This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to take a mini writing retreat—and I pounced on that opportunity even though I could only spare a few hours.

On the Friday leading up to this retreat, I found myself listing out all the things I could work on at this mini-retreat. I’d have my laptop and wifi—I could get so much done on the volunteer work I do, or the freelancing jobs I’ve taken on, or developing my new side business…

But I had to stop myself.

No matter how long my to-do list is, I have to allow myself time to set it aside and just do what I love most. The other items will have to wait.

Saturday morning, I trekked to this lovely house hidden in SE Portland and sprawled out with my novel and only my novel. Since I haven’t focused much on my fiction since November (National Novel Writing Month), this was a strange mindset switch, and a rewarding experience.

For half a day, I escaped to the world of my characters. I wrote. I edited. I tweaked. It was glorious.

Is there a dream that you keep putting on hold because of other to-do items? Do you put off exercising or quiet time because of the guilt that you should be doing something for someone else?

Don’t let the guilt win. Manage your time well, scheduling “dream” time as much as possible. – Click to tweet this.

How do you find time to work on your dream?