I always adjust my schedule to squeeze in more writing in September. All summer, I try to get outside in the afternoons to soak in the sun and relax. This summer was different. In early June, I started working part-time in addition to writing full-time. The job suits me perfectly.…
My Mean Boss As I write this, we're having the most glorious weather. It's in the low seventies with full sunshine. Trees are blooming everywhere. Little yellow daffodils wave hello as you drive or walk past them. And you know what? I really want to be outside. But noooo... I'm…
We all want to manage our time wisely, and I don’t know a single writer who thinks they’ve nailed time management. It’s hard when everywhere we look we’re bombarded with other people’s success. From Facebook to Instagram to Twitter and beyond, we’re tricked into thinking everyone has their life together…except us.
As I write this, it’s Monday. I woke up in a crum-diddly mood, and that’s not a good thing. I can’t point to one specific reason. There were many reasons, and they all sound stupid. Regardless, I was not motivated to do anything–not one single thing–on my schedule.
Every weekday morning, after my Bible reading and coffee time, I exercise. But today? Wasn’t feeling it. In fact, my thoughts went to danger-zone territory.
At that point, I knew I’d be mad at myself if I chucked my entire schedule. However, I also knew today wasn’t going to light the world on fire as far as my productivity, so I decided to take a nap–with the firm agreement I would work out as soon as I woke up.
Then I’d get started on my day.
You’re crushing your goals, on track to meeting your deadline when disaster strikes. A week later all you can think is well, that didn’t go as planned.
I lived this last week. On Sunday, I woke up with a killer migraine, and I didn’t feel better until Friday. A five-day migraine might be a record for me (and not one I particularly wanted!). Anyway, I had to throw my goals for the week out the window. I do not like missing my goals. I really don’t like missing them AND being sick.
It wasn’t catastrophic for me. I try very hard to work ahead, and I always build a cushion into my deadlines. Migraines can hit me out of the blue so, in order to meet my deadlines, I have to be smart. I cannot wait to the last minute to finish a book, especially since that last minute might be spent on the couch with a cold cloth over my eyes.
Meeting deadlines is easier if we plan for the unexpected.
My writing productivity has exploded in the past two years. My work ethic isn't the reason. Nor can it be attributed to my personality type. Sure, I'm self-motivated, which is good, but I also get locked into a one project mindset, meaning I tend to focus exclusively on the most…
It’s been over a decade since I submitted my first proposal to an editor who’d requested it. Back then I wrote in our living room, where I had a small folding chair and a tiny table for a desk. I didn’t care! I was so excited to finally be taking the plunge and sending out my work.
Over the years, everything got more complicated. Between digital drafts, contracts, author copies of my books, income/expense reports and all the other million and one items I need to be able to access easily, there was no way a tiny table was going to cut it. I had to come up with a system.
Thankfully, I adore systems!
When you wake up on Monday, do you have a general idea of what you want to accomplish? This is typically how my thoughts run... Keep writing the new book. Put together the guest blog. Create graphics for the new release. Oh, and write my blog post. And what about…
Last weekend I was blessed to speak at Maumee Valley Romance Writers, Inc. Every January we have our annual goals discussion. The first half of my talk was about basic goal-setting: taking time to think about professional, health, emotional and personal goals for the year and deciding how and when…
Creative Sessions = Dedicated time to problem solve, plot, explore ideas. In the past two weeks I've read two nonfiction books that made a big impact on me. The first was The Wright Brothers by David McCullough and the second was Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal…