Productivity Hacks for Writers – Tip #1
Writers have one of the coolest jobs ever – they get to use their imagination, ingenuity, and creativity to build entirely new worlds inhabited with unique people they’ve drummed up out of the ether. But there are downsides too, and one of those is the reality that many writers – perhaps most – must balance out their time between their creative work and the work they do to pay the bills. When you are straddling two worlds it can be incredibly difficult to keep everything in the air and moving forward. In this case, a morning strategy session becomes even more critical.
The idea is to spend 15 or so in the morning thinking about what you need to accomplish today. Not tasks! This is not task time but strategy time. Pull your eyes up from the ground, climb up a tall tree and look around you. What are you really trying to accomplish, strategically. From the point of view of 10,000 feet elevation, what are the most important things for you to be working on? What will really move your day job or your writing career forward? Tradeoffs will be necessary. Do you spend your free time writing, marketing, working on your website or with friends/family? The more you have to balance, the more strategic you need to be about your time. Considering which things will really move you forward will help you determine what you push off for another day. These ‘really move you’ items are what should go on your MUST DO task list for the day.
These things are usually the most important things for us to do, but are also the easiest to push aside in favor of noisier but less important ‘stuff’ clamoring for your attention. Don’t be afraid to make tough decisions here – your future, the future of your department, of your family, is important. Treat it that way.
Once you’ve nailed the task or few tasks you MUST DO today give some thought to how you can best utilize the remaining time for the normal day to day work you want to do. Consider whether the task can be delegated to free up more time for you to work on those items on the MUST DO list. Keep in mind delegating isn’t about shrugging off work you don’t want to do. It is about giving others the opportunity to learn something new, polish a newly acquired skill, show off what they are capable of, or do a task they really enjoy doing.
This applies to home as much as it does to work. Perhaps your partner can run that one errand since it is so close to their route home from work. Perhaps the kids can do the laundry, teaching them responsibility and life skills. Consider delegation from the perspective of developing those around you, while freeing up your time to do the things only you can do. Also, procrastination is not always a bad thing. Perhaps the dishes don’t get done tonight in favor of some writing time. The point here is to consider the trade-off’s and make strategic decisions about what gets done today, what gets delegated, and what gets pushed to another day.
The final step in this one-person strategy session is scheduling out those tasks that you have not already delegated or eliminated. Decide when it makes most sense to do them, in what order, and how long it will take to accomplish them. Be reasonable here, don’t pile so much onto your day that it’s impossible to reach the bottom of the list – that becomes demoralizing. Schedule in time for thought and consideration, for interruption from questions or other issues that come up. If you end up not needing as much time as you though that simply means you can spend more time on those other items on the list.
Pausing for 15 or so minutes first thing everyday and taking the time to think about your life strategically can work wonders on your productivity. Not to mention your sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when you not only clear your list daily but also start to make critical progress on your larger objectives.
