5 Ask The Expert: Edit This
TIME
MANAGEMENT
HACKS
FOR WRITERS
of the car – even if I have nothing going on. I also have my phone, a pen, and a pad of paper. Keep that stuff handy
because you NEVER want to be caught unprepared as a self-employed writer.
That’s not to say you always have to be in “work mode,” but when inspiration strikes, you’re ready for it. PLAN AHEAD Use a calendar to plan things out.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a paper calendar or the one on your phone. At the
beginning of each month, I map out
everything I know I have going on and
by Steve Gamel, Owner of Edit This
when I plan on writing those projects.
As the days and weeks go by and more
I
wrote the majority of this blog while sitting in a waiting room before a big presentation. I used a notes application on my phone to do most of the work, too.
More often than not, that’s the way it goes when you are a self-employed writer. There are a ton of projects to keep up with, so you have to make the most of your time! In fact, some might argue being really good at time management is more important than being good at your craft.
my computer with me in the backseat
aspects of running my business, spending time with my beautiful family, and even carving out a little time for myself. Below are hacks that work for me: THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX ON “OFFICE HOURS”
Take advantage of times during the day – or night – when you typically have your If that means knocking out an article creative juices flowing and there’s less while in a waiting room, or on an airplane, chance for interruptions. you do it. Typically, that’s not the I’ve been a writer for IF THAT MEANS middle of the day! I get nearly 20 years and most of my bigger articles KNOCKING OUT AN have come up with a done at night or very early myriad of clever ways ARTICLE WHILE IN A in the morning. to divide my time WAITING ROOM, OR KEEP “STUFF” HANDY efficiently to cover all
ON AN AIRPLANE, YOU DO IT.
My family teases me because I constantly have
projects come my way, I simply add them in. FOCUS
You’re going to need to stay focused on those days when it seems like too
many projects are coming in at once.
With the right focus, you will be able to slow down and prioritize each project
in your head. Cutting target goals into
smaller and more immediate pieces will help you accomplish more than you thought you could.
KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO DELEGATE I made this the last one on the list
because there will come a day when a
one-person show can no longer do the
job on their own. You have to be able to recognize that before it happens, and when it does, be able to step in and delegate some of that extra work to someone else.
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52 | FLOWER MOUND TOWN LIFE
| JULY 2020
www.FlowerMoundMagazine.com
