Norain asked James J. Cudney:

How do you divide your time between writing and social media and other life responsibilities, etc?

James J. Cudney It is not easy! I'm currently focusing on writing as my full-time job, but there may be a time when I need to go back to a corporate position either full-time or part-time. If that happens, my answer might change!

I try to keep a good balance between work and life. I'm a creature of routine, so I often use Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm as my focus on working; for me, that's my daily blog, writing books, reading/reviewing other people's books and networking through social media. Nights and weekends, while I do a fair bit of reading and social media when I'm free, are generally for my personal life and other responsibilities.

During work hours, I carve it into chunks dedicated to each major area. If I hop around from blogging to writing to responding to creating a marketing plan, I'm never fully focused enough to make proper forward momentum. I keep a goal list for a month in advance, so I'm able to set reasonable expectations and see growth -- things like # of chapters written, connections with new social media contacts, future book ideas/outlines, or even blog commenting.

It helps to be organized and flexible, but to have hard deadlines that keep pushing you each day.

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