Time Management for Writers

Andreya · Aug 10, 2009

How do you manage your time? Some of you are pretty good at this, so please share the magic! How to maintain inspiration, discipline, sanity & wellbeing?
Do you use any special techniques, gizmos or strategies?
Do you divide your time into objective goals (eg 1 query a day) & time goals (half an hour of _________, 1 hour of _________ etc.?)

Matt's post & thread inspired me to do the timer thing again - so I'll repost what I did today here..

I hope that's okay..

I set the timer in 30 minute increments & started tracking my time.
It's also helpful if you don't want to call somewhere, but you give yourself 30 minutes to do it

somehow it sounds less horrible if you know it will all be over after 30 minutes.. (or whatever time you give yourself..)

I also looked for a planner that has daily entries divided into half-hour segments from 7am-9pm. Kelly James Enger recommends tracking your time like this in her book 6-Figure Freelancing. (not sure, maybe she has even 15-minute increments)

I actually got more things & research done this way. (was embarassed to hang in 'not allowed' internet places due to having to write it all down

).

Please share your strategies - effective & ineffective ones, we can learn from both!

Matt Willard · Aug 10, 2009

I do at least three most important things a day, and I sit down to work on each of these in one-hour timeblocks. That's pretty much it. I simplify as much as I can to counter the fact that I do three big things a day.

Andreya · Aug 10, 2009

Thanks Matt!!

What sort of '3 things' would those be?
Like, an article or video or blog post or..?

(Sorry if this sounds stupid, I'm trying to figure out what kind of goals & blocks to set daily & weekly!)

novelette · Aug 10, 2009

I don't use any special gizmos but I have to rely on my own discipline. I know that I work best in the morning so that's when I try and do most of my work. When I first start for the day, I check e-mail and read a couple of writers forums (like this one). I try not to spend more than 15-20 minutes doing that.

I write as much as I can, which for me, is usually articles for a couple of sites I work for. As it gets later in the day, I'm less inspired to write non-fiction so I write fiction in the evening if I feel up to it.

I use Yahoo Messenger to screen e-mails instead of constantly checking it. I sign in as invisible (to cut down on friends and family instant messaging me) but can still see what e-mails come in and if they're important enough to check out right away.

Once I'm done working for the day, I'll go back to the forums and other stuff, but I try not to get into distracting stuff until I'm finished with work.

Resource Writer · Aug 10, 2009

RE: Time Management

Hi Andreya:

Great question! When I first started writing, I first asked myself the following questions:
1) Am I a night or morning person?
2) What items should I focus on first -- blogging, ezine articles, or my book? And how often for each project?
3) How much time can I realistically devote to writing per day?
4) What non-essential activities could I eliminate from my daily activities and replace them with writing?

I also create a daily list of things to do. I have at least 2-5 writing goals. Sometimes I complete them all, but if I don't I refuse to beat myself up. Instead, I rejoice for what I do complete and put the uncompleted activities down for the next day.

The bottom line is, if you love writing, you must make it a priority and do it on a daily basis.

Matt Willard · Aug 10, 2009

Andreya said:
Thanks Matt!!

What sort of '3 things' would those be?
Like, an article or video or blog post or..?

(Sorry if this sounds stupid, I'm trying to figure out what kind of goals & blocks to set daily & weekly!)

Well, big things like article drafts or revisions, a video...basically anything you can finish in two-three hours at most. But they have to contribute to your goals, otherwise it's not worth it.

Andreya · Aug 11, 2009

Thanks!

ResourceWriter, I'm definitely a night person, & it doesn't help my current 'office room' in the attic gets too hot after noon in the summer! So I'm working on getting a cooler room to work in de-cluttered..

I ask myself questions #2 & #3 too - any tips on how to answer them realistically?
Mostly #2 - how to divide time between different projects, such as

MAGAZINE WRITING
- finding, evaluating & analyzing/researching new markets - online/in Writer's Markets & analyzing the magazines/websites (many of them are so darn interesting!

)
- actually coming up with article ideas (that's the easy part I guess)
- evaluating which articles one could write effectively, with experts to interview & research to back up
(do you first contact the magazine or the experts? especially now in summertime, time of holidays..?? or just wait until September when people return from vacations?)
How do you evaluate this effectively? How do you know you can actually write the article well?
- sending actual queries..
- doing research
- writing/revising articles

BOOK WRITING
- revising/editing my WIP #1
- working on new book/s

- reading writing/editing books & helpful articles for inspiration & know-how..

Have I missed anything?

lol

I guess I'm trying to figure out what % of hours/time would be best alotted to each of these, & in what order..

jeffo · Aug 11, 2009

I have lots of schedules, but I'm a "list" person. I break my work time into 1-hour blocks. Then from the 1-hour blocks, I take 10-minute breaks where I get up and wander around, aimlessly. But for each block, I've got just one type of thing I do during that block. I might do the same thing in more than one block, but not consecutively. Something like:

7-7:50 Magazine Queries (send, respond, dream about, write, research)
8-8:50 Textbook Writing
9-9:50 Fiction Book Writing
10-10:50 Search for other freelance work
11-11:50 Magazine Queries
12-12:50 Lunch
1-1:50 On-line Article Writing (Demand Studios, etc)
2-2:50 Marketing, Web Pages
3-3:50 Research for books or writing

etc.

I know its kind of anal, but it works for me. And I change the schedule regularly (almost daily) to keep it from getting boring.

Andreya · Aug 11, 2009

Thanks Jeffo!

This is really helpful!

So you change schedule basically every day, & you don't always start with queries & then textbook writing, etc? You mix up the tasks & the hours, just by whim or any priorities in the game too? (eg more important stuff sooner - or later, if you are a night owl? or..?)

I am a bit mixed up with the advice of 'do most annoying/fearsome/important' stuff first & 'do important stuff when you're most concentrated' (i.e. later on in the evening, since I'm a night owl

) Maybe it just depends on the things to do? (one can't call interviewees or editors at 11 pm anyway.. unless they're on a different continent, hm!)

So you make the schedule each day/night ahead, or first thing in the morning?

plaidearthworm · Aug 11, 2009

My writing brain is best in the morning and early afternoon, so paid work gets top priority first. I look at upcoming deadlines and see what needs attention that day; lists help. Sometimes you get to a stopping point in an article, especially if you're waiting on callbacks for interviews, etc., so it's handy to know what to pick up next in line. I look at it this way:
1. Paid work for publications and websites (articles)
2. Unpaid work that gets published weekly (my column, since it lays the platform for my book)
3. Queries that could turn into paid work

4. Unpaid work for me (blog posts)

Welcome to the glamorous world of freelancing.

I don't set timers or anything like that; I just work until I have to do something else, like fix dinner, do laundry or clean a path to the kitchen. Part of time management is also being prepared, so I keep a notebook with me wherever I go; when I'm stuck waiting somewhere, I work on article ideas, flesh out sidebars, outline articles and brainstorm. I often travel during the day with my hubby, a computer tech, and help him out on jobs; on these days, I take a mobile office bag with my laptop, notebook, any notes or printouts I may need, and my cellphone.

jeffo · Aug 11, 2009

My schedule helps me because it also keeps me from getting stuck. If I've got no query juices flowing, I only spend the 50 minutes trying to get them going, then I'm on to something else -- whether I came up with some queries that day or not.

Yes, I mix it up all the time, pretty much by whim. If I have a deadline on a certain article or project, it can throw the whole schedule out the window, but only for a day when that deadline is met. I don't let them throw me off for more than that. I also make sure the schedule is made before that day. I don't want to get stuck in the morning wasting time trying to make up the schedule. Sometimes I make up a week's worth in advance, but always at least plan a day before!

Matt Willard · Aug 11, 2009

I also like to set the next day's to-do list in the evening. Helps me get up and go more quickly the next day.

Andreya · Aug 11, 2009

Thanks everyone! It's really helping me figure things out!

I like the unpredictability of your schedules, Jeffo!!

I've made to-do lists before, but often just ignored & avoided them for some reson! (especially if they were boring or I didn't really want to do the stuff on them!)

Do you make sure to have something fun or interesting scheduled in too?

Plaidearthworm, what sort of work do you find you can do from outside the home - in your mobile office? Even phone interviews & such? & how exactly does that work? Do you 'park' in a cafe or library or ..?

storylady · Aug 11, 2009

This is such a helpful post. Thanks to the OP for asking these questions. I am new to freelancing and this is a question that I ask myself a lot. My husband gets upset that I spend most of the day working, then I am so drained and run down that I go to bed. I need to learn to manage my time before I get burned out!

jeffo · Aug 11, 2009

I don't often schedule fun stuff in, just time for other stuff. If I reach all my goals by Thursday, which I aim for, I might take Friday for much lighter and fun stuff.

plaidearthworm · Aug 11, 2009

Andreya, I've done interviews in parking lots, and even on the road when someone else is driving. One time I did an interview on a notepad while wearing my Bluetooth earpiece, and kept going even though a cop walked around the car to determine if I was exhibiting suspicious behavior by talking to myself and writing notes, LOL. (He never came up to my window, just went away, and I wrapped up the interview without missing a beat.)

I've used both my laptop and just a notepad and pen for interviews. I've done research on my laptop at the library, cafe, wherever I find a wi-fi hotspot, but now I have a USB modem, so I don't need wi-fi to connect to the Internet. I use Gmail and USB drives to back up works in progress, so I can access my rough drafts anywhere and get stuff done. I gave up the landline, so callbacks are easy, since I always have my cellphone with me. I've discovered that I can work nearly anywhere, on any project, from start to finish. My battery in my old HP laptop is finally dying, so I'm getting an auto inverter for power for those times when I can't find an outlet in a McDonald's or library (I only do research, writing and photo uploading in libraries, though, no phone work.)

Having a mobile office is very liberating, because while writing at home is comfortable, there are fewer distractions when you write out and about.

Cate · Aug 11, 2009

Although I talk a lot about the importance of having a schedule, I'm afraid I am a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to how I work. I really go by my mood now, where in the beginning I followed more of a schedule. Some days I'll work ten hours pretty much straight through, while other days I just blow off and go out to have fun.

Most days though, I do something like this:

Get up around 8
Feed dog & walk
Eat breakfast/check e-mail/answer easy e-mail
File e-mail
Write
Work out
Lunch
Write
Social media marketing

Andreya · Aug 12, 2009

Thanks everyone!!

It's really helpful to see your strategies!

Plaidearthworm, WOW!!

lol about interviewing while being inspected by a policeman! You could write an article for Writer's Market or Digest or such on this!

/or let me interview you!

/

Auto inverter for power - is that a gizmo to plug your laptop into in the car? Does it suck energy from car battery (so this has to be charged more often) or..?
& how long did you battery last before? (how many hours?)

Jeffo, I like your approach too! (taking time off after finishing stuff..)
There was a similar post on http://freelancehomewriter.blogspot.com/ about scheduling time for content articles & then taking the remaining time off hourly... Can't seem to find it right now..
EDIT: found it - Who Else Wants to Write More in Less Time?http://freelancehomewriter.blogspot.com/2009/04/who-else-wants-to-write-more-in-less.html That's where I found the idea about an egg timer too!
I downloaded that program (I think) but not sure if it's 100% okay, as my PC has been behaving a bit strangely lately - might also be the new version of FireFox or some other downloaded stuff too, though...

I googled 'time management writers' & there are quite some links, haven't checked any yet!

Storylady, glad you find it helpful!

I was embarassed to ask at first, but after struggling with this on my own I figured other successfully published authors must have better strategies!!

Cate, what do you mean by 'file e-mail' (& how do you do it, online or offline too, & what categories do you have?)
Also, what kind of work-out do you do? in a gym, or at home, what & for how long?
Do you cook lunch to or just eat it?

Sorry if the questions sound really silly, it's just - well, I have no idea how to link it all & how to switch from one of the different activities to another?
If it were just me, I'd pre-cook a lot, other family members mostly demand fresh food though, & it's healthier anyway! We're into healthy food, so no microwaves & mostly food from scratch..
eg I get 'in the flow' & have to go make lunch - any strategies for this?
(We do have lunch at about the same time every day, so in theory I could schedule things, somehow I'm groggy in the morning & do lighter stuff & when I get round to being more alert it's time to make lunch, yikes! And in the afternoon the attic 'office' was usually hot..
so I ended up with long evenings, only to be groggy in the morning again..)

Am not sure if it's better to stick to my night-owl nature or try to become a morning person?
I might get taken more seriously if I became a morning person though...

Any other night owls (or ex-night-owls?) in this thread/forum?

Andreya · Aug 17, 2009

Gosh, no wonder how my timemanagement sucks!!

I printed out all the important forms & planned a really 'effective' week, & my parents just informed me of possible work such as hay-making on any of the days ahead (depending on the weather).. How to plan anything then??

Also spent past two days with relatives because of a funeral of a distant relative.. It was great getting to know the distant relatives, we hardly see each other and some of them are terrific.. (I wish I had seen my Great Aunt more often too!! She was an awesome woman!)

It seems I need two plans for the week/any of the days, one in rain, one in nice weather/powers-that-be deciding it's time for hay-making or such.. ugh!!

How do you deal with such maybe-agendas!!

nitaworm · Aug 17, 2009

Wow, time management is my goose egg. I do it and I do wonders.

Every morning I write several to do lists.

- one for work
- one for home/family
- got to do homework with kids
- usually try to do something fun with them too
- one for writing
- one for exercising (I have to - I love food)

After I do this I trim it down and prioritize. Now after years of practice, this doesn't take me long to do. Also, I don't require much sleep (5 hours max then I wake up).

When I am in writing mode, I usually finish 10 pages a day during the weekday and 40 pages on the weekend. My own personal goal, which I meet most of the time.

So my advice to you - start out small.

Make of to do list of 1 thing you have to do everyday - set a time for doing that one thing.

Then add on the high priority things that you HAVE to finish. Then check off what you have completed.

This takes time to condition yourself to do this, but it can be done.

jeffo · Aug 18, 2009

The way I deal with one-up interruptions to my schedule is just to continue on. If I have a block of time scheduled for doing a certain task and something else pre-empts it, I just move on to the next block of time and continue.

Then, anything that's on a deadline that gets pre-empted gets made up for after working hours (that's one reason to have those extra hours, I suppose).

Andreya · Aug 19, 2009

Thanks!

My health is a little bit temperamental so I'm not always up for writing even when I have the time (brainfog etc), & when I'm feeling fab (like today) other family members come up with demands for my time.. ugh!! I'm not even sure if I'm really needed or they just want me by, sometimes!!

Dad & Uncle can't sometimes agree between themselves when to do what at Uncle's farm either, so sometimes I feel like I oughtta try to coordinate time management of 3+ different people!!
If it were just me, I'd probably sort it okay, it feels really stressful to be dependent on other people and the weather also!! No idea how to go about it, ugh!!
Maybe I need to communicate about these things with Uncle directly, since my Dad is sometimes quite wishy-washy..

(& sometimes he enfuriates me so I'm unable to do work even if/when I *have* the time, ugh!!!)

jfleming · Aug 31, 2009

On Sundays (usually), I write a list of all the things I want to accomplish during the week, and I divide it up: business/copywriting, magazine stuff and my blog. I then choose a day (or two) for each area. For instance, on Monday, I might focus soley on researching for queries, articles, blog posts. On Tuesday, I might work on writing blog posts, promoting it, etc.

I like the tips you guys have, I think I need to start allotting a certain amount of time for tasks (like an hour or 2 for researching) and use a timer...Anway, thanks for the tips, ya'll!

Andreya · Sep 9, 2009

Thanks, Jfleming!

It's really helpful to see how different people go about it!
Dividing tasks per day seems helpful too!
I wonder if I could somehow do this monthly, as weekly things can get out of hand a bit, with unexpected occurances taking place..

I've come across this site that I like muchly: http://davidseah.com/
He has downloadable free forms for time management - The Printable CEO and the yearly calendar and other stuff.. His forms leave place for unexpected stuff happening etc..
When I wasn't motivated to start working on an article again last week, I just thought of it as a 'project' and how I would be able to 'tick the boxes' on one of his forms and it really helped!

I've never been able to work with 'real' bought time-management tools and usually resorted to make my own.. These are a great inspiration and I made my own weekly time-management/time-tracking list inspired by his tools..
I know someone who makes her own too, and includes astro info on her lucky days and such

Skyraven · Sep 12, 2009

Andreya - you can check out Time to Write by Kelly Stone. She works writing around a full-time job. This book has great tricks and tools to get you writing at your most optimal time.

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