Hints for Time Management

[Peg Herring]

My husband worries about me because I spend so much time in my office, doing "stuff." The problem with any profession is the all-absorbing quality of it, the inability to leave it alone. Writing is among the worst because it's always possible: if you're home, there's the computer. If you're away from home, you have a pad of paper and can make notes. You're always thinking about that plot-knot or how to make that character more real to the reader.

What does one do about it? Not much, I suspect, because the creative mind can't stop. The stories of Michelangelo going without food and rest as he worked on the Sistine Chapel confirm that. I have, however, made myself some guidelines. I don't call them rules because they are often broken, but here they are.

I set hours for work. James Michener, who was nothing if not prolific, had a strict daily schedule: so many hours of writing and then he was done. I have learned to shut the computer down at five o'clock. When I worked outside my home I had a quitting time, and similarly, my current situation should have clear limits so that it doesn't intrude on real life. I also try to take weekends off and act like a normal person would.

I limit my time on the Net. There are so many helpful places to visit, so many informative sites, but they draw you away from what you intend to get done. I target an hour early in the morning for this blog and answering email. I check email again at noon and at five and answer what is required. Surfing is reserved for evenings on my laptop, with "Jeopardy" in the background.

At least one day a week I give myself a day off from marketing and business-type stuff and just enjoy the process of writing. With a book due out any day, it's easy to get caught up in the anxiety of getting the word out to everyone on the planet. I have to remind myself that I got into this writing thing because I love to write, not because I wanted to sell a product. Balancing what must be done with what feeds my soul makes me a happier person overall.