Chunk It Down!

Time management. Those dreaded words linger at the back of my mind, pushing against the front of my skull until I can’t ignore the pressure anymore. Due dates, revisions, planning new novels, blogs to write, marketing research, facebook, and for those who have it, twitter. I pull out my trusted 2011/12 planner and attempt to jot down whatever needs to be done for the next day.  While plotting a course for my day, I take several detours, until I’m back on track to do some revising for my time travel novel. I huff and puff and sigh. An author in these times has to wear many hats – especially when organizing the aspects of his or her writing career.

So, I slip on my ‘time management’ hat, and instantly know what I have to do. Chunk it down! I must organize my writing into small, easy to handle chunks. Make notes. Brainstorm. Find the best times that work for me. Get rid of the gunk in my head. And if I need to clear my head – exercise, walk the dog, dance – give my brain a chance to process the information. Then write.

Of course, it helps to learn how and when to delegate at times. But that’s another blog post!