Life can get busy – creative time can get lost in the chaos of working, caring for your family, hobbies, housework, and appointments. Before you know it, the sun has set and you are off to bed, recharging your mind and body for another hectic day. I used to get frustrated on my busy days with the erroneous reasoning that if I did not get in “X” amount of hours to write, I was a failure as a writer. I’ve learned that this is not true; I am a writer regardless of how much time I spend writing.

I’ve learned to ferret out pockets of time during busy days to devote to my passion. I carry a small notebook and a pen every time I leave the house. I can always find five to fifteen minutes in a busy day to jot down ideas and images that pop into my mind. I write in coffee shops, bars, restaurants, on the bus, on a plane, even as a passenger in a car (although watch out for those bumps). I don’t have to write a novel in a week. Five minutes a day can produce a poem or the beginning of new story; five minutes can create a post for one of my blogs; five minutes can give me a break from the frenzy of the outside world and take me away to a peaceful place for a few precious moments. Five minutes can be a mighty force in the creative life.