Time Management for Writers
When you consider each book you write as a project, you realize that you’re operating as a project manager. Everything you do becomes a task on your timeline that you cross off when it’s finished. The keyword here is “timeline” since the biggest defining aspect of a project is that it has set start and finish lines. You can try to extend the deadline, or you might struggle with meeting accelerated ones, but the fact remains the same: the project ends once you submit or publish it.
Many authors experience writer’s block (the inability to conceive of what to write or how to begin writing) and worry about their work. Others struggle to meet deadlines. Time management can assist in resolving these challenges. Though we are aware that there are standards to follow when writing, each of us has our own style and method that works for us, and this is what distinguishes us.
That doesn’t mean we have to fight our way through the mayhem every time we write. Writing, though it may be our main work, shouldn’t consume us or drain our mental and physical energy. The best way to be able to be productive in writing while also making time for our personal lives is to manage our time. How do you do that, you ask? That’s what we’re about to tell you.
The Biggest Time Management Struggles Writers Have
Before we dive deep into time management tips, it’s important to point out why we need to manage our time. Let’s define the biggest time management challenges that most writers struggle with. The most common challenges are as follows:
- Focusing on multiple projects (or books) at the same time. This is also commonly known as multitasking.
- Finding the balance between meeting deadlines and looking for new clients.
- Setting realistic expectations for the desired goals and discovering that their production is substantially lower.
- Having enough flexibility to deal with sudden changes and unforeseen circumstances while committing to the deadline all the same.
- Procrastination is a writer’s most lethal enemy yet, somehow, closest friend.
Expert Tips to Manage Your Time as a Writer
Time management can be different for everyone. There are no rules to state that one technique is right while the other is wrong. That’s why we’ve done our best to compile a list of tips that can prove helpful to you, but by no means are they absolute. Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t. Just be sure to find your way of managing time in a manner that proves fruitful.
That said, we divided the tips into sections based on the stage of the project you’re in. After all, your project starts long before you put pen to paper and ends after you’ve written the epilogue. With that in mind, here are some tried-and-proven expert tips to help you better manage your time as a writer.
Making Time to Write
You must set time for writing before you begin. That can be difficult if you’re working a day job and writing is either your side hustle or a hobby. Even if you pursue writing on a full-time basis, organizing your time can be challenging. If that’s the case for you, here’s what you can do:
A lot of people are most productive in the early hours of the day. It’s worth waking up early to enjoy the sunrise as your creative juices get to work, but you can also make use of your mornings if you aren’t an early bird. Just start your day by writing whatever comes to your mind, or at least research or outline the writing you have to get done throughout the day.
Use Your Breaks to Write
When you look at your day, you’ll find that you waste a lot of time during lunch breaks, on social media, or on other time-consuming activities. What better time to get a few words down other than these wasted periods?
Divide Your Writing throughout Your Meals
Maybe you prefer to write while eating. If that’s the case, why not divide your word count for the day throughout your meals? If you do research during the morning while you’re eating breakfast, you can make use of lunch and dinner to get ahead on your word count.
Write during the Night
Here’s the late-night owls’ favorite tip: when everyone else goes to sleep, pick up your pen and start writing. Nighttime bursts of inspiration are common in the creative community. A lot of people can’t seem to focus or get in touch with their creative juices during the day. If that’s the case for you, then you can squeeze in a few hours of sleep during the day and write at night instead.
Set Boundaries
It’s okay to say “no” when you’re asked to do something you don’t have the time for. Whether it’s an overtime assignment, a favor, a social outing with friends, or anything else, it doesn’t matter if it’s not on your list of priorities.
Delegate
One of the first rules for managing time is to pick the things you do. There are things you have to do on your own. If you despise a task, perform it poorly, or it has no direct bearing on your writing or financial success, outsource it and employ someone to handle it.
Organize Your Day into a Routine
Extreme circumstances necessitate desperate measures. Perform a thorough examination of your daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. Take advantage of any gaps and use them to your advantage as a writer. Finally, the best way to make time for writing is to include it in your daily routine. When you have a set routine that you perform daily, you’ll be able to seamlessly fall into writing according to your schedule, instead of trying to fit it into random time slots every day.
Before You Write
Now that you have set aside specific periods for writing, you’re almost ready to sit down and let the words flow. However, there are a couple of things you’ll need to do first to ensure your writing goes smoothly. You’ll need to:
Eliminate Distractions
Everyone knows that you won’t get any work done if you’re constantly checking your Facebook notifications or scrolling through Instagram. Treat your writing time as sacred: turn off your notifications, make sure your workspace is relatively quiet, and create a world in which there’s only you and your book.
Set Writing Goals
It’s worthwhile to mention that setting clear, realistic goals is key to keeping you focused on writing. If you start on an ambiguous project, you’ll waste a lot of time wondering if you’re on the right track, researching, and doubting your progress. This part also holds true to setting a daily word count that you need to fulfill, regardless of what unforeseeable circumstances you may face. Mark Twain famously remarked that eating a live frog first thing in the morning ensures that the rest of your day will be better because the worst is over. After all, you’ve previously eaten a live frog, so what could go wrong? In other words, don’t doubt your work as long as you accomplish the goals you’ve set for yourself.
When It Comes to Writing
Now, it’s finally time to start writing. Although it may seem like you’ve achieved your goal of managing your time and being ready to write without distractions, there are still some more time management tips you can follow during your writing session. These tips serve to improve concentration, increase productivity, and combat procrastination. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it? Well, here’s our end of the bargain:
Think “Energy Management”
Instead of merely focusing on how much time you should spend on a certain project, it’s more effective to think about how much energy you can spend during a designated time. After all, your productivity is not the same throughout the whole day. Preserve your productive periods for the difficult tasks, be it research or outlining the book.
Try the Pomodoro Technique
If starting on a project feels too heavy on your heart, try the Pomodoro technique that’s been created especially for procrastinators. Set a twenty-five-minute timer. Don’t do anything else other than write. Take a five-minute break before continuing for another twenty-five minutes. Repeat this process for each writing session. Take a longer break after four cycles and then repeat.
Challenge Your Word count
Once you get the hang of the Pomodoro technique, challenge yourself further by trying to write more during the twenty-five-minute intervals. Keep challenging your word count until you know your limits, and then adjust your daily word count accordingly.
After Writing
The best thing you can do after writing is to reward yourself for your hard work. When you train your mind that there is a reward after completing your tasks for the day, going through your tasks becomes much more bearable. You can treat yourself to small things every day and leave the bigger treats for the end of every project.
As writers, we usually struggle with finding the time to write while juggling all our other duties. However, just like any other project, we can easily make the time to write by tweaking a few things in our daily routine and approaching writing with the right mindset. Once we do that, we’ll be able to enjoy writing in a productive, creative, and enjoyable manner.
Create. Not for the money. Not for the fame. Not for the recognition. But for the pure joy of creating something and sharing it.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
