with prayer.

Pick one area we've talked about today that resonated with you. Maybe it's establishing sacred writing time, or planning around your seasons,

or incorporating weekly meetings with God and prayerful planning sessions.

Commit to trying it for just two weeks.

Don't try to overhaul your entire schedule overnight. Remember, we're talking about stewardship, not perfection.

Then ask God to show you how he wants you to steward your time in this current season of life.

Be honest with God about your limitations, your dreams and your fears.

He already knows them anyway, but the conversation changes you and give yourself grace.

Learning to steward time well is a process,

not a destination.

There will be weeks when everything goes according to plan and weeks when everything falls apart.

Both are opportunities to trust God and learn wisdom.

In an ideal world, we all want to live in a quiet, quiet cottage overlooking the ocean where we write all day and have no one and nothing else to distract us.

But for many of this,

that is just not our reality right now. And you know what? Be okay with it. Be grateful for it. Because God doesn't have you on a time block in his schedule.

He called you for the now,

and he will equip you to do what he's called you to do in whatever season you are currently in.

So to sum up today's episode, here's how to find time to write when life won't stop.

First, shift your mindset from conquering time to stewarding it as God's gift.

Second,

work with your life's natural seasons instead of fighting them.

Plan your heavy writing during quiet periods and lighter tasks during chaos Third,

establish sacred boundaries that protect both your writing time and your family time.

Fourth, embrace small time blocks instead of waiting for perfect conditions.

5. Start each week with prayer guided planning to focus on God's priorities.

6.

Make biblical rest a foundation for creativity,

not just a reward.

And finally,

start small.

Pick one strategy and commit to it for just two weeks.

Friend, I want you to hear this today.

God is not frustrated with your schedule. He's not checking his watch, wondering when you're going to get your time management together.

He's the same God who took decades to prepare Moses for His calling,

who allowed seasons of waiting in David's life before he became king, who used Mary's ordinary day to bring about the extraordinary miracle of Jesus.

Your author journey is happening in God's timing,

not the timeline you see other people posting about online.

Your job is to be faithful with what he's given you.

Today in this season, we with these responsibilities.

When you approach time from a place of stewardship rather than scarcity,

everything changes.

The pressure lifts, the guilt decreases.

The work becomes worship.

I want you to remember that you are not behind, friend.

You are not failing.

You are learning to steward well the gift of time that God has entrusted to you.

And that's not just about your author business.

That's about every area of your life.

Proverbs 16:9 says in their hearts, humans plan their course,

but the Lord establishes their steps.

Make your plans, but hold them loosely.

Trust that God is establishing your steps even when the path doesn't look like what you expected or what you desire.

He's got you. He's got your time and he's got your calling.

Stop fighting for control and rest in the truth by stewarding well what he's placed in your hands today,

friend. Before I let you go, I want you to use the send me a message link in the show notes and let me know where you need God to show up for you today so I can pray for you.

It's 100% anonymous. I can't see your name or your email or your phone number. I can't even reply to you. But I can read your request and I can pray for you.

So I encourage you to use this feature to send me a private message to let me know what you are struggling with right now so we can come together and take this to the Lord in prayer.

And if you found today's episode helpful, please consider subscribing and leaving a review.

You know firsthand the impact this has on discovery, so please help me get this show into more listeners ears.

I have a mission, and I cannot do it without you.

Oh, and if you want more tips outside of the show, sign up to my monthly five minute manna emails. The link is in the show notes. Okay, so that's it for today's show.

Thank you for listening. And remember, for such a time as this, you have been called to thrive as God's anointed scribe.