I’m sure I’ve written on this topic before, but somehow, I can’t find it, and if I can’t find it, that means that you can’t find it. So, I’ll tackle it again.
I’ve been thinking about this recently because I’ve been swamped with Other Work (i.e. editing, formatting, and coaching). When I’ve got a lot of work to do not only do I rely on my To Do list even more (and sadly, too frequently discover that the app I was using for this just isn’t right), but I realize that I’ve really got to do more planning—or as it’s now called “time blocking.”
“Time blocking” is the new term for assigning a time and duration for every task you need to do. I think it’s great if you know how long a task will take you to complete. Sadly, I usually don’t. Not only that, but I frequently spend either a lot more time on a task or a lot less. And the one thing I hate more than anything is being told by my computer/app that it’s time to move to another task when I’m still working on the previous one.
So, I’m trying something new:
Every single morning when I sit down at my “desk” (that’s in quotes because my desk is actually my sofa) I do not allow myself to even open my computer before I’ve written.
I can do this because I write by hand. I know a lot of you write on your computer and so that really won’t work for you, but you could determine that you won’t check your email or open any other program until you’ve written.
How do you know when you’ve written and can go on to the rest of your day?
Well, you can do it one of a number of different ways:
- Write at least pre-determined number of words (1000-2000 would be my guess).
- Write for a pre-determined amount of time (especially useful if you’ve got obligations which must be done like getting the kids off to school or yourself off to work).
- Write a scene. This is what I do. When I sit down to write every morning, I write one scene. If I have time later in the day and am feeling inspired, I’ll write another. It’s extremely rare that I write more than that in a day—I have to be up against a deadline or really, really inspired.
So, what happens if you do have those kids you’ve got to get off to school and you just don’t have the time to sit and write before that?
Then determine when you are going to write. Put it in your calendar and do it at the same time every day. Find a time that fits into your schedule and keep to it. It doesn’t matter if it’s at lunch, during soccer practice, or after the kids have gone to bed, but make it at the same time every day.
Personally, I love writing first thing in the morning because after I’ve written, I can go about the rest of my day without worrying about when I will have time to write and whether I can fit it in between my last client and dinner or perhaps I can do it right after lunch, but it’s such a lovely day and it would be so good for me to get outside and go for a walk… and so it went. Now that I have scheduled my writing and do it at the same time every day, I don’t worry about. I do it, get it done, and move on.
Scheduling your writing will free up your mind to focus on everything else that you’ve got to do and know with confidence that your book is going to get the attention it deserves, and it will get done.