I’m a teacher. Currently I’m a middle school science teacher but for years (a decade plus) I was a middle school English Language Arts teacher. One thing I’ve noticed that students struggle with is structure. Many of us adults also struggle with structure. Some people are super structured and that is their entire thing. They have a plan for each day, each week, month, year, and their life. And others are floating along and engaging with the things in front of them without a thought for the next thing or day or their life. I suspect that most of us are somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. We are highly structured in some ways at certain times of our lives and then just floating along at other times and in other ways.

If it isn’t obvious this connects to solo RPGs because it can be hard to find time to play. One of the great things about solo RPGs is that you can drop in or out of them as your time allows. When I want to do a little prep work or even play a little bit, I can do it whenever I have a few minutes, but if I’m in a group, I’m stuck to the time when we can all meet. I often reward myself on the weekends when I do house chores by taking a break and playing a solo RPG for an hour.

Of course, this all leads to the flip side which is that because you can play whenever you want you can get stuck not playing at all. This happens to me sometimes, when I get home from work and have 30 minutes or more, I think about playing but instead sit on the couch and veg out.

So how do we ensure that we actually have the time to play and not just watch that time get sucked up by the numerous other things that take our attention? This is where we come back to teaching ELA. When I taught ELA my students were expected to read at least 30 minutes a day in their books. One of the things we talked about was setting up a specific time and place to get lost in a book. It seems simple but this is the same for solo RPGs. Create a regular time in your schedule for playing solo RPGs. Then set up a space for playing.

For example, I set aside Monday evenings to play solo RPGs. Does this mean that I only play them then? No. Does this mean that I’m dogmatic about having to play then. No. I do try to protect that time but things come up. In terms of space, I have my desk set up for play. With the decks, dice, journals, writing utensils, and anything else I need to play right there at the ready. This both allows me to be ready on those Monday nights but also allows me to drop in and drop out fairly easily.

Of course, you will need to think about what makes the most sense for you and your schedule. Maybe it is during your free time of 30 minutes every morning before work. Maybe it is Saturday afternoons. Whatever it is, schedule it in your head and hold it scared (kind of).

In terms of a space, you might not be able to have a certain space that is yours to play games. But you could easily set up a gaming kit. Use any bag, load it with your gaming stuff, keep it out of the way but handy. Pull it out and play. Or use a device. But I will say that if you go with a more mobile set up it is still good to find a space where you are going to play. Having that space and time, connected, and ready will train your brain to know that now it is time to play. It works for reading, it works for good sleep hygiene, and it works for playing solo RPGs.

Finally, set light goals for yourself. I set a five hours a week goal and usually find the time to hit it. I sometimes do more than that and sometimes I don’t hit it but it is still a good number for me to keep focused and on the mission.

Don’t force it and if you are getting tired or burnt out, then step away for a little while.

What about you? Do you have a time and place set up or are you a grab a minute as you can kind of person?