Being organised isn’t something you are automatically born with. Sure, some people seem to have a propensity for it but mostly, it’s a learned skill. That means you can get better at being organised. It involves putting systems in place and the discipline to actually USE them. That second part is where a lot of people fall down.
Last year, I wrote a post that discussed the merits of picking your Top 5 Tasks/Projects to focus on.
We are easily distracted by Shiny Object Syndrome that has us flitting from one thing to another and actually gaining enough focus to truly commit to a project or task can be hard.
The premise of the 5 Focus Tasks is that these are the ones you truly commit to and you DO NOT take on any other tasks until these are completed.
Planning out a whole year? Am I crazy? Well, perhaps. But I like to take stock of my methods and change them if they stop working for me. Now, while monthly goals and daily tasks do work, they weren't having the effect I needed for long-term goal planning. I decided I required something more drastic. *Insert dramatic music* I needed to do "Yearly Planning".
Emails have always been a bane in my life. Yes they have their uses and it makes things so much faster and more efficient, but we are drowning in emails and many of us find our inboxes are just becoming a digital hoard of messages we can't organise or clear. Here is how I organise my email systems to make things easier. This is part of My WriterLife Series.
How often do you feel there just aren't enough hours in the day? We cram our days full of chores, work, errands, family, and projects not to mention sleeping, eating, etc and if we're lucky we manage to find some time to chill or do fun activities. Well, recently I've felt like all I do is work. Housework, business work, paperwork, blog work, marketing work... and it's been getting me down.
There is probably quite a bit of irony to the fact I'm writing about being efficient, while currently being my least-efficient-self.
I'm normally an efficient, organised person. However, since the last 4 months have been pretty rough, I lost my edge.
So this article is to remind myself about what I SHOULD be doing and to give all you readers out there who may struggle with productivity and efficiency, a little boost too 🙂
When a New Year comes around, I like to look back at my methods from the last year. This is a great way to give myself some perspective. After all, the last thing I want to do is enter a sparkling new year with old, unproductive habits dragging me down.
As 2018 and I part ways, I am greeting 2019 as a new friend full of endless opportunities. There are new challenges to take, new goals to reach and I for one am excited to start fresh.
As writers, we have more to do than just writing. We have to build our brand, develop a platform, connect with potential readers... the list can feel endless. And that is on top of all the normal everyday life stuff such as working, taking care of the family etc.
So, how do you manage to do all those extra tasks that are part and parcel of a writer's journey?
When you are spinning a lot of plates in your life, you damn sure need to use whatever system you can to help keep you working efficiently. I have a lot of projects on the go as well as business and home responsibilities so I am always looking for new ways to work better. A number of you commented on my new schedule that makes me so much more productive, well this is the add on to that. 🙂
Author Ari Meghlen Official Website 