Time Management for Authors

Wouldn't it be nice if you just had time to write? To be able to sit down in your favorite spot and produce awesome, inspired work that both you and your readers can enjoy? To roll around in those fictional worlds in your mind for hours on end?

You can, but I'm seeing a lot of would-be authors who knowingly or unknowingly place roadblocks in their path from the paradise they dream about. I hope this blog post helps remove some of them.

Like many others, I'm a member of a writing group. I'm a member of several Facebook groups about writing. I am also someone who helps writers format their books, design their book covers, and self-publish their finished work. But mostly, I'm an author...and a filmmaker. Through both I have learned many things that keep me focused and on top of my projects. Here's how I do it:

1. Don't take on more than you can handle
I have never owned a day planner, or scheduler, or an app to schedule. Occasionally, I will write myself a note or Post-it so I don't forget an engagement (Book signing on Friday). Hey, I'm over 50, so it's okay. But if you are booking yourself up to the point that you need to write it all down, then you are sacrificing your writing time.

2. Don't join so many organizations
I always get this picture in my head of Marcia Brady at the school bulletin board signing up for every after-school activity. Remember that? She wanted to be popular, or involved, or whatever. The moral of that episode was "don't stretch yourself thin." Don't sign up for every writing seminar, forum, round-table discussion, meet and greet you can. Why do you do that? It's to avoid writing, but feel as though you're still somehow involved in the writing process. It's a mirage.

3. Cut back on Social Media
Wow, is this a BIGGIE. Just think how much time you'd save by not checking Facebook constantly, "liking" posts, and reading what others are doing. Here's my take on social media: Only engage in social media as a reward to your day's work. If you've written 1000 words, or 2000, or whatever, and feel as though you've accomplished something in that day, then go online. Make it a reward. Catch up with your friends. But don't spend all day checking. That breaks your concentration, actually rewires your brain to not handle long spans of focused activity, and....do you really need to view or share so many cat memes? No, you don't. It's a waste of time, a cop-out, and a deliberate distraction.

4. Don't pick projects you aren't fully passionate about
This may seem obvious, but you really have to WANT to see the end goal of a project before you start it. If you have a minor interest in a story, don't do it. Ask yourself, "Will I still be interested in this story two or three years down the line?" If not, don't start it. Find something else that floats your boat. As you know, writing takes a lot of energy.

5. Make ONE goal and complete it
Not sure why I made this the last tip, because it's the most important. Do you want to write a children's book, or a Sci-Fi novel? Do you have short stories you've written and perfected since your adolescence or early adult life that you want to put together in a nice bound book? Whatever it is, stick to ONE goal and complete it, especially if you've never published a thing. Why? Because you want to get your first effort completed. There's plenty of time to follow up with other books you have in mind. But you need to get ONE done, and then you will feel that awesome sense of accomplishment. And each project after will build on that. You'll KNOW you can do it, because you will have physical proof.

Follow these simple rules and you are sure to get something out there. And, oh, what a relief it is! You did it. You got yourself a book. You...succeeded!

Related books:
How to Keep Writing with a Full-Time Job

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