Writers do much more than just typing words. There are several tasks required before you can arrive at your final draft.
Research and reading, for instance, can take a lot of time before you can get to the actual writing. This can be overwhelming if not properly managed.
For this reason, a structured system is necessary to make you more effective and organised. You need a system to compress all your writing tasks into a daily routine.
A disoriented day for a writer can accumulate into weeks and months of inefficiency. This will reduce the quality of your writing and put you under pressure to meet your deadlines. All these can result in stress, which is not good for your health.
Practical Tips to Organise Your Day as a Writer
This article will show you how to organise your day as a writer to avoid the stress of being disorganised.
1. Planning and Organisation
A single writing project can be daunting, but you must break it into manageable steps and tasks. Your goals must be realistic and achievable and should have specific objectives. This will give you a structure that will keep you organised.
To complete your tasks, you must create a to-do list to help you track all your tasks. For long-term projects, you should consider breaking them into smaller milestones.
2. Productive Routine
You need to create and maintain a routine to meet your daily objectives. For instance, a daily timetable will give you a framework to help you organise your day as a writer. However, you must set specific goals and tasks that you can meet each day.
You’ll do more if you can identify the time of day when your energy levels peak. For some writers, it’s in the mornings and others in the evenings. This is a good time to schedule your important tasks.
You can consider brainstorming sessions if you’re uncertain how to kick-start your day. They are good for warmups.
Also Read: Effective Ways to Be More Productive as a Full-Time Writer
3. Time Management Strategies
Time flies if you don’t keep track of it. You need to assign specific hours to your daily tasks to establish your routines. Set time for all your writing activities, like brainstorming, drafting, editing, or research. You’ll complete your tasks faster this way. If you struggle with tracking or managing time, you can use a timer or a time app.
You need to determine the most important tasks for completion. You can know this by ranking your projects and tasks based on urgency or client requirements.
Although notifications can distract you, some messages and emails need urgent attention. You don’t have to miss them; you can allocate specific time slots to check your emails and messages.
4. Optimal Writing Environment
You must have a comfortable workspace to get the best of your day. If you don’t write in a regular office, you can use a room or a corner in a room for your workspace. It has to be quiet and well-lit and should have a good ambience. If you don’t like a silent environment, you can play some music.
A display of your daily tasks will be useful in your workspace. It can be a chart of the day’s tasks on a whiteboard or sticky notes.
It’s good to assemble all the materials and resources you’ll need for the day before you begin your tasks.
5. Productivity Tools
Technology makes you work smarter; you should take advantage of it. Several tools and apps can make your writing experience better. They can help in your research and editing and enhance your workflow. These tools can help you complete your tasks on time and free up space for more tasks.
Also, consider using project management software to track your tasks and deadlines.
Also Read: 7 Best Writing Apps You Need to Own as a Writer
6. Breaks and Self-Care
The mind of a writer works nonstop, whether you are in your workspace or not. Because of this, it’s not unusual for writers to suffer from burnout and exhaustion. The main culprits are improper writing routines, pressure from meeting deadlines, and stress. This can have a ripple effect on your health and your productivity.
You must get up often from your writing desk because writing is sedentary. Engage in physical activities; you can stretch or take a walk. It will energise you and stimulate your creativity.
You can also meditate and engage in other self-care activities. They are good stress reducers.
It’s important to insert short breaks between tasks in your daily routine. Your body needs rest to recharge and maintain productivity.
7. Avoid Distractions
Distraction isn’t good for writers; it takes you off your line of thought.
Your mobile devices can distract you a lot. You can avoid this by turning off notifications or putting them on a “Do Not Disturb” mode. There are website blockers that can block out notifications as you work on your computer. You can also use focus apps to limit distractions. You must leverage technology if you want to work smart.
Additionally, you need to establish personal boundaries to cut distractions from your tasks. First, you’ll have to identify what and who can interrupt and implement measures to avoid it. It could mean being stern about not being disturbed during your work hours unless there’s an emergency.
Stay Organised
An orderly framework and routine will help you to organise your day as a writer. This applies to all writers, but more so remote and freelance writers.
Using this structure will improve your writing skills. You’ll make steady progress with your projects, and you’ll maintain a good reputation. Ultimately, these will open you up to more opportunities.
