I think one of the most elemental mistakes many aspiring writers make is believing that writing can only be done in significant chunks of time–and if you don’t have that time, you can’t be a writer.

This simply isn’t true.

You can write almost anything just a few minutes at a time, as long as you are consistent about it and find those few minutes on a regular basis. It may take you longer than other writers, but you can do it!

As a graduate student, I had my first child before I’d even started writing my dissertation. That means I wrote (and rewrote) some 300 pages with a small baby at home. I wrote during his 40 minute naps. I wrote in the evenings after he went to sleep. Nearly two years later, I finally finished. But–and this is the key part–I finished. I could have easily told myself that 40 minutes wasn’t enough time to research anything, let alone write. But I didn’t.

I think the same principle is true of any kind of writing. Even if you can only carve out a few minutes at a time, give yourself that time to write. You might surprise yourself at what you’re capable of doing!