Why is it that all authors run around like chickens with their heads cut off?
We all do it…so don’t even try to deny it!
Between the writing, promoting, editing, deadlines, editors, the muses who work too much, and the muses who are on strike…and above all else FAMILY AND FULL TIME JOBS!
It’s amazing that any of us have any hair left on our heads, or that our significant others haven’t had us committed for the signs on the office door that might read “If you open this door I’d better hear sirens OR I’m going to hear sirens.” to “Your life depends on whether or not you open this door…choose wisely”. When did being an author mean you had to be a disorganized, frazzled mess? It doesn’t!
I am here to instruct on how to pace yourself, yet keep yourself organized and still get plenty of work done in the 28 hour day! LOL
Take me for example…
I am an author, promotions manager for 11 clients, 1 group and a publisher, I am a critique partner, full time student, mother of two, wife of one, and the occastional domestic bitch! LOL! People ask me all the time how I can be so calm yet still get so much done around the house. Well I’m going to tell you…so get out your notebook or turn on your printer and take notes.
There are two major things that I do to keep my life as anti-chaotic as I can…
1. I update my calendars twice a week if not daily.
I use my calendars to remind me of chats, doc. appt., client reminders anything I need to be reminded about or else I’ll forget. There fore I get the emails or the pop ups reminding me of what needs to be done when, where, and why.
2. I keep lists!
Yes that was pluralized. I said Lists. I keep three lists in all, Personal, AMP, and PRP.
A.) my first list is my personal list, a list of things to do around the house, such as laundry, lay out dinner, clean the kitchen, vaccuum, chase my child around the house or a short items list of things i need at the store when I go out.
B.) my second list is my list of things to do and/or plan for my marketing coordinator position with Aspen Mountain Press.
C.) my third list is my list of things to do and/or plan for the clients or Phoenix Rising Promotions.
I have three seperate notebooks, one for each list. At the top of the page I put the date and day. Then I start my list. I put all the important has to be done today stuff at the top of the list and work my way down to least important. Then I start at the top and work my way to the bottom. Do not skip around as you will not get the important stuff done.
Here is where Pacing Yourself comes into play. DO NOT try to get everything on your list done in one day. You will find yourself adding things to your list constantly and you will never get everything done in one day. So at the end of the night or the next day you turn the page in your notebook, put the date and day of the next day at the top of your page, then you take the items on the list that you didn’t get done and put them at the top of the list, then add from there. There fore there is nothing you need to do that goes more than a day without being done.
In a matter of weeks if you use this system everyday you will find yourself more organized and calmer. As you check off the items on your list you can visually see that you accomplished a bunch of somethings that day, instead of panicking that you got nothing done! You can go to bed and rest easy knowing that you had a very preductive day.
So remember my lovelies to PACE YOURSELF!
Phoenix
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