“Life intervenes with my writing plans!”

(Print this blog post and keep in your writing book to reference the how-to's, action steps, and checklists.) 

Have you plopped down on your bed at the end of a long day and expressed that frustration?

 I know you have because all authors can relate to being interrupted with “life” at exactly the time set apart to write.

Finishing your book is probably one of the most important things in your life right now, yet it can be all too easy to let this “most important thing” end up at the bottom of your to-do list.

The most important thing ends up at the bottom of the list!

The definition of time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between different activities. 

 No matter where you are in the writing process, time management is one of the "make-it or break-it" key skills.

Here are 4 Coaching Tips to give you the nudge and the determination to FINISH! the book God has called you to write.

Tip #1: It Starts with Your Goals and Priorities

You have to be clear on your goals. This is the core of time management because without a goal it’s hard to know what you are even managing your time for, and you will not aim your priorities of each day/week/month in the right direction.

Have you identified your goals in this season of life? What is at the top of your priority list?

Let me give you an example. I went back into the classroom at a local university when my daughters were 4-22 years old. We had a full family schedule with school and sports, and I also worked part-time as a worship leader and head of women’s ministry in our church. I knew God was calling me to get my pastoral license, so I committed two years to educational training. But things had to change for this to be successful. I could not do it all and still finish the program. So, I reset my goals and priorities for this season of life.

I narrowed life down to 3 goals!

1. Be a good wife. That meant quality time with Scott and lots of good communication.
2. Be a good mom. That meant clean clothes, food on the table, and efficient delegating.
3. Get my homework done. My education had to take a priority, or it was a waste of time going to school.

I let go of everything else during this 2-year period. I stepped down from working at my church and didn’t add anything extra to the calendar. The focus was Scott, the girls, and school!

Goals and priorities should match your values, so, take a few minutes right now and write down your top 5 values in life.

My guess is that God is listed at the top of your values. Where is finishing your book in the list?

Consider this: are you convinced that God has called you to write AND FINISH this book? Does that change how you prioritize your book?

I knew God had called me back into the classroom to get my pastoral license, so I cleared a path in my life so that I could accomplish that goal.

What do you need to eliminate and/or simplify in your life to finish your book?

Ephesians 2:10 in the Message Translation says: (God) creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

It’s time to buckle down and get doing the work God is calling you to do. Start with your goals and priorities!

Action Step

List your top 3-5 goals for this season of life. How will you prioritize your book in your daily/weekly/monthly schedule?

Is it hard to say "no" when people ask for your insights and time…even when your life is at full capacity?

If so, give yourself permission to politely decline.

God doesn’t expect you to accept every invitation or meet every need. No one is able to come through 24/7. If your pace of life is crazy, it’s good to remember God never set that pace. He wants you fully present—not completely exhausted. His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

Your continual "yes" carries too high a price when the cost is depleted reserves, lost time for what matters most, and a weary heart.

Allen Arnold

Be careful with your “yes”!

Tip #2 Book Time is Dedicated Time

When you dedicate a time slot in your day for your book, you are willing to give focus and energy to it because it is important.

Have you heard of the 7-8-9 rule in time management? This is a tool that suggests allocating your time as follows:

• Sleep: 7–8 hours of sleep
• Work: 8–9 hours of work
• Free time: At least 7 hours of free time

In which “time zone” will you finish your book?

I suggest you don’t steal from your sleep hours. Your mind will be so much more alert and creative with a good night’s sleep. So that leaves the “work” zone or the “free time” zone.

Establish a good balance between sleep, work, and free time.

Find a pace that works and is sustainable.

Jack Hayford was the senior pastor of Church on the Way in California and authored 50 books and composed 500 hymns and choruses. When asked when he found time to write, he answered, in the spaces of my day.

If you work full time, either at home or outside of your home, are there any “spaces” of time that you could designate as writing time?

Spaces in your day could include:

• Your lunch hour
• Taking the bus to work instead of driving and writing on your ipad during the trip
• Recording your ideas while waiting in the school carpool line
• Instead of running errands during your son’s basketball practice, find a desk or use the school library and use the time writing
• Only checking your email and social media one time during the day
• Writing for one hour before bedtime instead of watching your favorite reruns on television

E. B. White writes: A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.

Action Steps

Answer these questions and find action steps you can implement today.

• What is the dedicated time slot I will give to my book?
• What boundaries will I make for my writing time?
• What achievable targets will I set: a certain amount of time, words per day, one task per day?
• What are 3 ways I can keep a good work/life balance?

Tip #3 Know Your Time Management Style

Do you prefer…

• Early mornings or late evenings?
• Strict schedules or loose concepts?
• Every day the same or lots of variety?
• Large blocks of uninterrupted time or lots of short chunks?

If you understand your style of time management and how you work best, you can choose a strategy that will work for you.

For me it’s early mornings and lots of variety. Even though I am retired, I get up before the sunrise and after a sf-vanilla-almond-milk-extra-hot-latte, and time in God’s Word, I am ready to work on my writing projects. During these times, the house is quiet, and my mind is alert and creative. I study, write, brainstorm, create, and design for about 3-5 hours depending on what else is scheduled for the morning.

Describe your best creative hours of the day.
What is stopping you from committing these hours to your writing?

How do you work best?

• I need the room to be quiet.
• I need distractions removed.
• I need a predictable schedule.
• I can switch into writing mode quickly.
• It takes me a few minutes to center my thoughts and begin a writing project.
• I work best with a large block of time verses a few minutes here and there.

I have already talked about building a dedicated time to your book. Now I want you to consider a sacred space set apart just for you.

What does your “ideal” working environment look like?

Do you have a secluded chair, a private place, a distraction-less corner where you can quietly sit and work?

You need to be intentional about creating a space for yourself – and be sure it is distraction free!

Distractions are noisy.

“We are fed messages relentlessly from advertisements on nearly every flat surface. Each distraction enters our mind with one goal: to gain control of our attention and resources.” 

Joshua Becker, becomingminimalistic.com

Here are 4 ideas for removing the noise of distractions:

1. Shut down the electronic and digital triggers that grab your attention.

• Turn off the notifications on your smart phone. Don’t even bring your phone with you into your sacred writing space. Notifications will continue distract you as you work.

According to a study in 2017, Americans check their phone on average once every 12 minutes – burying their heads in their phones 80 times a day.

• You’ve all experienced the group texts. You are just getting refocused, and you hear a beep. You just “have to” check it – only to find another smiley face emoji. (Are those really life-and-death texts you just can’t afford to miss?)
• Silence the beep of the notifications and designate a time to catch up on social media “life” according to the schedule that works best for you.
• Your email box can wait until you are ready to read it. The most productive people in the world will tell us to read/answer email only twice each day. This habit instantly limits incoming distractions.
• Turn off background noise from the television and radio. Some of you focus better with quiet music in the background; and that’s OK. There are other sounds, though, that are distracting and interrupt your focus such as voices from television shows, news channels, and radio stations. You know what distracts you and you have the power to use the on and off switch.

You have the power to use the on and off switch.

2. Get rid of physical clutter.

• Clutter not only messes up your space, it messes up your mind. (Just google “living with clutter” and you can find all kinds of research.) Most of us allow our eyes to distract us and clutter will subtly draw your attention at least a little. Now I know that some of you are “messies” and some of you are not. I want to encourage you to keep everything within eye glance of your sacred place clutter-free. You will be able to concentrate better and keep your focus on God.

3. Redirect your mental nagging to-do list.

• You finally are settled into your chair, and no one is interrupting you. As you begin to write your mind wanders to something that you have to remember to do today. That thought, plus others, will keep nagging you until you write it down. So take a moment to jot it down and then let it go and rest assured you will not forget this important task.

4. Quiet your mind.

• Our mind tends to wander and distract us. We relive yesterday, we think about today, we worry about tomorrow, we rehearse conversations, we let our imagination run wild, etc. . .

Only you can capture your thoughts and redirect them to the task at hand. It is a discipline and only YOU can train yourself to do this.

Tip #4: Set a Rule that Works for You.

Everyone is different and there are lots of different ways to organize your time. You need to find out what works for you and set a rule.

Think of rules this way – where do you put your spoons? Do you lay them down in the bathroom? Scattered all over the house? On the counter above the dishwasher?

No!

I bet I could walk into your house and find your spoons within 1 minute in the silverware drawer.

Keeping your spoons in the caddy in a drawer in your kitchen is not a law mandated by your city. It is a self-imposed rule that works because it is logical and easy to follow.

You need a writing rule that is logical and easy to follow.

My husband tells me – the exercise plan that works for you is the one that you follow. The diet plan that works for you is the one you follow consistently every day.

Finishing your book happens when you self-impose “rules” – habits, routines – that work for your life. They are logical and easy to follow.

Time management is all about creating rules for yourself that work.

It is possible to FINISH! the book God has called you to write, but it starts with a commitment of your time and energy. 

 Let’s finish your book together! Becky

Join the next FINISH! Coaching Course Cohort Group