Time Management and your Goals by Dale Mayer

I've virtually known Dale for quite a few years as we both belong to one of the best goals groups ever!  I've always been impressed with Dale's ability to crank out the words, but this year I've been astounded with her output.  In addition to writing non-fiction and fiction, Dale has managed to find herself as one of the final four in RT's Writing with the Stars contest.  Check it out.  So without further ado . . . *drum roll* Dale Mayer.

Thanks to Margaret for inviting me to her blog today.  Last year I ventured into her special field of candy maker and make some decent ones myself with my son for our own Christmas.  So when I asked about topics to blog on she said she’d like to know how I managed to write so many stories last year along with my nonfiction writing for clients. Awhile back, I wrote on time management for a friend of mine Cindy Carroll and with a few tweaks, here’s my tidbits of wisdom on getting the job done.

 As a prolific writer, who also works full time as a freelance writer, and is a single mother of four, the most common question for me is – How?  How do you manage to get it all done?

The answer is really simple – but getting to the point of being able to say it - isn’t.  The answer is – I get it done because I have to.

Simple huh?  The thing is coming to understand that life is all about priorities and you have to set your life into an order.  Sure that order will shift from time to time, but the basis of your everyday life is going to be defined by the things you hold dear.  Up at the top, behind my kids (lol) is my writing.  My goal is to write fiction full time.  In order to do that I have to produce saleable works now.  That’s hard when I have a full life so I HAVE to fit it in. That’s not an option if in a couple of years I expect to be living my dream.  So how do I fit it in, you ask?

Over time, I have found we waste more time than we utilize effective.  So the first trick is to find the areas where time slips by you.  The obvious culprits are email, surfing on the Internet.  As my life revolves around writing I will mention other areas where I have found time to write more – you can utilize these time slots for anything!

·         Texting and time spent on phone calls

·         Coffee time when you do nothing but could be putting down notes for your next scenes

·         Lunchtime at work.  Did you know how easy it is to write five hundred words in twenty minutes?  If you don’t, you should check out Write or Die by Dr. Wicked.  This software can be used online or there is a desktop version to download.

·         Many people sit down after dinner and turn on the television.  Instead of turning it on right away, use it as a reward after writing 1,000 words?

·         Sneak bits of time away. If you have appointments take a notebook with you. 

·         If you have a busy family, take a time out for thirty minutes in your room.  Let everyone know this is your time and expect to have the same respect for your needs as you do for theirs

·         Get up a little early and have a half hour to yourself and your goals in the morning

·         Another trick is to take that half hour to yourself in the evening.

I taught myself to write in front of the television while it was blaring, to write while the kids are doing homework beside me and to write in snippets.  A fifteen minute break is 500 words.  I can get three or four of those in throughout a day. 

The biggest trick to getting more accomplished in a day is to be HONEST about what you really want to do.  In the case of writing – do you want to write a book – or do you want to be of those people who HAVE written a book? 

Getting from one point to the next is all about time management and being organized.

1.       Make a list of where you waste time. 

2.       Then make a list of new opportunities of when you might recoup a few minutes of time. 

3.       Then be deadly honest here – make a list of what you want to accomplish.  And be realistic about this list. 

4.       Then make a list of the baby steps you can do THAT day to start accomplishing these goals.

Specific to my writing, I find I have to keep my projects themselves organized. I’m either writing or revising and often have more than one on the go at a time.  I having a system (yup it’s a work in progress) and have blogged about my Project Organization for juggling multiple works.  Scroll down the page slightly.

I find that by having a visual list to mark off each accomplishment, there is a real sense of satisfaction at the end of the day.  I sleep well and I get up the next day wanting to get back at it. We’re all different.  Finding out what works for you is what’s important.

How do you get things done in your day?  Is it a mad scramble just before bedtime?  Do you work better under pressure, or do you like to have spare time between you and deadlines?  Are you happy with your system or are you always feeling pressure because you’re ‘behind.’

Dale Mayerwww.dalemayer.com
Kensington Brava / RT Book Reviews Contest - Writing with the Stars Finalist – Round 4 and counting!
Dale can be found on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/dalemayer or you can follow her on Facebook.