Time Management Tips for Writers

I found these tips the other day and thought they hit the nail on the head. They're from an article called "Six Ways for Writers to Produce in Volume" by Michele Beardsley.

DECIDE WHAT KIND OF WRITER YOU ARE BEFORE COMMITTING TO NUMEROUS PROJECTS.

Does it take you an hour to write two pages? Or can you write one page in ten minutes? Some writers produce many pages in a short amount of time, others need longer amounts of time to write just a few pages. Once you figure out your own writing style, you can determine how many hours or pages per week you can commit to without setting yourself up for failure.

SET ATTAINABLE GOALS.

Are you writing a novel, short story, or article? If you're under contract or preparing an editor-requested submission, it will make a difference in how you set your goals because more than likely, you already have a deadline to meet. However, if you're not writing against a deadline, it's up to you to determine:
A. How much time do you have each day to write?
B. What kinds of projects do you want to finish?

ORGANIZE AND PRIORITIZE.

Devise a schedule or chart and post it near your computer. Each day, when you complete your daily goals, mark them off. If you don't complete your pages for the day, don't make yourself crazy by adding those pages to the next day. Goals must be attainable! If you get overwhelmed, it's easier to give up. If you find you're consistently unable to meet your daily goals-change them. And remember, even if your muse decides to take a vacation,
write your pages anyway. You can decide what to change or discard during the re-writes.

Decide which projects you must complete first, second, and so forth, and write on each one in order of importance. If a deadline looms near, you might need to drop working on everything else except the project du jour until it's complete.

WHEN IT'S TIME TO WRITE - WRITE!

Do not your use writing time for anything other than writing. If you need to write a query, follow up on a submission, work on promotion, prepare a contest entry, or update your Web site, then figure out other times of the day you can devote to the "business" end of writing. You can even use the same kind of chart to help you finish writing-related projects.

DON'T OVERCOMMIT.

If you're re-writing a novel, starting another one, finishing a short story for submission, working on a couple of articles, and so forth, you'll get overwhelmed fast. Consider how much time each day you have to devote to writing and limit the number of projects. If you have two hours of writing time, then choose one or two projects. If you have several hours during the day, you might choose four or five, or you might decide to devote more time to two projects, thus completing them faster.

REWARD YOURSELF.

Whenever you finish your project (or just your daily or weekly goals) then reward yourself. Buy a book, go to the movies, eat chocolate, or just relax. Rewarding yourself for jobs well done will go a long way toward helping you complete the next set of goals.