Time management is important in any line of work, but for the writer, it can be the difference between getting paid or not. Chances are, there are many other things calling your attention that can easily distract you from using your valuable time wisely.
The number one issue that writers face daily, is dealing with time sucking distractions. The best laid plans can be destroyed in seconds even when you had every intention of sitting down and getting straight to work. All of a sudden the phone rings, or there’s a dog barking excessively next door, a family obligation comes up or maybe you are just distracted by your own thoughts and fears.
Whatever your particular distraction may be, these time management hacks should help get you back on track and get that writing project done! With the help of available writing tools online, you can learn how to build a blog from scratch.
Unplug
The simplest and most effective way to avoid wasting valuable is to turn off your internet connection. Without internet access, you will not have the urge to pick up your phone and check social media or to log into your email and start checking all your emails that have been piling up over the weekend.
Something as innocent as popping onto social media for just one minute usually never ends up being just a minute. Before you know it, you’ve wasted hours scrolling through social media accounts or answering emails. This is one distraction you can truly do something about, so just unplug and don’t give it another thought.
Schedule your Day (Create a Routine)
Being a writer may allow you to plan out your day at your own pace, especially if you are a freelance writer, but it would be very beneficial to have some sort of schedule. Once you do come up with a doable schedule, do your best to stick with it.
For example, if you find yourself more productive at a certain time of day, or a time of day where you know you will have fewer distractions, pen yourself in for a few hours of uninterrupted writing time. If you work better doing your writing in chunks, maybe broken up with other life responsibilities, then schedule yourself around those activities.
You would be surprised at how busy you can be but never actually get anything done! Staying on task and getting some sort of writing routine down will not only keep you on task but you will also feel more productive.
Don’t Feel Bad saying No
Don’t bite off more than you can chew! Taking on more projects than you can realistically complete is never a good idea. You will end up feeling rushed and overworked which can actually reduce productivity. Committing to back to back projects on a continuous basis can leave you unmotivated and uninspired. Stick to projects you know you can complete in a timely manner and be sure to allow some downtime in between.
If you work from home, you may also have to exercise your right to say no to the people around you. When working from home, you can easily become the person that is viewed as always available to take care of daily task that just takes up too much of your precious writing time.
Marie Kondo Your Organization System
Organization queen, Marie Kondo, whose method is to declutter and simplify can work for the writer as well. Staying organized and on top of the business side of things can save you a lot of time and headaches.
There are many tools available to help you do this or you can keep it very simple. Keeping track and managing client information, job details, deadlines, earnings, tax information, and other important information can be done by creating well- named folders on your computer that can be easily found when needed.
Not being able to find this information quickly can be a huge waste of time.
Break Huge Projects Into Manageable Chunks
Large projects can be exciting, but they can also be very intimidating. When a project feels overwhelming, it can lead to procrastination, big time procrastination!
A great way to avoid this is to break the project up into small more manageable chunks and stick to a content calendar. For example, commit yourself to 15-20 minutes of uninterrupted writing, take a timed break that you determined to be enough to refresh your body and mind, ideally about 10 minutes and then come back and complete another 15-20 minutes of work.
Before you know it, you will have made quite a dent in that huge writing project and will feel like you did not waste a bunch of time being unproductive.
Good time management is a must for writers. These time management hacks should not only help you waste less time when writing, but should also help keep you on task so you can meet deadlines and keep those writing jobs coming in.