I’m no more immune than anyone else to the plague of time wasters. Time wasters are habits we fall into that consume the time we have allotted (or could allot) to writing so that we end up not writing! Here are some of the most insidious that take up too much time and squander my […]

Writing Time Wasters Do Not Elude Me

I’m no more immune than anyone else to the plague of time wasters. Time wasters are habits we fall into that consume the time we have allotted (or could allot) to writing so that we end up not writing! Here are some of the most insidious that take up too much time and squander my writing energy. Better time management is possible.

1. Checking on e-mail before I begin to write for the day.

Either it takes up a lot of time as I read through the e-notes or I come across an e-mail that gets me charged and I begin to write a scathing (or, depending on your point of view, insightful!) e-mail in response. Anyway you look at it, almost all email is an energy waster. Your energy would be better channeled into writing your memoir.

2. Needing to research a point “a bit more.”

This is a very tricky one as research is essential to a well-written memoir. In this time waster, I forget that “perfect” is the enemy of “good.” In my quest to write the perfect piece, I forgo writing a good piece. The solution presents itself when I begin to feel that I already have more material than I can possibly handle—I know then it’s time to write and stop researching!

If, in time, I find that I have insufficient information on a particular point, I can always return to research mode—until I find the tidbit of info I need and no more.

3. Letting my best writing time of the day be co-opted.

In this time waster, I think, “Yes, I can do both. I’ll do this other thing first and write later (obviously it doesn’t occur to me right then that ‘later’ I might be tired and in no mood to spend time writing!). When “later” comes, I might think, “Well, for this one time, it’s ok not to write.” The problem, of course, arises when the “one time” occurs too often. This time waster can be a real monster!

4. Answering the phone.

This leads to much loss of energy and the assumption of all sorts of tasks that need attention “right now!” There’s also the friend or relative who just wants to chat and thus siphon your energy. It’s more productive to let the answering machine or service take the calls and return them at a later time. Inform people who may call you on their schedule what your own schedule is for accepting phone calls.

You can ABSOLUTELY avoid wasting your time.

YOUR dreaded time wasters can be avoided, because as we know, “Knowledge is power”. To become aware of writing time wasters is half the battle and now you know what to look for. Master time management. Do you have a “favorite” writing time waster that I haven’t mentioned here? Write a comment below.