Advice/Help Balancing full time work and writing / rp?

[monxmiracle]

I start work next week Monday to Friday, your typical 9 to 5 and I was wondering for all you roleplayers who work full time how do you manage to save time for replying to your threads or catching up with friends online? I am also planning to self study and look for better work opportunities. So with a somewhat packed schedule what tips do you have so I can manage rp, work, and other obligations. I enjoy rp and writing, but at the same time I do want to put my best effort in at work and self improvement.

 

[nerdy tangents]

Set realistic expectations for yourself and your partners.

I tell people right off the bat I work Monday through Friday and can only reply on weekends. I will also let them know as the week progresses if I have something come up.

Ex. Oh hey sorry I have a cold or I have to help my sister move her furniture out of her room or whatever.

Most of my partners are also busy with work, school, hospitalizations, etc. so they’re fine with a slow schedule.

 

[Lucyfer]

I have to second what Nerdy said, although I'm a bit of the reverse. I writing in the evenings on weekdays, and let my partners know that my weekends are usually my "me" time for video games and binging shows.

Honestly, they've been understanding. So, the first thing is to be honest with yourself, and your partners. Keep them informed, as well. There's a lot of us here juggling work, school, social lives, and all kinds of things. You probably want to steer away from partners looking for daily writers. Once you know what you can manage, on average (once a week, 3 times a week, etc.), then look for those with similar writing habits or those willing to accept that (they may write faster, but have a lot more active RPs, so they're okay waiting on one or two of their other ones).

So yeah! Communicate, be honest with them, and be honest with yourself. This is something for fun...which means even if you didn't have a packed schedule, and just wanted to screw around with stuff besides writing, and that screwing around (video games, reading, whatever else) takes time -- then make time to enjoy that AND rping! Just know what that time for rping looks like.

 

[TaperedNightjar]

For me personally,
I’m very up front about how available I am. I work 10-12 hours a day, five days a week. I am a GM and my roleplayers know how busy I am. I have a friend as a Co-GM to help when I’m not available. I have other things that need doing after work and I also require more sleep than the average person. So I usually set aside one hour to post and catch up. I may also bring my iPad to bed with me and hang out for a bit. Weekends are for making a whole handful of posts. On weekdays I usually only do one post per character each night after work.

 

[Murdergurl]

My schedule is just shy of 40 hrs a week, and sometimes I hit that and more. However, I have absolutely no regularity when my days off are. one week it might be Tuesday and Friday. Another week might be Monday and Sunday, etc. My hours are usually in the earlier morning. Or they were. Lately, I've been doing mid shifts, tbh. But my schedule can range from going in from as early as 6 in the morning to coming out as late as 10 at night and all sorts of in-between hours. I'm also married and have a kiddo. So, between work with no set schedule and setting aside time for my family (and I guess sometimes friends, idk?), you can only imagine how hard-pressed I am for time with this hobby.

The best I can manage is to basically try to make my time to post (or work on RP stuff in general) in the hours after everything is said and done for the day, and my kiddo is asleep. Basically, I have a couple of hours to myself before I have to go to bed. But that's only if I'm not getting up early the next day. If I am, then working on posts that require thought and concentration isn't going to happen. For this reason, I tell people that I can contribute a single post maybe two or three times a week.

Also for the reasons I mentioned, I do very little in the way of "real time" chat. And most definitely not for IC stuff. But these are thigs I've been up front with for a while. And when talking to new people or expressing my interest in an RP, it is something I make known right away.

 

[Jannah]

Just be honest; most potential partners will be understanding. Also, steer clear of writers seeking daily responses as immediately that is a sign you're not compatible.

 

[Makiling]

Ugh, I think I have the same problem. In my attempts to balance things out, I end up in the extremes of either side. Its either all research and thinking of write ups, to completely setting it aside to focus on work.

I've been on and off roleplaying since I started work years ago, So, if you find an answer, I'd love to hear it.