Time management for self-publishers - The Plan

I am thankful to each and every one of my clients. Thank you.

As promised here is the time management for self publishers plan I would like to share with you. Several years ago I used this method, and had tremendous success with getting things done.

Recently I revisited the method I used and this is the plan I now have in place, and hope that you'll find it useful...

1. The first thing I looked at was my realistic time I have available (both for my client work, and my own writing). I say realistic, because although I have about 4 hours available (from getting home from work until going to bed), it isn't practical to use all this time for work and writing. To be honest, I just don't have the urge to work around the clock anymore. Besides burn-out, it would also mean I have no time for my wife and family (and relaxing).

2. On determining how much time I had, I wanted to make sure I would use the time productively, and be able to focus on the tasks I had to do.

My time allocation is thus...

Monday to Friday: 1.5 hours (client work), and 1 hour (my writing).
Saturday & Sunday: 3 hours for each day (client work/writing) - subject to social commitments (family do sometimes come and visit).

This will give me about 8 hours a week for my writing (subject to client work).

3. In order to utilize the time productively, I will be using an old fashioned timer, and work strictly within the allocated time.

4. In order to prioritize my time and focus on the required tasks that need to be done, I made a list of every task that is needed for my next 2 books.

5. I subscribe to several blogs and newsletters so that I stay up to date with what's going on in the self-publishing world. And now, instead of reading these every day, I will use part of my Sunday time to catch up. I've also un-subscribed from lower value blogs and newsletters.

This is my plan, which I believe to be a realistic one. Looking at  it since I began following it, it's working very well so far.

I trust that you will give it a try and also benefit from this method.

A great little book is Brian Tracy's Eat That Frog.

Eat That Frog (hard copy version)

Eat That Frog (Kindle version)

Do you have a time management you use? I'd love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

Time management for self-publishers

Ah, time. That elusive thing we all don't seem to have enough of - at least not as the years move on in life. In youth, we generally tend to feel we have endless hours... to squander away on worthless activities.

Time management is a fallacy. We are all dealt exactly the same 24 hours every day, and in the real world there is no management of this valuable resource.

If there are practical time management tools that we have, it is these: Prioritize and Focus.

As a writer with a 9-to-5 job, productive use of time is something that does not always come easy. Add to this running a part-time business, and time management becomes a real fantasy. Prioritize and Focus.

When I started this blog, I had made big changes with regards to my part-time business, and other online activities. I did that because I wanted to focus on my writing. As life would have it, it wasn't to be...

I was inundated with book design and e-cover projects, and although I am extremely thankful to each and every one of my clients, my personal writing took a back seat.

If you have been following my self-publishing diary, and have been disappointed by the scarcity of the posts, I do really apologize.

The good news... I recently spent a few days planning, and revisiting my priorities, as well as what I need to focus on. What I came up with is what I believe to be a practical plan.

I want to share what I did with you, and how I plan to make better use of my available time. It's my hope that you will also use and benefit from (especially if you're a writer with a 9-to-5 job).

I will share the plan with you in the next post.

In the meantime, are there any questions or comments you may have about time constraints with writing and holding down a job?

Here are 2 videos I think you may find interesting...

Stephen King on e-books

Tip on Book Writing & Research from Dan Poynter