I've been spending far too much time procrastinating and doing things not related to writing. This is a killer for me, especially since I have so little free time in the first place. So I made a spreadsheet to track my time and "credit" myself points which I could spend on surfing, gaming, etc. And then I thought, why not tell people what I'm doing and add another layer of accountability?
Who knows, maybe if enough people find what I'm doing useful, they can make and share their own spreadsheets (man, that sounds really nerdy).
So first off, some ground rules:
1) You get one point every 1000 words, and .5 points every 500. 1 point = 1 hour, so 2.5 points equals two and a half hours of guilt-free time. Word count towards earning points is rounded down, so 998 words still counts as a half-point.
2) In spending points, minutes are rounded up. Watching a 45 min TV show counts as one full point. So maximize your guilt-free time.
3) Certain critical things are exempt from the point system. Work, family time, meals, exercise, bathroom breaks... (you get the idea). Reading and critiquing works from your writing group are exempt also, since those actually help your development as a writer. If you get too caught up in a good book to write, then /shrug.
4) Points do not expire. You could build up 10 points and have a totally guilt-free day catching up on BS:G or playing WoW.
Here's mine: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?pli=1&hl=en_GB&key=tMvdAtk5Vu5rplef7X0jYAQ&hl=en_GB#gid=0
Who knows, maybe if enough people find what I'm doing useful, they can make and share their own spreadsheets (man, that sounds really nerdy).
So first off, some ground rules:
1) You get one point every 1000 words, and .5 points every 500. 1 point = 1 hour, so 2.5 points equals two and a half hours of guilt-free time. Word count towards earning points is rounded down, so 998 words still counts as a half-point.
2) In spending points, minutes are rounded up. Watching a 45 min TV show counts as one full point. So maximize your guilt-free time.
3) Certain critical things are exempt from the point system. Work, family time, meals, exercise, bathroom breaks... (you get the idea). Reading and critiquing works from your writing group are exempt also, since those actually help your development as a writer. If you get too caught up in a good book to write, then /shrug.
4) Points do not expire. You could build up 10 points and have a totally guilt-free day catching up on BS:G or playing WoW.
Here's mine: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?pli=1&hl=en_GB&key=tMvdAtk5Vu5rplef7X0jYAQ&hl=en_GB#gid=0
