My biggest challenge is managing my time so that I can do the things I need and want to do. It seems like everyday I get home around 2:30/3:00 pm from my day teaching job. That should give me a solid two hours to write. And that should be enough. Unfortunately, that is rarely what actually happens.
I usually get home, have to check my email, check my affiliate program stats, check my Facebook, check email again, check in on twitter, and so on and so on. It gets totally carried away and then it is after 5pm and I should be making dinner. So I decide to get back to the writing after dinner. Well, then someone needs a ride or we’re out of milk or…you get the idea.
Today I decided that this simply is not going to help me progress as a professional writer and I need to change my ways. So, I did a little bit of Google research and here are some useful tips from other writers that I’ve come up with:
- Elizabeth Grace Saunders of Real Life has some excellent advice about scheduling time to do those fun things that are for business purposes – like Facebook and Twitter. This is especially pertinent to me, as I mentioned. She suggests asking yourself why you are doing them, what purpose they serve, how they are going to help your business and other questions to evaluate how important they are and decide how much time you need to spend on them – if any.
- The Freelance Zone has a good point about choosing when to schedule your time. Not everyone is productive at the same time of the day. Maybe I shouldn’t be trying to write as soon as I get home? Now that I think about it, after working for 6 hours straight, 3-5 pm might not be the best time of day for me to be trying to do my writing.
- Prerna Malik of The Mom Writes wrote a nice little piece about time management for moms. Most moms know that organizing time for them is a little bit different than it is for other working professionals. There might be a toddler to keep an eye on and entertain or chauffeuring to be done – but there is always something. This blog post just give Prerna’s little twist on time management but I liked it because it reminded me of two things: 1) Goals need to be achievable. I think a large reason why my to-do lists are rarely effective is because I plan to many things and my goals are out of reach. 2) Focus when working – it kind of just reiterates what I already know – I’m killing too much time on social media!
So, those are just a few pieces of writerly advice from other writers that I thought I would share with you. Now, the trick is to find a way to put it to use!
Article by Danielle
I'm a social media junkie and professional freelance writer living in small town Manitoba, Canada. I drink a lot of coffee and love my computer (named Garcia after Penelope Garcia from Criminal Minds - the ultimate girl geek!), my kids, my husband, and my cats. In 10 years I hope to be that crazy lady travelling across Canada and the States with her three cats and her loving hubby. :) If you're interested in my professional services please visit my professional writer's site to find out more about my services or check out some testimonials from some of my clients.
has written 254 awesome articles for us at The Social Freelance Writer
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Sometimes, time management also becomes a challenge for me. Thanks for the useful tips here. I’ll read on and I’m sure I’ll see a lot of difference after!