It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Our Christmas cards are sent, the house is decorated, ¾ of our gifts are wrapped, the shopping is DONE and my Christmas day menu is set. Remember my plan—to do a little something pertaining to Christmas each day? It’s working. We’ll decorate our tree later this week and I’m knitting in the evenings. Not only that, I am still putting a reasonable number of hours into my writing/book promotion work, too.
Aren’t you just so much happier when you are organized and when you give yourself enough time in which to accomplish your goals? This premise works when preparing for the holidays and it is also important when operating a freelance writing business.
Whether you are an author promoting your book(s), you write articles for magazines or you work with clients on their projects, organization is vital to your success. Without a sense of organization, you will miss deadlines or create undue stress for yourself because you’re always trying to play catch-up. When you lack organizational skills, you risk losing track of important data and information. When you aren’t organized, you probably don’t keep accurate business records and this can create all sorts of problems with clients, editors and publishers. Meeting writing/publishing-related goals definitely become a greater challenge for people who lack the ability to organize.
Chapter One in my “The Successful Writer’s Handbook†includes this list reflecting the traits or mind-set of those who would mostly likely fail in the writing business:
• Those of little faith who don’t even try.
• Those who refuse to make sacrifices.
• Those who are too attached to their own writing.
• Those who can’t step outside their comfort zone.
I would add, “Those who can’t organize their personal or professional life.â€
To become a successful working writer or author, one must:
• Make a commitment.
• Establish a routine and stick to it.
• Practice self-discipline.
• Be a bold promoter.
• Write every single day.
All of these points rely on what?? Organizational skills.
How do you develop a sense of organization? In Chapter Ten of “The Successful Writer’s Handbook,†I include a section called “Stop Procrastinating, Now!†I say that sometimes procrastination is a matter of sloppy organizational skills. Here are some ideas:
1: Start by making lists. Before going to bed or before starting to work in the morning, write down everything that you hope to accomplish during the day. I typically write a schedule each night complete with a time table. While I don’t always finish everything on my list, I almost always accomplish the major tasks.
2: Learn how to prioritize. Often lack of organization is a lack of the ability to prioritize. Try this: List the projects you have on the table now—everything that must be accomplished by the end of the day, week or month. Give the most important tasks a “one†rating, the next in line of importance, a “two†and so forth. Transfer all of the number one rated tasks to the top of a new list and follow with number two tasks and so on. Note how much time it will take to accomplish each task and create a schedule designed to accomplish them.
3: Don’t be afraid to make new lists and new time tables, this will be especially necessary when new projects come into your life.
4: Avoid temptations. There are many distractions for writers everyday. And these can be a real problem. It will behoove you to learn to deal with them. For example, say “no†to a lunch invitation with your best friend—opt for dinner out after working hours, for example. Reeducate neighbors to conform to your writing schedule. Barking dogs? Now that can be a real problem to one’s concentration. I’ve handled this one by working with neighbors to quiet their dogs. You might wear soundproof headphones while writing. Move your office to another area of the house.
I’ve been writing for articles for magazines and books for over 30 years and earning my living as a freelance writer/author for nearly two decades. I would not still be in this profession if I had not honed my organizational skills. It is crucial to business success and pretty darned important in managing a personal life, too.
Learn more about how to become a successful freelancer writer or author in “The Successful Writer’s Handbook.†http://www.matilijapress.com/writershandbookpage.html
If you want to write a book the right way, read, “The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.†http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html