10% On Top: Being a More Efficient Writer

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10% On Top: Being a More Efficient Writer

When I was in Senior High School and the dreaded final exams were approaching, our school adopted a program called “10% On Top.” The idea was for every student to pick a teacher they related to, then we’d be given study and exam tips that would improve efficiency and thus our exam results, by 10%.

I don’t know whether it did actually help statistically, but mentally, the support and extra know-how was incalculable. To have someone help you work out a study timetable that was realistic; prepare you for what was to come and steady the nerves was a godsend! Some schools still use the program… ahem, a ‘few’ years later, so it must have paid off.

When NaNoWriMo began to loom last October, a flurry of preparation began. That was when I remembered the 10% On Top program. Having a pre-planned schedule for writing, which was weaved around real life, seemed the best way to approach Nano. Maybe High School had taught me an actual useful life lesson!

Often our passion for our goals overshadows all else. We don’t allow for creative dates to refresh ourselves; we don’t allow for the chaos of everyday family living and we never allow time for the unseen to throw everything out of kilter. It’s hard to sit at a computer or with a pen in hand and write when we’re surrounded by noise, unfinished business and we can’t remember where we’re up to, or know where we are going. Time runs out, we get frustrated; the guilt cycle kicks in.

If you run a business, some preparation is utterly essential. You need staff, business hours, inventory or services to offer. There must be a plan of some sort, or you will fail. Power companies plan for peak periods of demand; Supermarkets stock their shelves based on weather conditions, which determine what products will be the most popular. Writing is exactly the same. You need to plan ahead to achieve and survive.

So wherever you are situated in your writing life now, take the time to prepare to increase your efficiency by 10%. Plan your schedule and tasks realistically. Take into account public holidays, birthdays and weekends; then allow a little extra time for the unseen incidents that will inevitably pop up. Having a plan can help steady the nerves and if the Senior High School program is any example, the benefits are long term!

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