HOW TO FIND WRITING TIME
  
"Time is wasting
"Time is walking
"You ain't no friend of mine
"Time, why you punish me?"
  
Hey, if time isn't a friend to Hootie and the Blowfish, send it this way, right? Writers, 
especially, are very aware of time passing - especially when deadlines are looming!
  
Here are some questions I keep in mind when I find myself running out of time or 
pushing deadlines for work and personal projects.
  
1. Where is my time going? Without changing my routines, I tracked my time for 
three days and then took a look. The biggest discovery - I was spending a whopping 
four hours a day reading e-mail! No wonder there was little time for writing. I broke 
my e-mail dependency to spend more time composing my own pieces.
  
2. What are the three most important things for me to accomplish this month? 
(Or this week? Or even this day?) Even if you work for someone else, there must 
be priorities or you will spin your wheels putting too little energy into too many 
projects.
  
3. Is what I'm doing *right now* working toward achieving one of these goals? 
Absolutely the most powerful question you can ask yourself. If you know your 
goals, and you know what it will take to achieve them, nothing will get you back 
from the land of distraction faster than this thought.
  
4. Is this still my goal? Read your goals daily and periodically review them to see 
if they are still consistent with what you really want.
  
5. Do I have to do this? Ever fritter away a day avoiding something and then ending 
up turning it over to someone else anyway? Your time is precious! Delegate what 
you can from the beginning.

6. If you're going to relax, then relax! You don't do yourself or your friends and family any favors by talking about what you "should" be doing when you're trying to enjoy time with them. Associate a mental break from your work with a physical action, 
such as turning off your computer screen or shutting the door to the office.
     
© 2004 Donna Kozik. For information about Donna’s writing services, visit 
http://www.DonnaKozik.com.