Making To-Do Lists
I'm not sure how I ever functioned without to-do lists.
On days when I don't make them, I get very little done. On days when I DO, life--and especially writing--moves forward at a healthy pace.
Today's to-do list includes answering email, editing articles for clients, formatting Seasons of an Irish Hermitage, blogging, writing newsletters, researching literary agents, designing a new Web site, planning a road trip, and revising Burning Light. It is broken into bite-sized time chunks: I can easily accomplish all this in a day, provided that I stay focused.
Furthermore, each item on the list is a bite-sized chunk from a bigger list: the list of projects and commitments I need to finish this summer. Each morning, I refer to that list and make sure that every project is moving ahead at the pace needed to finish on time. Of course, a few things will end up cut from the list entirely--I'm not superhuman. But having everything written down helps me prioritize.
A to-do list provides me with direction for the day, a record of what I've accomplished, and peace of mind--I know when I can take a break and when I can't, because I know exactly what needs doing and what can rest for now. As a self-employed writer/editor/writing coach, I know I couldn't function without one.
Lists are one of the major tools in my writer's arsenal. How about you? What tools and techniques keep you on track?
On days when I don't make them, I get very little done. On days when I DO, life--and especially writing--moves forward at a healthy pace.
Today's to-do list includes answering email, editing articles for clients, formatting Seasons of an Irish Hermitage, blogging, writing newsletters, researching literary agents, designing a new Web site, planning a road trip, and revising Burning Light. It is broken into bite-sized time chunks: I can easily accomplish all this in a day, provided that I stay focused.
Furthermore, each item on the list is a bite-sized chunk from a bigger list: the list of projects and commitments I need to finish this summer. Each morning, I refer to that list and make sure that every project is moving ahead at the pace needed to finish on time. Of course, a few things will end up cut from the list entirely--I'm not superhuman. But having everything written down helps me prioritize.
A to-do list provides me with direction for the day, a record of what I've accomplished, and peace of mind--I know when I can take a break and when I can't, because I know exactly what needs doing and what can rest for now. As a self-employed writer/editor/writing coach, I know I couldn't function without one.
Lists are one of the major tools in my writer's arsenal. How about you? What tools and techniques keep you on track?
posted by Rachel Starr Thomson at 10:55 a.m.
1 Comments:
Rachel,
This is a great post. I work like this too. Every morning I spend about five minutes organizing my to-do list. Today I'm giving myself a little breather, so I wrote one column of "Have to do" and one column of "Want to do." I get so much more work done then I used to when I didn't use to do lists.
Melody Platz
The Writer’s Comfy Corner
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