I’m in the throes of a deadline again. When I turned in the last book, I took a month off. I wrote for a month. Then my editor sent my revisions on the book I just turned in. Once I finished revisions, I had to supply cover details and artwork. I finished that just in time for another round of revisions and then the proofs. By the time I finished all that, I had two months left to finish the book I’d barely gotten started.
I put off friends, family, and events. I do only what I absolutely have to do in
real life until I finish the first draft. Last month I didn’t go anywhere with my husband just for fun except for weekends, which were mostly taken up with sermon preparation for him and church on Sunday. Monday through Friday, I wrote from 8 until at least 3 and sometimes later. Period. Since he’s a pastor, he ends up going on hospital visits and church errands without me. I do make sure we have time together in the evening and if any church stuff can be put off until them, I’m in. Our son works after school now, but when he’s home, we have time in the evening also.
But everybody and everything else gets put off. My friends call and want me to have lunch or go shopping. But I can’t. My mom calls and asks if I want to come have breakfast with her and my dad, but I can’t. My aunt and cousin want to spend a day together. But I can’t. If I do, I linger and don’t get my word count 
for the day. I have another month of this and then life can get back to normal. For a month and then it starts over again.
Most of the time, the only time I’ve left the house lately is to go to church. A few weeks ago, we had a revival, so I escaped a lot for that. This past week, I had a sinus infection. My head was pounding, but I wrote anyway. I’d get a thousand words in, then go lay down for a while, then get another thousand in. Friday, I absolutely needed to go on a church errand trip with my husband. I took off, but I wrote on Saturday. Usually the weekends are my break, but sometimes I end up using them to make up for a lost day of production.
The weather is finally cooling off in Arkansas. The humidity is dying. Fall is my favorite season. I plan to move to my outdoor office this week, a screened in porch off of my indoor office. Maybe the change of scenery and fresh air will make me more productive. Since
I’m past the halfway mark, that will help too. Past the first three chapters until the middle is always the hardest for me to write. Once I’m past halfway, it begins to flow and the words come faster. I have a month to finish the first draft and still have time to polish it up before I turn it in. But if I could finish it in two or three weeks, I’d have more time for polishing.
Once I finish the first draft, I’ll take off at least a week. I’ll run errands with my husband, eat breakfast with my parents, eat lunch or go shopping with my friends, and spend a day with my aunt and cousin. They all understand my deadlines and know when my break is coming.
I found the dice in a Christian bookstore on our church errand jaunt the other day and I had to have it. I love all things gold. My office has lots of word art sitting on the shelf above my window. Love and Kiss since I write 
Romance. Seashore, Beach, and Relax since my office has beachy decor. Dream and Inspire to inspire me. But I didn’t have anything about work.
I’ve heard of writers using an egg timer to keep them writing. I’ve
never tried it because I think the ticking would distract me. I bought the dice and it has been so helpful. It sits beside my computer screen and I turn it according to what I need to do: Stay Focused or Work Hard most of the time. Be Awesome when I’m struggling. When I’ve not made my word count for the day, but feel drained – Do Not Quit fits. When I need a break, I literally turn it to Coffee Break or Lunch Time.
Do you have something that helps your productivity? Answer for a chance to win my two in one title, Sweatheart Reunion. Deadline: Oct 17th. I promise I’ll have new titles to give away next year. I’m staying focused to get them finished.
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
Hi Shannon! Juggling life is not without challenges. As a teacher, my schedule was dictated by the school – yearly calendar, length of day, length of classes. Time management was a must as I also was a pastor’s wife and weekends and some evenings had church responsibilities. As a mother of three sons and daughter to aging parents – family came first, then my work. My husband was the pastor and I was a parishioner not his assistant, so that is how I had time to meet my responsibilities. Weekly I prioritized my schedule and plowed through. I enjoyed the challenge. Best wishes on your writing and meeting your deadlines. Enjoy the cooler fall temperatures.
HI Shannon. Life certainly requires focus to get everything done!! As a teacher, like Renate, the school timetable dictates what has to happen. I aim to get as much done at school as possible to leave the evenings as free as I can to spend with my boys, husband and getting non-school things done. Not always possible, but I try and focus on getting one thing done at a time. It helps that I enjoy what I do:)
Blessings and best wishes as you focus:)
Wemble! Getting one thing done at a time is the best advice I ever received from a mature Christian teacher woman! That way I didn’t feel overwhelmed especially during the sandwich years. One thing, one hour, one day at a time. Best wishes in your teaching!
I have only done one thing at a time my whole adult life easiest way to get something done before doing something else.
I tend to multi-task but I’ve read lately that it’s not really a good thing to do. Since the above comments suggest one thing at a time, I’m going to make a sincere effort to do that.
I always have a list of things that need to get done, so I tend to get overwhelmed with never being finished. Thank you for sharing. Blessings
Hey Renate, we have things in common. The school year dictates my writing hours and vacation time. But our son is a senior this year, so that will all change soon. Yes on the I’m not the pastor’s assistant. But when I have time, I like to go with him and our congregation appreciates it too. My parents are aging, but still in good health so far. They’re the ones I hate saying no to most. But we’ll make up for once I get this draft finished.
Hey Wemble. I was thinking the other day, I don’t know what we’ll do when our son graduates and we don’t have to work around school anymore. It makes me sad because I know he’ll move out sometime in the next few years. I wonder what will ground me to have a schedule.
That’s a good plan, Kim. I do that too. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed.
I used to could multi-task. But I can’t swing it like I used to. I leave things undone and find it later when I try anymore.
I have a list too, Lucy. I take one thing at a time and check them off as I complete them. That keeps me focused and productive. It’s very satisfying to check things off.
Your dice are fun! Productivity… that relates to the tips about putting your big rocks in the jar first. If you’re not sure what I mean, here’s a quick video that shows it: https://youtu.be/fmV0gXpXwDU
I know, for me, if I let the “sand” (little things, like checking Facebook) start filling my day before the “big rocks” like my daily word count, the word count will rarely get done. I love the rock-pebbles-sand analogy, and… it works!
I’d never heard of that, Valerie. What a great analogy. I guess I sort of do that since I make a point to have family time in the evenings. Even though I spend the bulk of my day writing, it’s when no one is home but me.
I used to keep lists to help me stay on task, and sometimes I still do them. I also have 2 calendars to keep track of. One stays in my purse and goes everywhere, the other is at home (too big for purse) that I keep EVERYTHING in . My appointments, Mom’s appointments, notes about both. As much as I like being on FaceBook, I haven’t been much the past few weeks, and won’t be much til after my “busy” season ends, which won’t be until (maybe) the middle of December. However, I’ll still hop on there some to see what’s going on, just not as much as usual. It’ll also kinda help me relax, but that’s also what my books are for!!!
I have to say that I’m just thankful that I remember to put my shoes on the right feet daily. I have homeschooled all 4 of my kids. I spend about a month each summer planning out the entire year of lesson plans and putting them into my homeschool program while eating large bags of family size peanut M&Ms. I’m on my last kiddo. He will graduate next May and then I won’t have an excuse to eat quite so many peanut M&Ms.
I use to make lists..and then I would forget them. So I started writing things on my hand only to forget to look at my hand…sigh. I’m afraid I don’t really have any advice for keeping up with things..except that chocolate often helps. And locking the door and telling everyone to go away……
I have been having trouble with making time for writing while my mind is still sharp enough to be creative. I homeschool my kids, so my schedule is a lot different. I don’t have hours at a time to devote to writing. Time limits help me most, as word counts vary from day to day. I don’t use a clicking timer; I use the clock timer on my phone. I can glance over and see how long I have left, but it doesn’t distract me when I’m in the zone.
Wow you are busy and dedicated. I am a procrastinator no matter how hard I try to change it I tend to leave everything to the last minute. I remember many times being up at 5am to finish a project for School even when we had been given around 6 – 8 weeks to work on it.
I wish I could do things earlier I will try at times but it never lasts.
I always read during my breaks between books, Trudy. I can’t wait to read. Just for fun.
Suzannah, you’re so funny. Chocolate does help. I always leave my lists at home too. I use the notes in my phone for lists now. But you guessed it. About half the time, I leave my phone at home.
Hey Lila, if I homeschooled I’d never get any writing done. Luckily we’re in a small conservative community where the superintendent and most of the teachers are Christians, so public school has worked for us.
Getting behind stresses me out, Ausjenny. But I’m a procrastinator on things I don’t want to do.
Oh, yes! I take my Kindle to Mom’s appointments, my appointments, I read during commercials, I now stay up a bit later just to read!!
It’s the quandary of writers. We get into writing because we love to read. But then we don’t have time to read because we write. I make time though. Reading is one of the ways I reward myself when I meet a deadline.
I really enjoyed reading your post. Ir reminded me of myself before kids were born. (Maybe I’ll go back once they are older.)
I write academic papers so they are not creative nor awesome, but when I need to finish something I just need to pull an all in. I did like your dice though. Sounds fun.
Hey Priscila, I’ve pulled some all nighters too. You definitely need to go back to writing.
Oh, I write. Just no all nighters and definitely not putting life on hold. Kids are too young to understand. I had a fee focused weeks earlier this year and my eldest got really angry.
I’m glad Priscila. When our son was younger, I only wrote while he was in school. I still kind of do that, only longer and later since he has an after school job.