You have to renovate the kitchen. Your boss needs you to take the lead on a work project. You have to give time for charity work. You are trying to launch an e-commerce startup…
You also have a writing project.
Often in the past, when I have had a lot of projects, writing has been the first thing to fall through the cracks and I have really struggled with that. Over time I’ve learned to manage my writing projects with other projects. I’m here to tell you with a little discipline it CAN be done. Here’s how:
1 – ZOOM IN ON WRITING GOALS
Be clear on the nature of your writing project. Is it to generate new work? Compile a manuscript? Do you have freelance or paid work you have to complete? Preparing for submission cycles? In the process of book publication? Identifying your writing goals gives focus and purpose but even more important, they direct measurement and accountability. It also helps in scheduling: E.g. creating new work demands different energy than restructuring a manuscript. That can have a bearing on where you fit it in your day.
2 – ZOOM OUT ON PROJECT LOAD
Take a helicopter view and get clarity around your projects. Give linearity to the amorphous jumble in your head. The more planning you do at this stage, the better management you can do.
How many projects do you have?
If you have a list as long as your arm, I suggest you prioritize and pick the most important, urgent top two or three. Be realistic about the demands you can make on your self. Don’t court burnout.
What are the major steps in each project?
Plot the critical tasks for each project, including your writing project. These are the key tasks – often interconnected – that need to be accomplished in order for your project to be completed. What is vital? What is ancillary? Is the pathway to completion sequential and straightforward? Do ancillary tasks need to be done in tandem?
Deadlines and sub-deadlines
Work backwards from your projects’ deadlines to assign sub-deadlines to the major steps/critical tasks in each project. This helps with effective scheduling and also helps us see how much of our time, energy and other resources need to be assigned to each of our projects. We tend to procrastinate when we don’t give ourselves deadlines.
3 – COMPARTMENTALIZE
I have different folders (digital and paper), as well as different brainstorming notebooks for each of my projects so I don’t have a mixed up mess of ideas, documents, tasks to sift through when I’m working. Whichever project has my attention, I only have work relevant to it in front of me. Wherever possible I duplicate planning templates across projects. This saves time and helps me have a single organizational system for all my projects. I’m a huge fan of Gantt charts.
4 – DEVELOP SCHEDULES
I have two different approaches to scheduling my work:
a) I will split my day into blocks for working on different projects. I may work on my writing first thing in the morning when I am fresh, work on my e-business in the afternoon, do maintenance work like answering emails/correspondence in the evenings. This approach breaks the monotony of working on one project, gives variation to my day, and allows me to accomplish tasks for multiple projects in tandem.
b) I will split my week into working 2-3 days on a single project and the remainder of the weekdays on another project. This approach is when my work would benefit from uninterrupted, sustained focus.
Try different scheduling approaches to find out what works best for you.
5 – TASKS AND ENERGY CYCLES
I align with the efficiency experts who say that completing projects is not just a function of how you manage your to-do list, but also how you manage your energy and that throughout a day we move through high-energy, low-energy cycles. Simply put, schedule demanding, work-intensive tasks during high-energy times and routine maintenance, less intensive work during low-energy times.
6 – BUILD IN CONTINGENCIES
You’re human, not an automaton. Life happens. Make sure you build in buffers in your project timelines for unexpected delays. That way your projects and schedules won’t be derailed and you can still stay on track.
7 – REVIEW
Undertake regular reviews and hold yourself accountable for tasks you have to complete. I take stock of the progress I’ve made on each project at the end of every work day and also do a weekly review of all my projects. There is satisfaction in seeing action I’ve taken, progress I’ve made (or not!), when I’ve performed well, when I haven’t. I can then course-correct or pat myself on the back.
3 BONUS TIPS:
1) Be consistent. Do a little every day towards your projects.
2) Try to show up at the same time for the same project. E.g. If you work on your writing in the morning, then make that a habit. This sets up a rhythm for that project, makes you present to the work it demands.
3) We can get overwhelmed when we have multiple projects. Make time for your personal well-being. Eat well, rest well, build in breaks and manage your stress.
What are some of the ways you manage writing with your workload? Share with me.
Until next time!
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