Okay, so I admit. I sort of thrive on juggling lots of balls in the air at the same time. No, not literally. I honestly probably couldn’t juggle one ball alone without dropping it.
But when it comes to my writing work… yes, I juggle a ton of projects at once. That’s mainly because I’m an Achiever with a capital A. (If you’ve taken the Enneagram Personality Test, you’d classify me as a three, and you’d be right).
There are times when I might even describe myself as an over-achiever. But that’s a story for a different day.
If you were to sit down with me at my desk (aka the dining room table), you’d see neat stacks not only sitting on the table, but on the chairs. You’d see lots of notebooks with plot ideas carefully labeled and binders with research carefully catalogued. You’d see research books for current and upcoming stories, manila folders containing the business aspects of being an author, clipboards with spreadsheets of schedules, etc.
Even with all those things keeping my achiever self on track, there is one thing I rely on more than any other. And that’s my planner.
This past year I used a simple day-timer that my daughter gave me for Christmas. I know. Paper planners are old-fashioned in the digital age. But give me some credit. I gave the digital calendar/planner a try for a while. I found it’s just not the same as good old paper and pencil. For me, that old adage is really true: out of sight, out of mind. I’m better able to keep track of my to-do lists when they’re sitting right in front of me staring at me than when they’re hidden away on an app on my phone.
So, yes, I have a planner. I divide each day into two columns. In one I write down the non-writing related things I need to get done including the day’s cleaning, emails to send, errands to run, and even exercising.
In the second column I write down all the writing-related work I plan to accomplish. That includes my daily word count (for a first draft) as well as how many chapters I need to edit. It helps me to break down my tasks into bite sizes so that I know exactly how much I need to accomplish each day. For example, I might need to write 2000 words on one project and edit 3-4 chapters on another. With the checklist keeping me on track, I know how much I need to do every day in order to get the projects done in a timely manner.
I try to also add smaller items to my writing to-do list everyday including things like writing a blog post or working on marketing stuff.
Of course, since I have multiple projects that I independently publish (in addition to my traditional books), I also have to keep track of all the things I need to do for each of my indie books. I use a lot of sticky notes with lists (that I can move around in my planner). As ideas come up or I remember something I need to do, I jot those down on the sticky notes for the appropriate books, which helps me not to forget anything (most of the time!).
In the coming year 2020, I’m trying out “My Brilliant Writing Planner” through Susie May Warren’s My Book Therapy. Already, I’ve got sticky notes plastered throughout it in preparation for the upcoming year! While the planner is on the pricey side, it’s SUPER big and full of awesome-looking planning stuff. I’m looking forward to using it!
So a paper and pencil planner—that’s my simple secret to juggling multiple projects at once.
How about YOU? What helps you juggle all of your projects?
Jody Hedlund
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Lists, lists, lists! Sticky notes, scrap pieces of paper, a white board on the refrigerator, and a notebook.
Yay! A fellow paper and pencil (or in my case–erasable pen) girl!
And, love me some sticky notes.
I admire your organization, Jody!
Similar to you, I have tried digital calendars and prefer the paper calendar. While I’m not engaged in multiple projects in the same way you are, I have multiple activities including a part-time job, volunteer work, exercise classes, church activities, etc. Both my husband and I keep our medical and social appointments on the kitchen calendar so that we both can see what’s on the agenda for any particular day under consideration. That way we can remind each other, plan whether and when to insert another activity, etc. Even our grown daughter will consult our calendar when she’s at our house, so it’s a hub of valuable information.
Yay! I love Susie’s planner! I’ve used it this year and love next year’s calendar even more! I think it might be on sale right now, too. Thanks for sharing your process!
Definitely need to see it in front of me. I use lists, but I like your ideas. Thanks for sharing!
I’m like you…I need it all written down in front of me so I can see it at a glance! I appreciate my phone and tablet, but do not depend on them for my everyday agenda. I need the physical hardcover/paper reminder.
That’s such a good idea! I never thought of dividing the projects into those two categories! I’m going to have to try that (it seems like I always either get my writing done and forget to do my real life chores, or get busy with chores and forget to write, and one of those is much more common than the other…)
I love my paper desk planner! I purchase the same one every year and haven’t been tempted to change. 😉
Jody, good post. Four of us live in our home: grandson, two daughters (late 30s and 40-year-old) and me (grandma). We have crazy schedules (who doesn’t, right? 😜). I have my own calendar in plain view for whomever to see. Plus, we painted a blackboard on a convenient spot on the wall just before entering the garage; it’s filled with all our schedules, a different color for each of us. It’s perfect for our household.
I took a chance on The Christian Planner last year, and I love it. I can keep track of daily/weekly and monthly events. I also have a space each week for sermon notes (if my baby lets me sit through a whole sermon) and a place to take notes for the Sunday school class I teach. I already have my 2020 planner and have started working on my vision board and goals for next year. It’s fun, keeps me spiritually minded and it plain pretty!
I definitely need a paper planner with lots of list notes.
Thanks for sharing hints about your organization and day planner.
I had a stroke a few months ago and find lists even more important.
I have multiple notebooks for multiple bookish things. One for which books are on my list to review each month and the date they release. I also note when I received said book.
Another has built in tabs so I use it for all my accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and their links ( how many followers etc) when my reviews post on my shared blog, which book is up for my bookclub each month and which book I got from which publisher.
I have a whole spiral notebook for the reviews I write. I try to limit my reviews to two pages or less I also keep track of where I post that review and when I started and finished reading the book. Then I have a tabbed notebook for passwords, synonyms and what books I am looking forward to are being released in upcoming months.
I also have index cards of read and unread books and a separate one for ebooks. I also try to keep records on Goodreads.
But don’t look in my closet, I also craft!