How to Plan: My Daily Schedule
I had no idea that keeping to a schedule made me unusual until I asked some of my Facebook friends if they used one. Almost all of them said they did not, which was amazing news to me. How do they get things done?
Now I realize that some writers plot and some write by the seat of the pants. Similarly, some writers schedule their time and some wing it every day. Can you guess at any parallels here? I'm willing to bet that I have a bunch of "pantser" Facebook friends. 
Enough people have asked me how I schedule my time that I've decided to post all the riveting details here. I hope that, whether you plot and schedule or not, you'll find something useful in my mundane life.
Disclaimer: This schedule is subject to change. At the moment, my family needs my stability. Since I'm more of a tortoise than a hare when it comes to writing, that works for me. If you are the type of person who writes in sprints, however, this may not be for you.
Notes: This schedule represents my usual Monday-through-Friday existence. I take weekends off from writing and leave Sunday unscheduled. The time designations are guidelines I use, not straightjackets. Sometimes life needs my attention, a writing project gets overbearing or I oversleep. Flex is important, as long as you don't take it too far.
6:00 AM: My first alarm goes off. I grumble, turn it off and go back to sleep.
6:30 AM: My second alarm goes off. I turn it off and, using my smartphone, wake up while I check my emails, Facebook profile and Twitter. If I'm feeling particularly sleepy, I'll also read a chapter or a print book or on my phone.
6:45 AM (or so): I stagger upstairs and try to locate the coffee maker somewhere in the morning fog surrounding me. I find something to eat and sit down to plan my day.
7:15 AM: Time to read my Bible and spend time in prayer.
7:30 AM: I perform my morning routine, which includes the usual round of bed making, grooming, laundry, cat feeding, dish washing and trash removal.
8:00 AM: One of my first tasks at the computer is to post an update from my Facebook Author page. I also comment on other pages as my author page. Afterwards, I sort my emails into either specific category folders (like education) or the following folders: Reply, Pending, Action, Reference, Archive, or Trash.
8:30 AM: I work on a writing or editing project.
10:30 AM: Time for a tea and snack break.
10:45 AM: When I return to my desk, I comment as my Facebook profile page, and then reply to all the emails in my "Reply" folder. By the time I'm done, my folder is empty.
11:00 AM: At this time I write and promote blog or newsletter posts.
12:00 PM: I take a lunch break, clean one room, switch laundry, clear my personal desk, and make personal phone calls.
1:00 PM: I visit http://hootsuite.com, where I manage my social networking accounts. I schedule posts to my Facebook profile, Author page and Twitter during this time. Afterwards I work a little on promotion or an ongoing research project, and then tackle all the emails in my "Pending" folder. I dispatch every task that I can but don't completely empty this folder, because these are emails I'm saving while I wait for replies from others or reminders I send myself from Google Calendar for things I need to do.
2:00 PM: I work on a writing or editing project.
4:00 PM: I monitor my Twitter account, reply to those who mention me, retweet others, read interesting blog posts and comment. Then it's time to tackle the "Action" folder in my email account. These are the emails I want to read or need to follow up on. I don't always empty this each day, but I try. If something is important and I won't get to it that day, I move it to my "Pending" folder so I'll get to it sooner tomorrow.
5:00 PM: It's time to make dinner, do dishes, fold the laundry I switched, and pay attention to my family.
8:00 or 9:00 PM: I read alone or with family members. I rarely watch television. Reading is my nightly entertainment.
10:00 PM: Lights out. I need to function tomorrow.
© 2010 Janalyn Voigt
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