Hope Writes

Writing Too Much?

At some point, every writer reaches a point of nothingness. Despite how hard you try, you feel devoid and empty of anything worthy to write about. I’ve been talking about this a lot lately, I know. But sometimes I think it’s important to stop, breathe, and just "be" for a moment while thinking on these things.

Photo by roland

5 Signs You Might Be Writing Too Much

So how do you know if you’re writing too much? Maybe you think there’s no such thing as writing too much. Let’s take a look at some signs of wear that could point to writer burnout. See if you find yourself in any (or all) of these…

1) You wake up every morning feeling drained. One sure sign of burnout in any form is waking up feeling just as tired as you did when you went to bed the night before. At first you might blame your lack of rest on your bad mattress or your partner’s poor sleeping manners. But if you’ve been burning the writing oil from both ends lately, you might benefit from taking a look at your writing schedule and revamp it to make it work for you.

2) You avoid the computer as long as possible. If you’re a freelance writer and work from home to earn your own income, you know how important it is to show up regardless. If you are finding it more and more difficult to even look at the computer, let alone sit down and open your word processor to write, you might consider taking a break.

3) You don’t enjoy reading anymore. Reading is an intricate part of every writer’s life. You learn by reading. You get ideas by reading. You escape by reading. If reading doesn’t appeal to you any longer, you probably need a break from writing.

4) You offer your baby-sitting services to the entire neighborhood. Anything to escape from writing, right? If you find yourself getting roped into anything, just to give yourself an excuse not to write….yep, it’s probably break time.

5) You’re having recurring writing-related nightmares. This might sound funny, but burned out writers often experience dreaded writing nightmares. Novels with no completion. Clients harassing you. Agents dumping you. If you’ve been having bad writing dreams, you might need to take a little break from writing.

By no means am I advocating that you should stop writing altogether. But sometimes we need to take a break and get out into the "real world" where we can experience adventures that we can pull inspiration from for our writing later. Live your life to its fullest and you’ll rarely be devoid of writing inspiration.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Writers And Self-Discipline

It’s no big surprise that so many writers deal with procrastination on a regular basis. Writers, like many other artists, are free spirits. We have our own ways of thinking and many of us march to a the beat of a different drummer.

The problem with our eccentricity is that sometimes we fall prey to wasting time because of the lack of self-discipline. How many times have you heard a writer say, "I’d write that book, if only I had more time,"? I personally have always had a problem with procrastination. And the biggest reason was because I didn’t discipline myself to spend my time more wisely.

If you are having trouble trying to juggle several writing pens at once, try some of these tips to discipline yourself and see if your productivity increases.

Self-Discipline Tips For Writers

1. Create a schedule for yourself. I have found that I am most unproductive when I’m not working on a schedule. When I plan my days on a calendar, I am likely to get much more accomplished. I can grab my planner, take a quick look at the week and know what needs to be done. This creates a whole different mindset, than if I just fly by the seat of my skirt.
2. Refrain from buying new "toys" while you’re in the middle of an important project. We writers love our tools, don’t we? And we always get excited when we discover a new fountain pen, pretty notebook, or a sale on printer ink. The only problem with buying new "toys" when you’re in the middle of a writing job is that you get sidetracked and lose precious time. Stay focused and get the job done, then go out and buy yourself a new writing toy. 
3. Learn how to say NO. This is a really big one for most writers. You know it’s feast or famine sometimes, so saying no to a prospective client can really be hard to do. It’s important to remember that while you want to be sure you have enough work to keep you busy, you don’t want to take on so much work that you become overwhelmed. Figure in some time to relax every now and then so you don’t get burned out.
4. Open a savings account. So you finally completed that big job and received payment. You’ve got a nice check coming in the mail and if you’re not going to put that money towards a bill, you’re probably already scheming up ways to spend that hard-earned money. Instead of blowing it all, why not take it to the bank and open a savings account for yourself. Or, if you already have a savings account, deposit that check into your savings. Be more controlled over how you spend your money. If you’re tempted to go on a shopping spree but don’t really need anything, take your money straight to the bank instead. You’ll be glad you did later!

Self-discipline is all about learning how to control yourself. If you are an impulse buyer, you haven’t learned the art of self-control yet. As a writer, self-discipline is important to your long-term vitality. Learning how to deny yourself some things right now can mean having more later in life.

How do you practice self-discipline?

Popularity: 13% [?]

Time Is…Money?

“There’s a myth that time is money. In fact, time is more precious than money. It’s a nonrenewable resource. Once you’ve spent it, and if you’ve spent it badly, it’s gone forever.”
- Neil Fiore

I’ll bet you’ve heard it said as much as I have, “Time is money. Stop wasting time!” When I read this quote, I sat at my desk mulling it over for a few minutes. Nobody’s ever told me that time is more precious than money. Okay, so it’s one of those things I should know, but just never took the time to think about. So this quote was a nice little wake-up call for me.

How do you spend your time every day? Do you plan ahead and stick to the plan for the most part? Do you plan, then play? Do you not plan at all?

Time really is our most valuable resource. And once it’s gone, that’s it. There’s no getting it back. Ever. Are you a good steward of your time?

[tags]time management, time, money, time is money[/tags]

Popularity: 11% [?]

Plan B

Since school started several weeks ago, we have struggled and watched as our daughter slowly grows more disinterested in school every day. As a child who has always loved school and thrived on learning, this has been extremely disheartening, to say the least. So my husband and I finally decided to remove her from the public school system and homeschool her. Today was her last day at school.

If you’re wondering what that has to do with writing, hang on and I’ll tell you. I’m a full-time writer. It’s how I earn a living. It’s my career. As such, homeschooling will cut out a chunk of hours that I’d ordinarily be working. So what does this mean for my clients and my income?

First, I’m going to have to plan my time better. Second, I’ll need to take a good look at my working hours and possibly revamp them. More than likely, I’ll start working on a totally different schedule than I have been.

If you’ve never considered the possibility of your business being turned upside down by the unexpected, then you should. You just never know what could come your way.

Here are three things you can include in your Plan B:

>> 1. Alternate work schedule.

If you are accustomed to working during the day, would you be able to switch your working hours to evening, or even during the middle of the night if you had to?

It is a wise idea to be able to be flexible in your work schedule when necessary.

>> 2. Be a good manager of your time.

Are you wasting hours of your work day on unimportant tasks that don’t contribute to your business in a positive manner?

Lately I’ve been taking mental notes of things that cut down on my productivity:

=> instant messaging
=> chatting via email
=> social media outlets (Twitter)

While it might seem that a little chat here or a few emails there don’t really account for much time in your day, you’d be surprised at just how much time those few things swallow up in a day. I once estimated that I was wasting around 3-4 hours every day on the three things listed above. That’s a lot of time!

>> 3. Outsourcing options.

Unless you’re raking in money hand over fist this might not be an option for you yet. However, it is an option that you should keep in mind.

If your business requires repetitive tasks, such as replying to emails a few hours every day, you could outsource this task to a virutal assistant.

>> All the little things add up.

Whether it’s repetitive tasks or just plain wasted time, every little thing adds up. Be cautious of wasted time. And have a Plan B.

[tags] writing tips, Plan B, have a plan b, business of writing, writing business, business tips[/tags]

Popularity: 10% [?]

How Well Do You Manage Your Time?

I’ve been staring an ugly monster in its third eye for a few weeks now. That ugly monster’s name is TIME.

I’ve increasingly grown more and more busy in my business, adding new clients, weeding out others, and taking on additional writing jobs here and there. At first it wasn’t anything unusual. But now, the busier I get, the more I realize that I’m working way too much and not spending enough time with my family.

I’m working on a time mangement plan for myself. In this plan, I highlight every single thing I do: writing for clients, blogging, updating websites, building websites, writing for myself, etc. After I listed everything I do for my writing business, I listed everything important regarding my family and spiritual life. I have to tell you, it’s a pretty long list!

At first, I was a little overwhelmed by the immensity of my lists. But then when I took a good, hard look at them, I immediately saw:

• Things that are eating huge chunks of my time every day
• Things that are essential to the livelihood of my writing business
• Things that totally need to be cut away from my lists

It only took me a few minutes to create those lists. Then just a few more minute to determine those three things. Now I feel like I have a good starting point from which to build a better planned, more productive day.

Another thing I’ve been thinking about is changing my working hours. I’ve always worked during the day (all day, all evening). But as I’ve said, this is leading to longer hours and me neglecting my family more. I’ve been tracking time and watching for my “3 magic hours.”

I’ve always been a morning person…until recently. In fact, I once enjoyed waking up at 3 AM, just so I could get up and write while the house was quiet. Well, that ended years ago after the birth of my son, which is one reason why I think I’m not nearly as productive any longer.

I have noticed that the quietest time will be after kids are in bed, from 9-midnight. So I am considering changing my working hours, to push out work during these three magic hours. I’m going to give it a try, starting in a couple of days and see what happens. If I can push more out in those 3 hours alone, then there’s no sense in me sitting at my desk all day and evening, while trying to work through endless distractions and interuptions.

How well do you manage your time? What are some of your time management tips?

[tags]time management, how to manage time better, manage time, business tips[/tags]

Popularity: 8% [?]