Time Management for Writers

[Linda Adams]

What are some things you do to manage your time to make sure you write? I see a lot of discussion about word count goals, but not much about the time side. Especially when you add things like research (which isn’t writing); searching for markets; submitting; going to conventions or writers conferences or book festivals; etc.

—

I have been experimenting with a monthly calendar. I like the monthly because I can see the whole month. Unfortunately, in weekly and daily format, the stuff tends to disappear. I only see that day or that week, not that next week something is happening. I use Post-Its to mark deadlines for short story themed subs (i.e., name of magazine, word count requirements, theme, etc.). The actual deadline isn’t an appointment — it’s mainly there as a reminder than I need to get the piece done early. I’ve had a bad habit lately of discovering a great theme, but it’s due in two weeks. Then I have to drop everything else and race to finish it, and possibly have typos that are not so easy to find.

I also use the Post-Its for cons until I decide if I’m going or not. Once I’m going, that gets marked on the appropriate days. For timed appointments, I mentally divide each block in threes. Morning appts go into the top third, afternoon appts going into the middle third, and evening in the bottom third. This is NOT to fill my entire day up like most time management advocates would have you do; it’s merely serving as a reminder, both of something upcoming like the Gaithersburg Book Festival (next weekend) or the last time I got my haircut.

[Rook]

I really enjoy this website: chains.cc

I’m not part of any groups on the site. I just keep track for myself. I think it’s important to start with a few easy-to-achieve daily goals, so that one doesn’t get overwhelmed with the site and simply stop using it. It’s silly that creating a virtual “chain” somehow helps to motivate me and manage my time, but it does. A few of my tasks are just 30 minute tasks, so having a tab with the website open is a good reminder to myself to just buckle down and do something for a short bit in order to maintain my chain. This has helped me to make consistent progress on a host of small things that are usually tempting to put off or skip.

[zette]

The problem I’ve found with time management is that you start thinking you can only write at designated times. You set aside an hour every other night to work, but if you miss that hour then people will often not bother to work at all. I have a different way of working. I look for any few minutes I have during the day, and then fill in the rest at night when I’m mostly free.

I want to write. If you don’t want to, you aren’t going to look very hard for any time.

If a person can get in the right frame of mind, even ten minutes between other work can gain you a couple hundred words or a note or two on current work. This isn’t always easy for people, though. Jumping from one thing to another takes training.

The reason a lot of people do better with word count goals rather than a specific amount of time to write is because it is easy to waste time, even when you tell yourself you are working. Sit at the computer for an hour looking at the manuscript, and maybe adding a word or two, isn’t as good as writing 400 words in that amount of time. You have to be honest with yourself in both cases and set good goals in time, words, pages or whatever else works for you.

[Linda Adams]

Word counts are some of the worst things for me. I tend to run short so it puts a really unhealthy focus on the word count itself, and I start writing to try to meet the goal instead of writing well. Some of the best material I’ve done has been on a laptop at lunch, where I have a time limit and am forced to use WordPad, which doesn’t display word counts. I’ve come back and discovered I’ve done 700 words in 40 minutes.

[WorthyWoman]

I’m so glad that this topic came up!

I am trying to figure out how to keep track of several things at once. Classes I’m taking. Class(es) I’m teaching. Research for one nonfiction book. Practice writing in fiction, etc. Stories are bubbling in my head, and my find myself bouncing from one thing to another.

[mfassett]

I’ve found recently that the thing that helps me most in getting words written is using a timer. I sit down, set a timer for half an hour or forty-five minutes, and don’t allow myself to get out of the chair or do anything other than write while that timer is active. I try to make sure I do at least one of these sessions each day. I haven’t gone a day without writing since July 7th last year.

[Author]

Posts