What are you doing with your time?

Hourglass

One day.
24 hours.
1440 minutes in a day.

Time doesn't discriminate based on your gender, your height, your color or your economic status.

We all get the same amount of time - every day.

It's what we do with it that counts!

I think we're all guilty of saying and thinking there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. And while many of us DO have more on our schedules than we have the time to accomplish...sometimes it's about priorities and not wasting the time we have.

You say you don't have time to write? How many words could you have added to your manuscript in the time it takes to read this blog post? (Not that I don't want you to come and visit me, I'm just making a point.)

This week I loaded The Productive Writer by Sage Cohen to my Nook because I admit I often let too many minutes of my day go by without capturing them in a productive way. I realized I need some help in figuring out a plan to get more done.

Author Sage Cohen suggests we keep track our our day to see where those free moments can be turned into something more productive.

She also suggests stepping out our comfort zones. You think you need absolute quiet and six hour block of uninterrupted time to write - but is that really the case?

Maybe you think you can only be creative at the crack of dawn, drinking coffee and listening to Mozart.

Are you a night owl and think you do your best work after midnight with a glass of wine at your side?

These rituals may be comforting and you very well may do your best work under your own ideal circumstances...but being a productive writer means sometimes we HAVE to write when there isn't a full moon and the stars haven't aligned.

The question today is...what are you doing with your time? Can you write in a notebook or on a pad for fifteen minutes of your lunch break? Can you dictate a scene into your phone's voice recorder on the way home from work? Can you sneak in fifteen minutes to write instead of playing Farmville?

I think we can!

For the next few days why not pay attention to the moments that click by - the free minutes you might be missing to be a little more productive towards your dream of reaching The End. I think you might be surprised where you CAN find the time you thought you didn't have.

I know I did!

Good luck and happy writing!

** Because I love my readers and am grateful you choose to spend some time with me each week, all comments from March 1 to March 31 are automatically entered into my monthly drawing for a 3 pack of mini travel-sized handmade soaps. Details and the scents for the month can be found on the "contest rules" page.

The Tools of Accountability

Welcome to 2013!

This year my one and only resolution is to move FORWARD. Which means no looking back on 2012 (which wasn't a great year at our house, so this won't be a difficult task!)

Part of moving ahead with any goal is holding yourself accountable, because at the end of the day it's how you used the 24 hours we get everyday to your advantage - isn't it?

First you have to know what works for you. For me, it's my daily planner, my task list, and some kind of progress meter.

It also helps to have a support group of people working toward a challenge together.

So, here's my quick rundown of my "tools of accountability!"

(1) Everything goes on the calendar

(2) Important tasks go on a post-it note on top of my Moleskine agenda that goes EVERYWHERE with me. (Yes, I have a smartphone with plenty of calendar/to-do apps, I do use them - but I am a paper girl and it's just the best way for me.)

(3) Progress Meters and spreadsheets! Oh, I am soooo a visual girl. I love graphs and charts and anything that shows progress. I've always got a progress meter here on the blog with my latest word count for the current WIP and I love my spreadsheets with daily word counts, cumulative word counts, etc.

(4) By far the BEST way to keep me motivated and moving forward is to surround myself with people who can poke, prod and remind me about my goals. Those people nudge me back onto the track when I run off in a new direction, they cheer me on when I'm hitting my goals and they offer shoulders when I hit a wall. I've been blessed to have a great group of supportive writers to call my friends and critique partners! (And the group has two open spots right now! Click the link to read more about us.)

Today I hang the new calendars on the wall, open the new planners and update the spreadsheets to 2013. Do you have a favorite tool of accountability that's going to help you achieve your goals in 2013?