When people say they don’t have time to write, it’s often because they don’t know how they’re spending their time. Is this something you struggle with?
Track Your Time
Try this: For one week, track your day in 15-minute increments. Write down everything—emailing, driving, texting, social media, meetings, eating, watching TV. No editing. Just observe.
Most people are stunned by how much time slips away unnoticed.
- Hours on social media looking at all of those enticing reels.
- Extended phone calls.
- Repetitive tasks that could be delegated.
These “invisible hours” could become your writing time.
Once you tally up your week, you’ll see patterns—some helpful, some wasteful. Maybe your mornings are your most productive, or maybe you find quiet in the evenings. You’ll likely uncover multiple 20–30-minute pockets that are currently underused.
So now you have time to write. What next?
This is where many professionals get stuck. Time is reclaimed, but they don’t have a system—or support—to use it well. They freeze at the blank page. They start and stop. Momentum fades.
That’s why working with a ghostwriter can make all the difference. Once you carve out your writing time, you don’t have to do it all. A ghostwriter can help you:
- Organize your ideas
- Develop your structure
- Turn recorded thoughts into written content
- Create a professional manuscript
- Maintain accountability through consistent progress
You stay in the role of thought leader, not content manager.
Reclaiming time and working with someone who keeps your momentum going is a powerful combination. The hardest part of writing a book often isn’t the writing—it’s the discipline to keep going when your schedule shifts or life gets in the way.
Imagine the end result: a published book that amplifies your credibility, attracts new opportunities, and captures the knowledge you’ve spent years developing. And it all started by analyzing where your time was going—and deciding to use it more intentionally.
So start with the audit. Track one week. Then block out a few hours next week. Use that time to outline, record, or brainstorm.
Then consider bringing in a professional to help turn your reclaimed time so that you have time to write a finished book. You don’t have to go it alone.
Pat Iyer MSN RN LNCC is a consultant, speaker, author, editor and coach. She has written or edited 70 of her own books and worked with dozens of authors. Pat is an Amazon international #1 bestselling author. Coaches, consultants, and speakers hire Pat to help release the knowledge inside them so that they can attract their ideal clients.
She delights in assisting people to share their expertise by writing. Pat serves international and national experts as an editor, book coach, and a medical and business writer.
