I’ll be honest with you: I’ve got a problem. Several major writing projects are contending for attention, and I’m not pleased with my allocation of time.
One project is, of course, this blog. I spent three months gathering information and organizing the blog before making it public almost exactly one year ago. I decided to make the blog my top priority for 2007 in order to get it firmly established. I’m pleased with the results and gratified by the response from other writers. However, I found myself spending much more time on the blog than I had anticipated.
The other big project is a major non-fiction book requiring substantial historical research. I’ve been working on it since May 2003, delving into archives in Spain, Canary Islands, Mexico, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau and England. I managed to get a lot of research done in 2007. With research perhaps 95 percent complete, I’m now beginning to write.
In addition, I occasionally find myself writing articles for magazines. And, of course, there is always the routine monitoring of email and other office tasks.
Sound familiar?
I first wrote about my conflicting projects six months ago in an article titled, “Sprints & Marathons: The Writer’s Dilemma.” You can read it in the current issue of the British magazine Writer’s Forum, which hit US newsstands yesterday. Basically, I’m finding sprints easier to run than marathons. The blog almost always trumps the book.
Now that we are at that crucial turn-of-the-year moment, I’m determined to get more control of my activities and my time.
You can see quite dramatically my dilemma in the screenshot below, charting my time allocations just last week. [This chart comes from a very recently harnessed time-tracking facility I'll soon review in detail.] The blog, including maintenance and research, dominates, while my book project receives much less attention.
I intend to agressively use time-tracking software to help me recalibrate my time allocations. I’ll be seeking parity between the blog and the book.
Over the next few weeks, expect reviews of the various time-tracking software that I’m trying out. Maybe you’ll discover one that suits your requirements as well.
Sorry, comments are closed.
Comment by
Kristi Holl
9 Jan 2008
I can’t wait to see how your time tracking software works out–and what it reveals. I only started my blog a month ago, and things are settling down a bit now, but writing quality posts often eats up a lot of time. I found that I had to set a timer twice a day to deal with what needed to be done without eating into my main writing. And since it is going to beeeeep in about two seconds, I’m off!
http://www.Writers-First-Aid.blogspot.com
Comment by
The Word Wrangler
9 Jan 2008
I agree that time management is a big issue for freelancers. As for myself, I often prefer the sprints over the marathons simply because I tend to lose interest in things rather quickly.
Comment by
Peter Paulenz
9 Jan 2008
TOM, my dear friend and much admired academic writer: time management is, of course, of the essence and good tools will always be of help. Before the PC there was this chunky Filo Fax and other weighty stuff crowding out all kinds of memo pads and calendars on our desk. And of course there was the telephone.
The answer that no time-tracking device will provide, however, is that of setting priorities. Charting out our priorities is what we all have to do before employing the help of time-planners and other useful tools.
Knowing you and your vast array of interests I do appreciate how quickly you can be absorbed by things that are of interest to you – or other tasks you simlpy take too serious to delay them. Such a sequence does not always reflect the priorities of your projects. So just make a list of things you’re on and don’t go by sprint or marathon category – just determine what’s more important for you to get finished and therefore needs your attention. Then apply the time management tool rigidly, no pardons allowed. And please don’t forget:There are people out there who want to read the results of your marathon efforts!! I am surely not the only one…
Regards,
Peter
Comment by
Jesse Hines
10 Jan 2008
I understand the temptation to spend too much time on one’s blog, but in reality, we all need to remember to spend most of our time on what actually makes us money–for me, that’s writing articles and pitching new clients.
Time is money, right?
Comment by
Tom Colvin
10 Jan 2008
Thanks for your comments. Yes, it’s one’s priorities that should rule our decisions. That’s one reason I always enjoy New Year’s — it’s a moment when I always stop to re-evaluate mine. That’s what prompted this series I’m embarking on.
Yesterday, I’m pleased to report, I worked for 6 hours on my book research. Applause?
Comment by
Jeanne Dininni
25 Jan 2008
Tom,
…But the blog is so much more fun than the book project…all that research can be horrendous!
I, too, find that it’s often much easier for me to focus on my blog than on other writing projects. The interactive nature of a blog, with the more-or-less immediate feedback we get from our readers, can make it so much more rewarding in the present that it can be difficult to delay gratification–particularly where a long-term project like a book is concerned.
By the way, when is your one-year blog anniversary? Mine is coming up on January 28th–just a few more days! Happy almost blogiversary! (Or as some prefer to say, Happy almost blog-birthday!)
Take care and good luck with your time management efforts!
Jeanne
Comment by
Tom Colvin
26 Jan 2008
Jeanne, my first anniversary passed by at the turn of the year, now past history. But best wishes for your own anniversary. I think it takes a lot of dedication to keep a blog pumping along for a full year.
Comment by
Jeanne Dininni
28 Jan 2008
Tom,
Well…happy belated blogiversary, anyway! Sorry I missed it!
Thanks for your good wishes, as well! Blogging certainly does keep one busy, doesn’t it? It’s hard to believe it’s been a year already!
Jeanne