I am constantly learning something about my way of handling things. Maybe I am constantly changing the way I handle things.
I keep pretty busy with running SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), writing, editing for other authors, promoting my books in a variety of ways and so forth. I also have a life and a lot of family, including a 90-year-old mom and great grandchildren all living nearby. And sometimes I feel overwhelmed with tasks, my to-do list, interruptions, jobs, responsibilities and so forth. Sound familiar?
Well, I’ve discovered a couple of things that help. One is to write everything down. That way I don’t forget a grandson’s or a friend’s birthday, to pay a bill, to buy kitty litter, to respond to an author question, to water the garden, what I plan to fix for dinner, etc. And the other thing is to take care of the small things first—the details. Then the list doesn’t seem so overwhelming.
So I might log a sale, get books ready to fill an Amazon order, mail some birthday cards, send my bio and photo to a program director, print out handouts for a presentation, water my African violets, pick up cat food, give an estimate for an editing job before I settle down to put in a few hours editing or writing a few chapters of my latest novel.
Think of it—a list of 15 items is now chopped down to 7 just like that and my anxiety level goes down, too. Now all that is left, for example, might be, edit a book proposal for a client, send the next lesson for the book promotion workshop, pick up groceries, call a potential client, respond to a question on self-publishing companies, finish the SPAWN Market Update and write a blog post.
How do you handle your life when there is a lot to do? Do you procrastinate? Do you start each day during a busy time with a longer list each day? Or have you found a great way to manage your time and get more done. Would like to hear about it.