With creative work —such as writing— it is often thought that we must wait until the muse strikes to do our best work. That could be the case and, certainly, when it does, we must take advantage of it. But it is also important to set aside time for writing, rain or shine, to meet the goal. It’s the idea of discipline vs. muse. But it’s even better to create a balance and to follow some great time management tips for writers.
For instance, having a space to write, both physical and in terms of time, is very helpful. In terms of writing space, you can set up a desk, a nook, or an office where you go to write. That way everything has its own place and you don’t waste time organizing yourself before you start writing.
Setting aside time to write could be spending three hours on a Sunday to write a blog article or two. It could also be sitting down every evening after dinner to add a few paragraphs to a story. You determine the time that you have according to your schedule.
Time management is not only about time; it is also about having and using the right tools that will help you be efficient with your time. #timemanagement #writingcommunity Click To TweetCreating the Time for Your Writing
Time management is not only about time; it is also about having and using the right tools that will help you be efficient with your time. Decide on the tools that work for you so that when an idea comes or it is time to write, you will always be ready to capture words. I use the notes on my cell phone and keep a notebook nearby, too, for when I’m away from my laptop or an idea is too fleeting to wait for the laptop to start.
An agenda is an ultimate tool to keep me on track. Either at the end of the beginning of the month, I write down next month’s deadlines. Depending on what I am working on, I might also create a checklist of everything that needs to be done and I mark them as completed as I work on each item.
Working with Deadlines
Last but not least, deadlines are a great motivator in time management. If you are writing for someone else’s blog or publication, they usually set a deadline for you to submit your article. That helps you work it into your schedule. If you are writing for your own blog, you can set deadlines based on your publication schedule.
For example, if you publish once a week, you can sit down once a month to write and schedule next month’s four or five weekly articles or you can write every Wednesday and schedule it for Sunday. I prefer to batch my writing. I sit down once a month and complete next month’s articles. The session will usually allow me enough time to complete a good draft and then I use a second (or third) session to edit and polish my writing. In this case, I color code my writing to remember what I have to do next.
In summary, These are My Best Time Management Tips for Writers
- An agenda is an ultimate tool to keep you on track.
- Deadlines are a great motivator.
- Batch your writing.
- Color code your writing to remember what to do next.
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