Organizing Your Days on a Weekly Basis

A lot of writers ask me about my writing schedule. As a full-time writer, I have multiple streams of income so I have to manage my time carefully. But it doesn't matter whether you write as a calling, a hobby or a business. We all perform better when we have expectations and a way to judge results. For those of you just starting out, here are some suggestions.

• Set small, measurable goals
• Under estimate the time you'll be able to put in
• Adjust your goal setting to a weekly mode, rather than daily
• Weekly Word Count Goal

One of the things I've found most helpful when setting word count goals is to set my goal for the week rather than the day. I still have two teenagers in and out of the house so sometimes life interrupts life. To combat this, I set a weekly wordcount goal for my fiction endeavors. Then, I break it down into daily totals. If I miss a day's goal, I can make it up later in the week and I don't wind up feeling like I've failed.

Weekly Project Goal
some of you may work on more than just a novels. You may also work on smaller projects, like articles or devotions. If that's the case, try to set a goal of one devotion or article a week, instead of a word count for those projects.

Revolving Weekly Goal
You might want to try something I call a revolving weekly goal. This is where you have a different goal every week for 3 weeks and then it starts over. The first week you might complete a small project. The next week, you look for markets where you can sell it. The third week you might spend learning about the craft of writing. Then you begin the cycle again.

Whatever method works for you is the BEST method.

Just remember, that no matter how early or how far along you are on your writing journey we all need to spend time studying the craft of writing. That can be done through reading books, attending a seminar or conference, or reading blogs and websites.

All of these are necessary for us as writers to improve our craft.

So what have you found works best for you? Share your insights with the rest of us - please!

Goals for 2010

Since this is the first post of the new year, I feel compelled to offer a few words of advice in setting goals. Do I believe goal-setting is important? Absolutely. As has been oft repeated, “If you aim at nothing, you’re sure to hit it.” If you want to grow as a writer—and since you’re reading this blog, I assume you do—goals are important.

Writing-related goals may fall into several areas. What area is most important to you at this time? Finishing a project? Marketing your work? Improving your craft? Choose the area where you wish to concentrate in 2010.

An easy-to-remember anagram advises us to set S.M.A.R.T. goals.(1): Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely.
Specific: Make your goal specific. Don’t say “I will write more.” Say, “I will finish Bridge to Love.” (That’s the title of my current WIP.)
Measurable: Make your specific goal measurable. “I will write 2,000 words a day” or “I will research and choose three agents to contact in the month of January.”
Achievable: Make your goal something within your control. I have no control over whether or not a publisher will buy my book or that it will become a best seller. However, I can say “I will write and submit Ohio Bound.”
Realistic: Make your goals realistic for the time you have to invest. Find your own rhythms. If pushed, I can write 1,000 words in an hour. Your average may be higher or lower. You may wish to set a time goal: I will write for 15—30 minutes a day before I go to bed. Make it realistic for your life.
Timely: Set your goals with a deadline in mind. I work back from a contract deadline to determine how much I need to do on a daily basis. That way, I rarely have last minute emergencies. Without a contract, use deadlines such as: conference attendance, contest entries, accountability partners to push you to reach your goal in a timely manner.

Set goals for the year—the month—the week—the day. Celebrate the successes. Readjust your goals in light of what didn’t work.

Come back in December ready to share your good news.

(1) Anagram not original with me—not sure where I first learned it.