 Time management can be a real issue for authors, especially for those with kids to care for when times like half terms hit. You feel guilty that you’re writing while your little ones are at home. Then you feel guilty when you're with your family that you're neglecting your writing. So how to deal with it? There are so many time management hints and tips out there, especially now more people are working freelance. But how can we cut through to the tips that really make a difference? Here are some top tips based on my experience as a published author along with some great tips shared by other authors in my Facebook Group, The Savvy Writers' Snug. Tip One: Find your best time This seems a really simple one but so many people overlook this when trying to efficiently manage their time. Think about when you are most productive. Are you a lark and like the early mornings? Or more of a night owl, most creative in the evenings after a day of adventure? Schedule your writing time to fit in with this. I’ve met a number of authors who get up super early so they can have 2-3 hours of uninterrupted writing time. Likewise there are many others who will start to write only when the kids are tucked up in bed for the night. Not knowing your best time can cause creative blocks. Take the ‘eating the frog’ advice as an example. Mark Twain once said that if you start your day by eating a live frog, this means the worst thing you’ll have to do that day is over with. For some people this can work well: by getting the most dreaded task off your job list first thing, the rest of the day looks peachy. For others, spending the first block of time doing something they dislike or struggle with can leave them feeling exhausted and demotivated – not great for us creative types. Tip Two: Calendar block Set aside time in your calendar to actually write. Add it in like you would a meeting or appointment and make it visible. There are a number of great apps that can help you keep track of what needs doing and managing your workflow. Todoist, Trello and Monday allow you to add tasks along with notes and attachments to keep everything in one place. These apps also allow you to add members to a project, great if you are collaborating with other authors on a piece of work or running social media group and need to assign tasks. Tip Three: Stop Multi-Tasking It used to be that people would boast that they are great at multi-tasking. But do you know that for most people, multi-tasking is one of the biggest distractions and significantly decreases productivity? When you’ve blocked out time for writing, do just that: write. If you’re looking over your accounts, just do that. OK, so there will naturally be things that enter your head as you are working on something else. But unless it’s an emergency, try to stay focused on the task at hand. Post It notes are your best friend here. Grab a post it note and jot a note down, sticking it in a place that’s slightly out of your eyeline but where you will see it when you finish what you are doing. Once you are finished add it to your Todoist/Trello/Monday list and assign some time to it. This also carries over into your relaxation time. Down time is invaluable and helps us recharge and get motivated. It is tempting to cook dinner, clean the kitchen and play a game with the kids in that 30-minute window, but have you actually enjoyed any of that? Juggling is a fact of life and we all need to multi task to some degree but try to focus on one thing where you can have uninterrupted family time – you will enjoy it more and feel reinvigorated. Tip Four: Minimise distractions Distractions are everywhere, especially if you write from home. The friends that call in for a coffee and a chat as you are “at home”, the growing pile of ironing, the dog needing a walk. These are all within your control, and yes it comes back to planning. Make sure you communicate with friends that during certain hours you are actually at work – they wouldn’t dream of calling in for a coffee and a chat while you are in an office so why should your home office be different? It sounds a bit harsh but honestly, if you create a time when people can drop in you will actually enjoy that time with them rather than feeling agitated that you have been interrupted. Technology is also one of the biggest distractions. Everything is set up so we can communicate instantly and the notifications from social media, email and newsfeeds can sometimes feel like they are part of your playlist. How often have you been writing when you get that little pop up window as your friend has put out something on Facebook, or Pinterest notifies you of a new pin on dialogue errors to avoid? A quick click to have a look and next thing you know you have checked out 10 other posts and 20 minutes has passed and you have lost your flow. There are some great apps such as Freedom and StayFocusd that turn off notifications on both desktop and mobile device to minimise the interruptions. You can set time frames for turning off notifications, block certain content and even schedule the times that notifications are turned off, helping you create the writing habit. Tip Five: Outsource This is an area that is tough for many but one that can deliver serious results. Writing is not just our business, it is our passion. Sadly, there are other things that eat into our time. Just spend 20 minutes writing down all the things that you need to do, from a work and also domestic perspective. Things like social media, updating bios, research, ironing, cleaning, shopping etc. these all take time and effort. If you are spending hours trying to get to grips with understanding social media and what to post, consider outsourcing this to someone who can manage your social media. Effective time management takes time but it also delivers results! Good luck!
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