How many hours a day do you write, and how do you organize your time?
By GayzeStarr
@GayzeStarr (100)
United States
April 4, 2009 8:55am CST
I'm just curious as to how many hours our talented writers here on myLot write per day? How much time do you dedicate to your actual writing? How do you organize that time? Do you dedicate certain days to research, and others to actual writing? Does the time you put into your work depend on what it is you're writing about? What topics seem to engage your mind most effectively, so that you find you've been absorbed in them for long periods of time without realizing it?
I am recently, after ten years of putting almost all of my time and effort into my animal communication practices and really only "writing" in ways that revolved around that work, branching out my writing to more diverse topics and gathering freelance work. It's been fun, but a challenge as well. Writing for online sources, for example, is very different from what I'm used to (or used to be used to). I wrote and sold professionally for the children's fiction market back in the 1980's and '90s -- a whole different world! I'm finding that organizing my time today is an interesting challenge, and look forward to hearing how others have successfully accomplished the task.
2 people like this
7 responses
@wahmbrenda (141)
• United States
6 Apr 09
I have a goal for myself. I write for 4 different web sites and 2 private clients right now. My goal is 15 articles a week for the 1 client. Research and writing or data entry depending on the week for the other client. Then for the 4 sites I do 5 articles for each site each week for a total of 20 articles there.
This may not sound like a lot but I'm a single mom and I homeschool my autistic daughter and run her all over the place, not including 20 hours of in home therapy each week. I am also disabled with fibromyalgia myself so I have to watch my own health too.
This works well for me but everyone has to figure out what they're happy with or what they want or need to do.
@wahmbrenda (141)
• United States
7 Apr 09
Thanks. I did try to do 40 one week but that about killed me. I do the best I can and I'm thankful that this is extra money not what pays the bills. That makes it a little easier not to have to stress so much. Nevertheless, I still think I should/could do more but I'm comfortable with what I'm doing and don't need the stress.
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
20 Apr 09
Pacing yourself in a way that works for you is a smart approach!
I hope I can some day reach the point where I can see any income as extra money and not what pays the bills! :-)
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
7 Apr 09
Twenty articles a week sounds like a lot to me, actually -- and quite an accomplishment considering all the other challenges you have to your time! I'm also fitting my own health issues into my day, so sort of have an idea of how that is for you, as well.
You have a lot to be proud of!
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
9 Apr 09
I don't really plan out a set time...more often than not my writing will make me write longer than I intended. For my books I can write for four hours and longer, depending how "with-it" I am.
Organizing my time...I mostly just try to do as much as I can the best I can.
For everything else...that's what I have a notebook for.
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
20 Apr 09
I also am finding that how long I can sit, absorbed in writing, has a lot to do with the subject matter.
Four hours seems like a long time to sit and write, but if you are caught up in what you're writing, it can go by fast.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
5 Apr 09
Well for me it often depends on my mood. I find a lot of times I have to be in a certain type of mood to be able to Write as that is when my mind is usually flowing the Best as well. I would Love to be one of the Writers who can always just start writing about anything and a Story or article flows out, but that is usually not the case.
But I do find it quite important to learn to balance and organize your time. In everything we do, it helps to make sure you get all you need to get done for that day, week and month as well. So I find if you set yourself certain goals you want to accomplish and stick to them, more things will get done for sure.
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
7 Apr 09
Do you find that you manage to meet your goals better if you keep a written check list?
@paid2write (5201)
•
5 Apr 09
I do write every day. Some days I can produce thousands of words in a few hourse, other days I fail to finish a single article. I will still have written hundreds of words that day, on blogs, in discussions and forums.
I need to organize my time better so I can spend more time on writing. I also need time to read my emails and visit sites where I network, post or search for information.
I have set myself a challenge to write 100 articles in 100 days and to make money from each of those articles. I'm doing well with this task so far, but it runs until July. I will write more than 100 articles in that time, but will only count articles I am paid for or that earn money for me.
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
7 Apr 09
100 articles in 100 days is a nice concrete goal! I wish you great success!
Time organization (even though I've actually taken classes on it!) is a real challenge for me, too. Since my animal communication clients are my priority, I make sure they are taken care of first, and then try to fit my writing around that. Then there is home, family, and everything else. I often find that, though I do write every day, I'm fitting the writing in between other things.
I've been trying a loosely organized daily plan, and I do find it helps. I've found that if I structure myself too tightly, though, I seem to get less done.
@celticeagle (167211)
• Boise, Idaho
7 Apr 09
I think staying on task is very important. Sometimes I get bored or interested in another direction. I try to atleast write for four hours a day. It doesn't matter whether I am journalling, or writing indepth just so I write for that amount of time. Not editing or summarizing or outlining, just writing. I feel it very important to become discipilined in this regard.
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
7 Apr 09
Do you have any special things you do to help get your mind back on track when it wanders? Or do you let it play for a while and then reel it in?
@catabianca (142)
• Tunisia
7 Apr 09
Oufff! a lotbof spent time on mylot and Ciao, they are the better until now!
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
7 Apr 09
I can definitely relate to that -- though I don't spend a great deal of time on myLot, I have other "distraction areas" (I role play, embarrassing as it is to admit) that can take up my time if I let them.
@makeupartisteileen (653)
• Singapore
4 Apr 09
do me depend once i free i will log in ,but does not mean i log in i write, sometime i just read without reply..... but normally i use up to 8 hour .
@GayzeStarr (100)
• United States
7 Apr 09
Eight hours a day for your writing is great, it takes a lot of dedication!
