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Scheduling for
Success Return to Views Directory Page
No matter what people
say, sometimes there aren’t enough hours in the day. I just surfaced from ten
days during which I wrote a 12-minute video script, an 18-minute speech, and a two-minute
laser/multimedia show, attended a script planning meeting, supervised three days of video
editing, designed and edited a four-panel newsletter (pro bono for my son and
stepson’s middle school PTSA), turned down two writing jobs (unusual opportunities
the likes of which will not likely come again--but exhaustion won out), and had a romantic
night out with my wife.
I worked 14-hour days, including the weekend, and
crawled out of bed at 4 am three of those days. Right now (noon of my first day off
in twelve), I am mentally toasted and physically drained. And I just have to tell
somebody about it. So, naturally, I’m writing this article.
Weeks like this don’t happen often (except for
the romantic part). I’ve learned to pace myself, spread out the workload, and
manage my assignments. Yet once a year or so, I found myself with the [Check one:
__ opportunity/ __ cross to bear] of too much work in too little time.
"Only once a year?" I hear other successful
writers say. Yes. And here are the guidelines that keep me (mostly) free from
the crunching Jaws of Time:
- Block Time. Block
out whole days for projects, instead of half-days and few-hour slots. Once you get
rolling on a job, it is much easier and more efficient to keep going on it than to
suddenly switch gears into another job and then switch back.
- Establish a Routine.
Schedule meetings only for one or two days a week. I prefer Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
which gives me Monday for writing (a great way to start any week) and Thursday and Friday
to end the week calmly. Stick to your routine as closely as you can. Letting
your clients know your routine, so that they can schedule meetings and research trips
accordingly, helps.
- Multiply Time Estimates by 1.5. I
have been writing for 30 years, and still I tend to underestimate the number of hours it
will take me to finish a job. When charging by the hour, I let clients know up front
what my maximum number of hours will be, and I use the "1.5 Multiplier" rule to
estimate that number. If I come in under, I am a hero. If I use all the hours,
I am still within budget and a reliable professional. If I come in over, I eat the
charge. It’s good business, and it makes me more careful.
- Take Breaks. When
you work hard, be good to yourself. Treat yourself to lunch, a long walk, or a
romantic evening--every week. Years ago, I was a writing machine, churning 60+ hours
a week. A divorce taught me me to wise up. Now I refuse to work more than one
weekend a month, and I take time to enjoy the things that enrich my writing. It has
made all the difference.
- Be Firm with Clients.
Clients are important. They give us business, they pay the bills. But
their money does not buy our lives. Be generous and reasonable in what you give them
in terms of time and attention, but remember that your life is your own.
The writing life can be a lucrative and enjoyable
one. But you have to protect yourself. After all, what the client is buying is
you--your talents and perspectives. If you don’t continually develop that self,
you will soon be overtaken by younger and more current competitors. And you
can’t develop yourself if you're always chained to your desk.
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