I was just interviewed for a blog, and one question they asked me was about managing my time. We’ve talked about it here before, but it’s really important for writers, and I think sometimes when we see someone else that seems to be cranking out a lot of work, we wonder how they do it. (At least, I wonder!) I’ll admit, I do really work hard but I also use time blocks a lot and that works for me. Here’s what I do.

Checking Email, Facebook, Stats

I’m not at all a morning person, so when I get that cup of coffee and shuffle over to my desk, I don’t have the energy (or clarity) to crank out coherent words. But I do enjoy checking my stats from the previous day, checking email, taking care of Facebook whatnots, and whatever else that comes up. I allow myself a certain amount of time to do this, then I log off.

Color Coded Calendars

For me, it helps to have things in front of me that remind me what I need to get done. I already know in my head, but if I see it there in black and white, it helps motivate me. One thing I do is create an editorial calendar for each one of my clients and blogs. I’m old fashioned and actually print off a calendar that I write in with a different color for each blog. Then, when I look at my calendars, I can see at a glance which blogs need some work and which are caught up or ahead.

You can do this online too, of course. I like the feeling I get from physically writing in the post so I know it’s done, or crossing something off a to-do list. It gives me a feeling of satisfaction that motivates me.

Editorial Calendars

Have you ever sat down and planned out an entire year’s worth of blog posts?  Just the idea of them anyway? It can be a really good way of looking at your entire month or year, and will actually set you ahead because you’ll be looking at things proactively. I try a plan out a rough draft of blog post ideas for each month. I might not stick with them to the letter, but having the ideas there really helps me write them.

Special Calendar Days

I refer to several different places for special calendar days. These help me coordinate blog posts to the times of the year. (It also helps with ideas.) Another source I’ve found helpful is from Direct Contact PR. They have several free resources, and one of them is a publicity planner for the year.

It’s a very helpful calendar that not only gives you special days but keeps you on track with what’s coming up. Check it out.

Having tools like this really saves you time and keeps you more efficient with blogging.

Google Alerts

I subscribe to Google Alerts for certain keywords having to do with my own blogs or clients. This really helps me from searching for ideas, because they get delivered right to your inbox. That way you can click through and see what interests you, and either save the link for later or write about right away.

Word Docs With Links and Ideas

Another thing that keeps me organized is using separate Word Documents for each blog and client. I tend to keep most of them open during the day, and if I come across a link I want to write about later, I just copy the link to the Word Doc and go back to it when I have time. Then, when I do write blog posts for a particular blog, I do several at once rather than going back and forth.

Time Blocks That Focus on One Thing

It can be really tough to keep several blogs and clients going, but if you want to succeed as an online writer especially, it’s crucial. Even if you’re not in this to make money, you don’t want to waste all day plunking around on the Internet when you have other writing to do. The way I combat this is to divide and conquer. I chose one blog or client and focus a certain

block of time on it. I do as much as I can for the time I’ve allotted, then I log off and work on the next block. You’ll find that this way you’re not wasting time logging on and off blogs or trying to get your mind to focus one thing, then another, and back and forth. This way, the short blocks of time are manageable, you won’t be burned out, and you’ll have more energy to tackle the subject again when you schedule another time block.

How Many Time Blocks? How Many Blogs?

You can only do so much in a day. It’s taken me years to admit that. So I know I can’t get it all done in one day, but I can make progresses little by little that over the course of a week, makes a big difference. Clients for me always come first (they pay the bills!) so I have daily time blocks for them. But then I rotate time blocks the rest of the week for my personal blogs and other writing projects. I try and work on posts for one blog a day, and since I have four or five other blogs, this seems to work out. This way I’m always on top of client work, and still manage to keep my blogs updated.

Clean Out Your Inbox

One of the biggest time-sappers (time-sappers is a word, right?) is my inbox. I’ll think about answering someone or decide how I should respond, so I’ll keep an email in my box. But then I do that with another one and another one, until my inbox is cluttered with stuff that reminds me of what I haven’t done yet. It hangs over my head.

I decided to change that to focus a time block on cleaning out my inbox. I do whatever I have to in order to answer questions or make updates right then and there so I can empty it out. This helps remove that feeling of “Ugh…. I still need to do this” that used to happen whenever I logged on to email. Now, I log on, see what’s new, answer it (file it, delete it) and move on.

Those are some of my time management tips. What about you? What works to help keep you on track?

More on Time Management:

• Time Management from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule — and Your Life
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
• Organizing Your Day: Time Management Techniques That Will Work for You

 

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