One of the most common questions I get: “How did you write a book while working full-time?”

The honest answer: With difficulty, inconsistency, and a lot of learning what doesn’t work.

But I did it. And if you’re trying to do the same thing, here’s the reality of what that looked like for me.

My Work Situation

Let me be clear about what “full-time” means in my case:

I have a normal 9-5 job. On top of that, I help run a business with my spouse.

So it’s not just one full-time job – it’s two jobs that both require significant time and energy.

And I’m also a mother.

That context matters because my writing time isn’t just competing with work. It’s competing with family dinners, helping with homework, being present for my kid, spending time with my spouse.

Family comes first. Always has, always will.

Writing fits around that, not the other way around.

When I Actually Write

Here’s my honest schedule:

During the initial draft of A Fog of Shadows: I wrote 2 hours every night after work, right before bed. My husband cooked dinner and protected that time so I could just write.

Those two hours were sacred. I was selfish with them because I had to be.

Now: I still use time after work when I can to work on things – marketing, platform building, writing the next book. But it’s not every night, and it’s not with the same intensity.

Weekends: I write after family time. When the kid is busy or we’ve had our time together, that’s when I can focus on writing.

The key: I’m not giving everything to writing. I’m a mother and a wife first. Writing gets what’s left – and sometimes what’s left isn’t much.

What Actually Works (For Me)

Here’s what I’ve learned about making writing happen alongside full-time work:

Plan Ahead and Batch

There are times when you might have extra time. Maybe your spouse takes the kids for the afternoon. Maybe you have a lighter week at work. Maybe you’re just on a roll.

Use that time to batch prepare.

I batch write blog posts when I have extra time. I schedule social media content in advance. I prep newsletter drafts. Anything that can be prepared ahead of time, I do it when I have the capacity.

Then when life gets busy (and it always does), I’m not scrambling. The work is already done.

Realize Everyone’s Time Looks Different

What works for me won’t necessarily work for you.

I write at night because that’s when my brain is free. You might be a morning person who writes before work.

I need blocks of time to get into flow. You might write better in 15-minute sprints.

What I do wouldn’t have worked at a different phase of my life. When my kid was younger, I couldn’t have protected two hours every night. Now I can.

You have to look at your actual life – your actual responsibilities, your actual energy levels, your actual family needs – and figure out what’s possible for you.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

Make a Schedule and Write Down Goals

For me, making a schedule and writing down goals helped me stay consistent.

Not because the schedule was perfect or I always met my goals. But because it gave me something to aim for, something to come back to when I got off track.

A little progress is progress.

Some nights I wrote 2,000 words. Some nights I wrote 200. Some nights I just edited a paragraph. All of it counted.

The schedule kept me showing up even when I didn’t feel inspired or motivated.

It Takes Work and Practice

I’m not naturally good at balance. I’m still learning how to not push too much, how to recognize when I need a break, how to be consistent without burning out.

This is a skill you develop over time, not something you master immediately.

Be patient with yourself as you figure out what works.

What Doesn’t Work (Cautionary Tales)

Here’s where I need to be honest about my mistakes:

Pushing Through When I Shouldn’t

I hate leaving things unfinished. So sometimes I would push through exhaustion, stress, or complete lack of mental capacity to meet a deadline I’d set for myself.

Don’t do this.

You know what happened? Most of what I pushed through to create, I had to redo later. It wasn’t up to my standards because I was rushing. The quality suffered. The work suffered.

I would have been better off taking a break, recharging, and coming back to it when I had the mental energy to do it right.

Not Giving Myself Permission to Adjust

Self-publishing means you can reasonably move your timelines if you have to.

I’m still learning to actually do this. I try to stick to deadlines because accountability matters. But if I need a day, a week, or a few weeks off to recharge, I need to take it.

Burning out doesn’t help anyone.

The book will still be there when you’re ready. Your readers would rather wait a little longer for something you’re proud of than get rushed work that doesn’t meet your standards.

Trying to Do Everything All at Once

There were weeks I tried to write, market, build my platform, maintain my jobs, be present for family, and handle all of life’s regular responsibilities.

It was too much. Something always suffered – usually my sanity.

You can’t do everything at once. Some seasons are for writing. Some are for marketing. Some are for just maintaining what you’ve built while you focus on family or work.

Give yourself permission to prioritize differently in different seasons.

The Reality of Exhaustion and Burnout

How did I handle exhaustion and burnout?

Honestly? Not well.

This is the cautionary tale part of this post.

I pushed too hard. I didn’t stop when I should have. I prioritized deadlines over my own wellbeing more than once.

What I’m learning: Sometimes you have to give yourself a break.

The work will be there tomorrow. The book will still need to be written next week. But if you burn out completely, you won’t be able to do any of it.

Take breaks when you need them. Not when it’s convenient or when everything is finished (because it never will be), but when you actually need to recharge.

Your writing – and your life – will be better for it.

Staying Consistent (Without Perfection)

People ask how I stayed consistent while working full-time.

The answer: I didn’t. At least not perfectly.

There were weeks I wrote every day. There were weeks I didn’t write at all.

But I kept coming back to it.

What helped:

• A schedule to return to even when I got off track
• Written goals that reminded me what I was working toward
• Small wins – celebrating any progress, not just big achievements
• Flexibility – adjusting when life demanded it
• Practice – getting better at balance over time

Consistency doesn’t mean perfection. It means showing up more often than not and getting back on track when you fall off.

The Support That Made It Possible

Here’s the truth: I couldn’t have done this without support.

My family supports me. My husband, my kid – they’re proud of what I’m doing. They want to see this passion project work. They protect my writing time when they can. They celebrate progress with me.

I’m extremely lucky in that.

Not everyone has that kind of family support. And if you don’t, I want you to know: it’s still possible, but you might need to find other sources of support.

Look for:

• Writing groups or communities
• Other authors who understand the struggle
• Online communities focused on writing while working
• Accountability partners
• Even AI writing assistants (no joke – any positive support helps!)

You need people who believe in what you’re doing. Whether that’s family, friends, or fellow writers you’ve never met in person.

Support makes the hard days bearable and the victories sweeter.

What “Balance” Actually Looks Like

I want to be honest: I don’t have perfect balance.

Some weeks, writing gets most of my free time. Some weeks, I barely touch it because family or work needs me more.

Balance isn’t a destination you reach. It’s constant adjustment.

Family first. Always. Then work responsibilities. Then writing fits into what’s left.

Some seasons there’s a lot left. Some seasons there’s almost nothing.

And that’s okay.

The book still got written. The platform is still being built. Progress is still happening – just not always at the pace I’d prefer.

Practical Advice That Actually Helps

If you’re trying to write while working full-time, here’s what I’d recommend:

Find your actual available time. Not the time you wish you had – the time that actually exists in your real life with your real responsibilities.

Protect that time fiercely when you can. But also give yourself grace when you can’t.

Batch work when possible. Use high-energy periods to prepare for low-energy periods.

Set realistic goals. Small, achievable goals that you can actually meet feel better than ambitious goals you constantly fail to reach.

Track your progress. Even tiny progress. Write down what you accomplish so you can see you’re actually moving forward.

Know your limits. Pushing through occasionally is fine. Pushing through constantly leads to burnout.

Adjust your timeline when needed. Self-publishing gives you this flexibility – use it.

Find your support system. You can’t do this completely alone.

Remember why you’re doing this. On hard days, reconnect with what made you want to write in the first place.

The Timeline Doesn’t Lie

Here’s my actual timeline:

• 5 years: Dreaming about the story before writing it
• November 2022: Wrote 50,000 words in two weeks
• Two years: Editing, revising, preparing to publish
• 2024-2025: Building platform while working full-time
• June 4, 2026: Book launch

That’s not a fast timeline. But it’s a realistic one for someone working two jobs and prioritizing family.

And you know what? The book still got done.

Your timeline might be slower or faster than mine. That’s fine. What matters is that you’re moving forward, even if it’s slower than you’d like.

It’s Possible (But Not Easy)

Can you write a book while working full-time?

Yes. Absolutely yes.

Will it be easy? No.

Will you have to make sacrifices? Yes – though ideally not sacrificing family or health.

Will it take longer than if you could write full-time? Probably.

Will you sometimes feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or like giving up? Definitely.

Is it worth it?

I’m holding my published book right now. I built this while working two jobs, raising a family, and trying to maintain some semblance of balance.

So yeah. It’s worth it.

You Can Do This

If you’re reading this while juggling a full-time job, family responsibilities, and the dream of writing a book – I see you.

It’s hard. It’s exhausting. It sometimes feels impossible.

But it’s not impossible.

You might have to write slower than you want. You might have to adjust your timeline. You might have to give yourself more grace than you’re comfortable with.

But you can do this.

Find your time. Protect it when you can. Be flexible when you have to. Get support where you can find it. Make progress however you can.

A little progress is still progress.

And eventually, all those small bits of progress add up to a finished book.

I promise.