I read a lot of blogs during the week and get a lot from what I read. Sometimes I read something that really stops me cold and makes me think.
When I read this interview with Christina Katz on Debbie Ridpath Ohi’s InkyGirl’s blog, I read one part several times through (and I have cut a couple of sentences here. Read this for the full interview):
What advice do you have for writers who are “time management”-challenged?
I’d tell them there is no such thing as time-management challenged. What we are probably talking about is that most left-brained time-management techniques don’t work for right-brained people. So people are not actually “time-management challenged.” They are likely right-brained trying to live in a left-brained world.
If a right-brain person is waiting to be more like a left-brain person before they can master time, they are going to be waiting for a long time. But if they explore and experiment with what works for them within their current work context, and strive for their own definition of time-management success (assuming it harmonizes with those around them), they will start to thrive and be more productive.
I’ve heard and read a myth that left-brained techniques work for right-brained people, if we’d only use them. But I’m pretty sure that’s the road to misery and frustration for anybody right-brained person, who buys into that myth.
My first instinct (because I’m super Type A and an organization nut) was to completely disagree.
After a couple of days, I completely agreed with Christina. Because what I’m doing to organize my day and my writing isn’t exactly a left-brained method. But it works. (Except some days…days that explode out of control. But it works 80% of the time.)
But I’d never thought about the fact that it’s not something you’d read about in 12 Steps to an Organized Life. And I keep thinking there’s a *better* method out there. But I can’t stick to the *better* method.
What works for me is to forgive myself for deviating off the schedule. But I do have an ideal routine that I have on paper as what I’d like to follow. In the perfect world…a world my brain and I don’t live in.
Instead, I’ll deviate off sections of it. Some days just seem to need a different order of events than others.
Some days I’ll start off writing.
Some days I’ll start off answering emails for 15 minutes.
Some days I’ll visit blogs first thing.
For me, mornings are key. The more I can knock out in the morning, the more productive I am for the rest of the day. I’m not sure why that is.
I do live by my calendar (online calendar and physical calendar).
I do realize that anything that doesn’t get done will either get done during my catch-up time right before I turn in at night (after family time is over) or else…it just won’t get done that day. And I forgive myself for that.
I do my writing on the go. And I allow myself some flexibility.
What’s your overall plan for getting things done that you need to accomplish? Do you follow a right brained plan or a left brained one?
Elizabeth – Thanks for sharing your strategies that work. I think we all find ways to make the most of our time, and when they don’t work, we go back and tinker with it.
One strategy you and I share is that we make the most of our mornings. There’s a lot of research that suggests that our biorhythms vary. Some people (I’m one) are morning people. We morning types are the most productive early in the day. Other people are night-owls, and really don’t start working productively until later in the day. To ask me, for instance, to be productive in the evening is a tall order. I work best first thing in the morning.
Excellent Elizabeth! This resonates with me. Organization is a killer for me. Part of it is the nature of my job. Part of it is my nature. The idea of forgiving yourself for not being productive is very good – why sabotage the rest of the day b/c the first 2 hours didn’t go well? Good post.
For me, it’s all about priorities and expectations. I make sure I work on the stuff that HAS to get done first, and let the other stuff slide. And the busier I’ve gotten, the more I’ve adjusted my expectations downward. I just plain know I won’t get everything on my list down as soon as I would like, and I live with that.
Plus my house is usually a mess.
Definitely have to use my mornings. I get so much done if I just get started and I am always happier with quality when I do things in the morning.
Thanks for sharing your techniques.
I used to be super-organized and a total type A, and I used to whip through my to do lists and always felt in control. Then, apparently, the right-brained writer in me took over, and some of my organization skills seem to have gone out the window! I’m probably still more organized than the average person, but it’s quite a change from how I used to be. While I’m a happier person now that I’ve embraced the right brain part of me, it did mean that I had to find new ways to deal with time management.
For me, the most important step was to acknowledge that I’ll never be caught up, and that that’s okay. From there, I prioritize. Some things are absolutely non-negotiable – exercise (walking) and meditation are a must, as is writing. The rest usually falls into place.
I think the forgiveness piece is huge – thanks for reminding us!
I think not having a plan that I stick to is my problem. I’ll tell myself I’ve got to get organized and follow a plan to have more time, but then I get sidetracked and don’t really put the plan into play. Looks like good links I’ll have to check out and hopefully get a plan together.
I try to take it easy on myself if I don’t get something done. I can beat myself up WAY too much if I over-think not reaching a goal.
Interesting!
My right brain is in charge of my life. Although I do sometimes channel my very, very left-brained dad. The inside of my desk at school is all Dad.
For writing, I do what I can when I can. Can’t have a schedule with my life at this point. Just a little too crazy busy. One of these days :)
Mine is fairly similar to yours – one difference is that there are three things that I like to get to in a day – going for a walk(physical), writing on my wip (creativity) and meditating (spiritual). I have given myself the bendable rule that it is OK if I get two out of the three done. The real rule is that if I get one out of the three done each day – I’m still in the game. This week was a tough one. Not because I had too much work – though I had a fair bit – but more because when my step-kids are with their bio-ma, I want to spend as much time with my guy in the evenings as possible. So that took some priority and some of my other things went by the wayside. Upside – we watched the whole of the first season of West Wing, which we adore and talk about, and connect over AND I got a good start on a large knitting project. I did a fair bit of writing, and a good bit of walking and not so much meditating. This weekend, I hope to get back on the cushion and go with that.
The most inspiring part of your post today was the forgiveness element. I will borrow that if I may. I’m doing the best I can with a limited amount of time and an unlimited amount of things I LOVE to do. Some things have to go.
I’ve read that people in general are more productive in the morning.
I’m very Type A, but I am very structured and organized. Can a person be BOTH left and right brained?
Oh, yeah. GREAT point. I never thought of it that way! Now, how about some right-brained ideas? Anyone?
Really great post.
Michele
SouthernCityMysteries
I’m like you. I think that I’m super organized but I can’t always follow my detailed plans and often deviate.
I’m a morning person and what I get done then, gets done well.
Have they written a book about how to organize a right-brained life?
ann
I’ve changed over the years. I used to be very organized and prided myself on time management. That was when I had an office job. Now that I’m working from home, I’ve changed. I don’t think I’m less focused, just focused in a different way. I keep an on-going list of things I need to do and add to it before going to bed at night. I mark things off as I do them. I star things that are priorities. I’ll even sometimes put small things on the list like “mail letter.” It feels good to mark off even something that small.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Interesting – reading your time management strategies. I’m semi-retired so I have quite a bit of latitude and time available to write. Still have to discipline myself and compartmentalize my day though – or I’ll just twitter and face book and blog the whole darn day away, lol.
Marvin D Wilson
Excellent, excellent. I started just this week with a time-management plan. To write 2 hours per day per week OR 14 hours a week. That gives me flexibility for busier days vs. days like today where only a fool and his tackle box would go out on this ice! I love this post. It reminds us that we’re NOT all alike; we don’t think alike; we don’t have the same body rhythms; we need to accept who we are and work with that. I’ve often had a pang of sympathy for the night owls. Most of this culture demands and praises the morning person. I’m not a night owl, but I have owl friends.
Excellent post, Elizabeth, but just reading what you said as well as all the comments brings on an anxiety attack! Organization is one of those topics that pushes my panic buttons. Every New Year I vow to do better – maybe this year I actually will!
That said, I do accomplish a fair amount, so I guess I shouldn’t berate myself so publically.
Julie Lomoe’s Musings Mysterioso
I’m not very good at time management. I can sit down for fifteen minutes to play a computer game and then two hours later wonder what happened.
Margot–I CAN work at night (and sometimes if I have insomnia then I’ll get up and write), but I’m not nearly as creative. You’re so right–we’ve got to listen to our biorhythms and figure out what time of day is most productive for us.
Warren–Thanks! And it’s true..if we really beat ourselves up over missing our goal in the morning, we just put the rest of the day on a negative trajectory.
Alan–Well, and that’s probably key right there–we just can’t set ourselves up for failure. Something has to give–can’t have the perfectly clean house, the perfect dinners, the perfect manuscript, etc. I need to vacuum, but I’m pretty sure that’s not going to happen today!
Cassandra–You’re my other teacher friend (Jemi is another). I know you’ve already got to get up early for school…it’s great that you’re able to give yourself some extra writing time in the mornings, too!
Jan–I love that–2 out of 3 things done. You can celebrate the things you got accomplished and forgive yourself for the thing that couldn’t get done. Great idea!
Ingrid–You’re so right–there’s always so much work that we can’t get to every day. It’s hard but we have to let it go..there are just only so many hours in the day!
Diane-I think Alan Orloff and Galen Kindley are. Darn them! And you!
Ann–I don’t know…but I need that book! :)
Mason–But to me, you SEEM really organized. Your blog and your approach to it seems really well thought-out and put together. So your method must work for you.
Helen–Putting small, easily accomplished goals on our lists sounds like a great idea!
Marvin–Wouldn’t that be so easy to do? If I let myself, my whole day could be eaten up online.
Mary–Even Ben Franklin was an “early to bed, early to rise” guy. I feel sorry for the night owls, too. Honestly, most of the writers I know are early risers–some of them actually burn the candle at both ends. Not healthy, I don’t think.
Janel–I can too. I figure my goals have got to be met–HOW exactly they get met is up to me.
Julie–But you know, your tasks all get done. That’s the thing–maybe we don’t NEED a system. Maybe a scattered way of doing things works well for us right brains.
Jemi–The life of a teacher! No, you don’t have a whole lot of free time to come up with a schedule. There’s always something to grade or lesson plans to make…and that’s your at-home time!
Alex–I could EASILY lose my day on the computer! I set alarms for myself. :)
Thanks so much, Michele! :)
I’m a left brain person. I require steps, basically the same routine, each time. At work, when I balance the companies bank statement, I have set steps I follow or else I loose a lot of time floundering. I mean, you check off the deposits, then credit cards, then check off cleared checks then other withdrawals. It’s like in my mind I have this procedure and if I don’t follow it I loose my train of thought. The same with writing. I come home, feed the animals, clean up and a few other things, then I sit down and write. Sometimes I won’t answer the phone so that I won’t loose my train of thought. Very interesting post. Now I’ve got to go back and read about using your post on “using all angles”.
First time here, nice post. I am a right brained thinker and tried all those old techniques of a left brain however, it was a struggle. I learned to incorporate what works best for me. I can not do one thing at a time. I jump back and forth. I use technology to help me in my organization.
Feeling frazzled, not working on the right things, I decided to check some favorite blogs. Found this! So helpful, including all the comments.
I have a 1998 book on Time Management for the Creative Person, by Lee Silber and this post reminded me to dig it out and review it. And forgive myself, and move on. Beating myself wastes time!
Time management is the good thing to improve your performance, time management tips help us to save lots of time. To manage our time we have to create time management goals, implement a time management plan, respect your promises, write things down, plan your week, carry a notebook etc these tips are very useful to save lots of time, this time you can use for your another work.
Oh my goodness. I’m 100% right-brained and definitely try to adhere myself to a left-brained schedule. It never works.
Lately I’ve implemented a looser schedule. I’m like you – I need to change up the cycle or I feel bored and locked-in. I opened a writing room on my blog, and I’ve committed to write 250 words OR one hour every day. I figure with college the commitment is minimal, but it will get me into the habit of writing daily. I think the habit at this point is more important than the output.
But schedule-wise? I don’t really commit. I can’t because I’d never follow through.
Forgiveness is something I should practice more often with myself. I didn’t realize my right brain was the reason I can’t seem to stick to rules.
Thanks for sharing this!!
Corra
from the desk of a writer