scheduling

Productivity For Writers: 5 Ways To Become More Productive

by

This post by Joanna Penn originally appeared on her The Creative Penn site on 1/29/15.

Some of the most common emails I receive every day include: How do I find the time to write? And how do you get everything done?

While I don’t write a book a month (at the moment!), I do get quite a lot done!

[Time poor and want to finish a book in 90 days? Click here for a free video series from Self-Publishing School.]

I published 4 new books in 2014 in ebook and print, plus I had another one completed and on pre-order, so technically 5 books in total. Plus, I published books in German, Spanish and Italian, as well as several in audio format, resulting in a total of 19 new products for sale in 2014.

Plus, a lot of blog posts and podcasts which I hope you found useful 🙂 So today, here are some of my tips on productivity for writers and a resource I think at least some of you will find useful.

 

(1) Schedule your time

We all have 24 hours in the day, and we all have to balance the real life stuff with the writing. Before I was a full-time author-entrepreneur, I would get up at 5am and write, then go to work. After the day job, I would come home and get on with building my online business. We got rid of the TV so I would have more time to create, and I spent every weekend working. I was so focused on leaving my job that I cut out everything that got in the way. I was driven to schedule my time incredibly well in order to fit everything in.

Now, as a full-time author-entrepreneur, I still have to schedule everything. You might have noticed that I blog, podcast and speak professionally, as well as writing books. It’s just as hard to get everything done, let me assure you!

So I’ll admit to being a chronic scheduler! But seriously, it is the only way I get anything done.

 

Read the full post, which includes five additional productivity tips, on The Creative Penn.

 

Setting Up A Regular Writing Schedule

by

This post originally appeared on Creative Caravan Club on 1/8/15.

Are you trying to write a novel within the next few weeks or months, but you just can’t seem to stick to a regular writing schedule?

The following tips will work for anyone who wants to write a book within a short period of time:

 

1. Set up your writing time as a regular appointment with yourself.

Plan specific times you will write each week, then write down these times on a calendar or day planner, just the way you would any other appointment.

 

2. Break down your novel, short story, or article into small chunks.

If you’re writing a novel, break down each chapter into scenes. Then schedule time to write just one scene at a time.

 

3. Give yourself some slack while you’re committed to completing a big writing project, like writing a book.

Save some of your other writing for later. You want to plan, start and finish your book within a short period of time. You won’t be able to do that if you also try to write a million other things.

 

Read the full post on Creative Caravan Club.