Day 375: Schedules, alarms
I was listening to the audiobook, Productivity For Authors: Find Time to Write, Organize your Author Life, and Decide what Really Matters by Joanna Penn (she has such a nice speaking voice!) and she talked about scheduling your writing. I recently started making a more detailed schedule of my day in my electronic bullet journal (Day One), and while I never would have thought I’d appreciate something so detailed, it’s actually been really interesting and useful.
I’ve noticed that the detailed schedule in my journal has made me confront what exactly I do during the day. If I don’t follow the schedule, I have to justify to myself why I’m spending time on something, and if it’s derailing my productivity.
Sometimes I derail my productivity mindlessly, like when I got distracted a few days ago and didn’t even realize it until afterward. Btu not everyday has been like that. Other times, I have to consciously decide if I’m going to do something not on the schedule.
I have to admit, the detailed schedule does seem too rigid, even for me. I’m doing it because I’m very interested in how to improve my productivity, and so I’m using this tool to try to help me understand myself and structure my day so I make the most of it. I don’t know that I’ll always use this detailed schedule, but for now, it has been helping me to stay on target with the things I need to do every day.
I’ve also been liberally using the alarms on my phone (yes, the alarms and ringtones that got me distracted a few days ago …). Lately I’ve been using them for almost everything. When I start checking email, I set an alarm for 30 minutes, and it goes off to help me NOT putz around Facebook for hours. Since I can also get distracted by internet research, anytime I have to check something online, I’ll set a timer (as opposed to an alarm) so that it’ll go off in a few minutes to remind me not to go down research rabbit holes. I use a timer for writing sprints when I’m just trying to get myself to get started writing and I’m feeling unmotivated.
It occurred to me that if I didn’t use a detailed schedule like I am now, I could instead just set alarms for when I need to do things. It would make me feel like I’m not tied down to a rigid set of tasks to do.
Joanna Penn and other authors have mentioned that in order to improve productivity, you really do need to schedule your writing. I know many authors for whom that would be really hard. So maybe in that case, setting recurring alarms on their phones would work instead. I’m using both a schedule and recurring alarms, but I’m just weird.
Several weeks ago, I actually calculated how much time I spend on things like sleep, hygiene, cooking, cleaning, laundry, family time, exercise, gardening. I don’t do all of them everyday, but I did a rough estimate of the amount I take each day.
And I ended up with only about 8 hours for working, and that included my Japanese language learning, email, blogging, and the necessary time to read every day to refill the creative well. If I had to commute to work, or if I had kids, I’d have even less time. (Those of you writing with kids, I salute you!)
My blogging/journalling has been important for me to understand myself and figure out how to improve my productivity (and I don’t intend to do my daily writing blog forever, either), so I didn’t want to decrease the time for that. And in order to learn Japanese, I really need to spend at least an hour every day (preferably two hours, but I just don’t have that kind of time, so I adjusted it to 90 minutes). That left 5.5 hours for writing and reading, and I admit that I usually will skimp on my reading in order to get work done. I have also skipped cooking and cleaning some days in order to spend more time either writing or reading.
All that to say, the schedule has been helpful to actually see how much time I really have during the day.
Since my reading has been reduced to about 30-45 minutes everyday, I decided that what I’ll try to do is binge-read (or binge-watch Netflix) on Sundays. That way I won’t work (which I have been doing lately), and it will HOPEFULLY refill my creative well when I can’t read as much during the week.
What this also does is free me from the guilt of doing work and not doing enough reading during weekdays. Instead, I can work the full 5.5 hours if I want. This actually eases my mind quite a bit because I always worry about getting enough writing done since I try not to do any writing on weekends.
***
I ended up spending a little more time on my Japanese than I had wanted. I decided how I can adjust my study procedure so that I won’t have quite so much to do and can finish in 90 minutes.
However, I’m also reasonably sure that I won’t be able to keep up a pace of 2 hour study sessions for the long haul. I’m motivated right now, but later it’ll be harder to get myself to do it. So for now, I’ll enjoy the extra time I do my studying, and I won’t worry so much about it anymore. My study time will likely decrease later when I lose motivation. later, as long as I keep doing at least 30 minutes every day, I think I’ll be fine, but hopefully I’ll be able to do at least 60 minutes a day. I think that will enable me to reach my language learning goal.
I did quite a lot of work last night, with music playing, and was able to concentrate relatively well, so I think the concept of working with music when I’m tired does seem to work for me. I’ll keep it up, although it’s hard to compare quality of focus with and without music, since it’s not really quantifiable at this point. Maybe when I start writing the book, I can compare words per hour when I work with music and without, when I’m tired and when I’m not.
I discovered a plot problem in the side novel synopsis that impacted book 10 in the series, and I wasn’t able to figure out a solution last night before I went to bed, so I’ll continue working on that today. If I can fix it, then I’ll continue reading through the synopsis for the side novel, taking notes as I go and making sure there aren’t any more plot problems. I also still have a small plot problem I have to fix in book 4, but I’ll tackle that when I start work on book 4 in earnest.
***
I’ve spent all of today working on the plot problem, and I still haven’t found an answer. I came up with some pretty fanciful things, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit, but eventually decided against them. I’ll have to work on it more tomorrow.
The time recorded below seems like a lot, but about 3.5 hours of it was work I did last night. Actually, I should have gone to bed earlier last night, but I had been trying to figure out the plot problem and didn’t want to let it go, so I ended up working quite a lot.
Outlining: time spent: 7 hours, 36 minutes
Blocking: time spent: 0
Editing: Time spent: 0
Writing: Time spent: 0
Writing: Total number of words: n/a
Writing: Overall writing speed: n/a
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 39 minutes
My takeaway for today: When I start writing the book, I need to compare words per hour when I work with music and without, when I’m tired and when I’m not. Music seems to help when I’m tired, but it’s hard to know without hard data.
I’ve noticed that the detailed schedule in my journal has made me confront what exactly I do during the day. If I don’t follow the schedule, I have to justify to myself why I’m spending time on something, and if it’s derailing my productivity.
Sometimes I derail my productivity mindlessly, like when I got distracted a few days ago and didn’t even realize it until afterward. Btu not everyday has been like that. Other times, I have to consciously decide if I’m going to do something not on the schedule.
I have to admit, the detailed schedule does seem too rigid, even for me. I’m doing it because I’m very interested in how to improve my productivity, and so I’m using this tool to try to help me understand myself and structure my day so I make the most of it. I don’t know that I’ll always use this detailed schedule, but for now, it has been helping me to stay on target with the things I need to do every day.
I’ve also been liberally using the alarms on my phone (yes, the alarms and ringtones that got me distracted a few days ago …). Lately I’ve been using them for almost everything. When I start checking email, I set an alarm for 30 minutes, and it goes off to help me NOT putz around Facebook for hours. Since I can also get distracted by internet research, anytime I have to check something online, I’ll set a timer (as opposed to an alarm) so that it’ll go off in a few minutes to remind me not to go down research rabbit holes. I use a timer for writing sprints when I’m just trying to get myself to get started writing and I’m feeling unmotivated.
It occurred to me that if I didn’t use a detailed schedule like I am now, I could instead just set alarms for when I need to do things. It would make me feel like I’m not tied down to a rigid set of tasks to do.
Joanna Penn and other authors have mentioned that in order to improve productivity, you really do need to schedule your writing. I know many authors for whom that would be really hard. So maybe in that case, setting recurring alarms on their phones would work instead. I’m using both a schedule and recurring alarms, but I’m just weird.
Several weeks ago, I actually calculated how much time I spend on things like sleep, hygiene, cooking, cleaning, laundry, family time, exercise, gardening. I don’t do all of them everyday, but I did a rough estimate of the amount I take each day.
And I ended up with only about 8 hours for working, and that included my Japanese language learning, email, blogging, and the necessary time to read every day to refill the creative well. If I had to commute to work, or if I had kids, I’d have even less time. (Those of you writing with kids, I salute you!)
My blogging/journalling has been important for me to understand myself and figure out how to improve my productivity (and I don’t intend to do my daily writing blog forever, either), so I didn’t want to decrease the time for that. And in order to learn Japanese, I really need to spend at least an hour every day (preferably two hours, but I just don’t have that kind of time, so I adjusted it to 90 minutes). That left 5.5 hours for writing and reading, and I admit that I usually will skimp on my reading in order to get work done. I have also skipped cooking and cleaning some days in order to spend more time either writing or reading.
All that to say, the schedule has been helpful to actually see how much time I really have during the day.
Since my reading has been reduced to about 30-45 minutes everyday, I decided that what I’ll try to do is binge-read (or binge-watch Netflix) on Sundays. That way I won’t work (which I have been doing lately), and it will HOPEFULLY refill my creative well when I can’t read as much during the week.
What this also does is free me from the guilt of doing work and not doing enough reading during weekdays. Instead, I can work the full 5.5 hours if I want. This actually eases my mind quite a bit because I always worry about getting enough writing done since I try not to do any writing on weekends.
***
I ended up spending a little more time on my Japanese than I had wanted. I decided how I can adjust my study procedure so that I won’t have quite so much to do and can finish in 90 minutes.
However, I’m also reasonably sure that I won’t be able to keep up a pace of 2 hour study sessions for the long haul. I’m motivated right now, but later it’ll be harder to get myself to do it. So for now, I’ll enjoy the extra time I do my studying, and I won’t worry so much about it anymore. My study time will likely decrease later when I lose motivation. later, as long as I keep doing at least 30 minutes every day, I think I’ll be fine, but hopefully I’ll be able to do at least 60 minutes a day. I think that will enable me to reach my language learning goal.
I did quite a lot of work last night, with music playing, and was able to concentrate relatively well, so I think the concept of working with music when I’m tired does seem to work for me. I’ll keep it up, although it’s hard to compare quality of focus with and without music, since it’s not really quantifiable at this point. Maybe when I start writing the book, I can compare words per hour when I work with music and without, when I’m tired and when I’m not.
I discovered a plot problem in the side novel synopsis that impacted book 10 in the series, and I wasn’t able to figure out a solution last night before I went to bed, so I’ll continue working on that today. If I can fix it, then I’ll continue reading through the synopsis for the side novel, taking notes as I go and making sure there aren’t any more plot problems. I also still have a small plot problem I have to fix in book 4, but I’ll tackle that when I start work on book 4 in earnest.
***
I’ve spent all of today working on the plot problem, and I still haven’t found an answer. I came up with some pretty fanciful things, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit, but eventually decided against them. I’ll have to work on it more tomorrow.
The time recorded below seems like a lot, but about 3.5 hours of it was work I did last night. Actually, I should have gone to bed earlier last night, but I had been trying to figure out the plot problem and didn’t want to let it go, so I ended up working quite a lot.
Outlining: time spent: 7 hours, 36 minutes
Blocking: time spent: 0
Editing: Time spent: 0
Writing: Time spent: 0
Writing: Total number of words: n/a
Writing: Overall writing speed: n/a
Time spent doing other writing-related business: 39 minutes
My takeaway for today: When I start writing the book, I need to compare words per hour when I work with music and without, when I’m tired and when I’m not. Music seems to help when I’m tired, but it’s hard to know without hard data.
Comments
Post a Comment