The Inkwell Group

Managing Time to Reach Your Writing Goals

We all have 24 hours in the day, but many of us make more efficient use of that time than others. It’s not unusual to feel the strain of an overwhelming workload from time to time, and trying to fit writing in with everything else can be a real challenge. However, you can lift some of the pressure by  rearranging various facets of your schedule.

Here are a couple of ways of boosting work time-efficiency to get you thinking:

Use technology to carefully plan for the long term

Planning responsibilities significantly in advance is a tried-and-trusted method of encouraging better productivity and there are many tools available to help you do that – from the simplest Microsoft Outlook software that can synchronise a calendar on a PC with your smartphone.  Use tools to prevent time wasting on social media like the Forest App that encourages you to stay offline.

Goal setting is a tried and test way to success, and setting a daily word count will give you a focus.The Australian Institute of Business advises that, after setting goals, you divide them into more achievable responsibilities, so keep that word count manageable – setting unrealistic goals is counter productive. Even if it’s only 200 words a day, it will be 200 words you didn’t have yesterday.

 Use a to-do list to prioritise tasks

While there might be many tasks that need to be done, they are likely to vary in both urgency and importance, ensure you reflect this when you write a to-do list. Keeping a daily list stops you feeling overwhelmed and will ensure you can clearly see what needs doing and therefore work out how much writing time you have. Keep the to-do list manageable – it’s a tool to help you succeed rather than something that might make you feel overwhelmed and discouraged whenever you look at it.

 Strip out procrastination from your routine

Writers are possibly the worst procrastinators, we all do it. It’s amazing how much housework gets done when there’s a chapter to write. One subconscious reason for procrastination can be a fear of failure. Never be afraid to fail – once the words are on the page, then is the time to start working on them. As Becket said, “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”

 Portray yourself as a time-conscious person

If you’re struggling to make time to write, set time limits on tasks whether at home or at work and don’t stray from them. This will send out the message that you treat time management seriously. Therefore, people will be deterred from wasting your time, as Entrepreneur makes clear. The skill in mining time from a business schedule is organisation and planning – everyone can find the time to write if that really want it.

If you need to completely restructure your time and are looking for a new job so that you can fit your writing in, check out CV Library for a full range of careers, including contract writing jobs!