What’s on the iPod: Corazon Espinado by Santana
I’ve had quite the busy week. I started out with four article assignments. Now there are six. Luckily, the articles are practically writing themselves. Still, one or two topics are proving hard to find commentary for. So I worked instead on those I knew I could get done right away as I tried to line up interviews for the others.
One deadline occurs right as my mom comes into town, so it gets priority. It also means I have to juggle the rest while she’s here. That’s the freelance writer’s eternal struggle, isn’t it? Clients and work never appear when we’re sitting here with no plans. It’s when that vacation is scheduled or that much-needed day off arrives that everything shows up at once. It’s happened to me so often I’ve come to plan for it.
That’s today’s Free Advice Friday topic: organizing our writing lives.
Free Advice Friday: The Organized Writer
I’ll confess right now that I’m hyper-organized by nature. I’m hard-wired to be on time, every time. My husband jokes about my need to be five minutes early or right on time to any event. He’s not that way, and at times, I secretly appreciate his ability to drift in and out of punctuality. However, when it comes to my work life, I can’t be so relaxed.
In truth, it’s a great trait to have if you’re self-employed as we writers are. When the work piles up at once –and you can count on it happening — the more organized you are, the better.
Let’s use my current situation as an example. Today I’m driving to Connecticut to see my son. Taxes aren’t done yet, but I’ve left behind an itemized list of the information my husband will need to finish the taxes, complete with locations of all files in case he needs to go over utilities, expenses, etc.
I’m also in charge of a small list of items to finalize/buy for my daughter’s wedding. And I’m in charge of cupcakes and flowers for the shower. Plus, my mom is coming for a visit. Add to that two deadlines before May 1st and one more that I want to finish now rather than later. Mom will be here the 23rd and staying until the following Monday. Those are three days I won’t be working. I need to conduct interviews, research another topic, and clear the desk before May’s projects (which are starting to pile up) come in.
Here’s how I get organized. Feel free to copy verbatim or amend the way I do things to suit yourself:
Schedule interviews now. The minute the articles came in, I scheduled the interviews. Because I know whom it is I want to talk to before I send queries, that helps. But not all these articles were pitches — a number of them were assigned. So that means I need to find commentary.
Segment your day. Mornings are usually an hour or two of writing and one hour for interviews. Afternoons are research, interviews with West coasters, marketing, and more writing.
Keep a running list of all current projects. Mine are printed out in front of me, and I’ve used my Sharpie to announce the deadline and word count for each one. I’m working on three simultaneously, so I keep those on top during the mornings, then shift to the others during the afternoon.
Plan out the personal time. Yea, Mom’s coming on a Wednesday because I told her Sunday wasn’t going to work. I need at least two and a half days to make sure those deadlines are met and the subsequent work is well under control. If I didn’t need to visit my son this weekend, it would have waited. Alas, he’s in his sister’s wedding and he needs a suit (and a push toward the store)…
Keep copious notes. When I schedule interviews, it’s really easy to get the wrong person talking about the wrong thing. So when I schedule, I put on the calendar the person, the topic, the questions (key if you’re trying to juggle a ton of things at once), and the contact person should you need to reschedule. When I record calls, I note the folder and recording number on my notepad (I never work without a safety net). Then I upload the interview immediately to my hard drive should the unthinkable happen (tape recorders drop and break, recordings get erased accidentally…).
Think weeks out. None of this would work if I didn’t have my eyes four weeks into the future. Actually, right now I’m two months out as my daughter’s wedding is fast approaching. My mother’s visit was planned months ago and was amended the minute the project deadlines coincided.
Time your schedule. When I’m completely overwhelmed (and yes, I’m close to that right now), I get the kitchen timer and set it for an hour. Then I write like that’s the only hour I have. When it rings, I take a quick break, decide what I’m doing next (usually I have it planned out in advance), then set the timer for the next task. If you’re like me and have a tendency to jump up from your chair and pace two rooms away, this is a good tool to keep you planted in that chair.
Writers, how do you organize a busy schedule?
Where are your strengths? What areas could use some improvement?
8 responses to “Free Advice Friday: The Organized Writer”
You do have a lot on your plate, Lori! Makes you feel alive, doesn't it?
I've recently set up what I call a "Time Budget" in Excel. I actually color coded the times I have available for work, for personal obligations, etc. It turned out to be a reality check on just how many hours a week I have to devote to my writing business.
On another worksheet in the same file, I've listed my one-time and ongoing "will-do" list. Each week I plug my "will-do" list into the week's schedule. When I start work in the morning, I know exactly what my plan is for the day. I don't always have complete control, but at least I have a plan!
I've also discovered the power of the timer. It gets me started and tells me when to look up and take a break.
It DOES make me feel alive! How right you are, Cheryl.
That's a great system you have. I applaud your organization!
You are so right, Lori, about organization being the key. At times, I slip in my organization. When that happens, I stop everything and regroup. It makes everything seem possible.
I start at the high-level (like you, Lori) in planning out for a 1-2 month period.
I reinforce key deadlines each month by writing projects & dates on a note and placing it on a standing note holder that sits on my desk. I cross them off during the month as they are met.
I drill down each week by listing the tasks. I separate by client work, my personal projects, and personal life stuff. I also have physical colored-coded folders for each client in my To Do folder.
The weekly snapshot keeps me on track and gives me the flexibility to change up what I'm working on for those times I'm just not feeling it for a project. As long as I accomplish the tasks during the week, I'm good.
Oops, I forgot to sign in so it's showing me as a Blogger account holder with no profile – probably because I don't have a Blogger account 😉
HA! My husband says the same thing. "If it's on time, it's late to Meryl." On time always means early for me — that way the client has time to provide feedback if needed. I'm hyper-organized like you, Lori. Sometimes to my detriment as I get overwhelmed trying to figure out how to organize and better manage a couple of things.
Your advice is right on target — it's similar to what I do and it works for me.
Most of my deadlines are in the 2-3 week range, so I've never been able to plan things a couple months out. I tend to break my workload down by weeks – all in my good, old-fashioned paper week-at-a-glance desk calendar.
Certain things – like tax time – I know about ahead of time. But mine aren't quite finished yet, either. They're almost done, but I can't face how much I owe and am hoping some big new assignments come in before I have to sing those checks.
I'm very much an out-of-sight-out-of-mind person, so I need visual reminders. Electronic calendars and reminders only work if you remember to use them – the paper calendar is a constant reminder. As a compromise, last year I started attaching a list of my current assignments to a folder. Client/subject/length/deadline/fee. I check things off as I go. I can stash my assignment letters, notes and interview transcripts in the folder, but that folder stays on my desk.
I tend to segment my days, too. Mornings are for correspondence, afternoons are for things that need more focus, like the actual writing….and doggie walks.
We structure time very similarly.
Between now and May 8, my play is going up, I started the library job, I just landed a high-paid script writing job I really wanted, I'm guest lecturing at the local college, I have to jump in and help at the library's big event, and I'm teaching at a writers' conference. I just got the first round of edits in on "Lake Justice" – we will have another round this week, and by next week or so, we move on to TRACKING MEDUSA.
I'm wrapping up two small, low-paid freelance jobs, sending out one script request, and then I'm not taking on any new projects until the end of June, because I'm completely booked. Nice feeling, but I'll start pitching again in late May, although I have much more freedom to turn down jobs now than I had even a month ago.
Everything is very tightly scheduled, I've got my running lists, my folders, my information all ready to go.
As I prep for each project, I add what I need into the bin — bin for the conference, bin for the lecture, bin for the show, bin for the scripting — and I've got a tote bag with the new job info that I take back and forth.
This way, I just need to do a final check before I pick it up and load it.
The second Gwen Finnegan deadline to turn in the manuscript is now July 1 instead of June 1, and the first draft of the ferry girl novel's been pushed back to Oct. 1. I'm not teaching all summer.
But I still have to stay on top of the current projects.
Oh, yeah, and two magazine articles are due May 1, one contest decision due May 1, one contest decision due May 14, and culling the first round of a third contest somewhere in between.
I'm grateful, I'm happy with the projects — I just have to keep them manageable and keep track.
And no one's allowed to visit until June! 😉
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