Flesh Out, Lay Out, No Doubt

Time Management. Are you good at it? How can you become better at it?

I must admit I’m not the very best at managing my time. I can juggle it pretty darn well however I always find things slipping between my fingers, things I’ve forgotten completely, and always always always….there is dirty clothes to be washed. Sigh.

Being a writer I have recently learned with all my hectic busy scheduling I have to accept the fact that I’m rarely ever going to have all the time I really need and want to concentrate and just sit uninterrupted to write or edit. I’ve accepted the fact that even 500 words a day is significant in the grand scheme of things. I mean, heck, 500 words a day can put a rough draft of a novel of 50K words in just over three months. After that it’s all a matter of going back in and adding, prettying up, and fleshing out the novel. I should be grateful for even having 500 words a day! Ha!

So what are some things I, and you, might be able to do to help manage time more effectively?

1. I keep a small notebook with me at all times. I jot down ideas, schedules, to-do lists, and anything else I don’t want to forget. I briefly look at it throughout my day during breaks and downtime I find.
2. Take time every evening to schedule the top three most important things to be done the next day and your plan to get those conquered. Then in the morning, take 10, 15, or 30 minutes to plan your day accordingly. Remind yourself of what you need to do.
3. Also, at night, before bed, it’s a great idea to lay out your clothes. (I’ll sometimes lay out two different sets just because we women change our minds.) This will give you a back-up alternative.
4. Are you constantly checking your emails, twitter, facebook, and whatever other social media pages? I don’t know about you but I can’t NOT look at it throughout the day and doing so once or even twice a day…well, it’s just not enough for me. So I take the first 5 to 7 minutes of every hour to devote my attention to whatever I need to catch up on.
5. Remember that you can’t do everything in 24 hours. It’s impossible. That’s why we started with 3 things. If you get those three things done, you’ve done well. If you are able to add more beyond those three things….heck yeah!!!! Whoo-hoo! High five!!!!

Whatever changes you take to manage your time more wisely, make small changes. Don’t make a million drastic changes in one day. YOWZA….Incorporate one or two changes a week and add on to it.

What are some effective things you’ve utilized in your personal life? Do share!!!

Cheers,

Michala