The Efficient Writer

In today's fast-paced world, we have more roles than a computer has USB ports. Not only are we writers, but we are also: spouses, parents, sons and daughters, siblings, cousins, friends, employees, managers, teachers, coaches, and so on. We also have other priorities in our lives besides our family, our writing, and our work, such as fitness, travel, hobbies, reading and sleep. All of these roles and priorities lead to one thing - a lot of commitments on our finited time.

Life today has become busier. But with all the advances in science and technology, no one has yet figured out how to create more time in a day.

Therefore, it is up to us to figure out how to fit more into less time. Here are some tips on how to increase your efficiency so that you can write more.

First, reduce the number of commitments you have. I would recommend not skipping this important first step. You should periodically review all of your priorities and confirm that they still are priorities for you. is something mose of us are not accustomed to doing. And if a task or activitiy is not a priority, then remove it and lighten your load. Conversely, before adding a new priority, affirm that the new commitment is something you want to do.

Now that you've reviewed your list of commitments, the next step is to organize your to do list into one of three buckets of priority: A for most important to work on; B for good to get to but not as urgent; and C for nice to get to if you could. I got the concept of A, B, or C from Franklin Covey's Time Management Class. Be realistic; not everything can be an A priority. Be ruthless, just like you would during spring cleaning, and force yourself to not assign more than a third of your commitments into the A category. Also, cap your B commitments to no more than another third, leaving the remainder as your C list.

By the way, you can organize your to do list on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Now what do you do with your three lists? You now know what action items to do first. You should tackle your A priorities before moving on to B priorities and tackle your B priorities before moving on to C priorities.

Now you are organized. You have improved your efficiency as a writer. You don't have to spend time wondering what to do next. But you have opportunities to be more efficient.

In this next section, here are some other ideas on how to squeeze in more time to do all of those things you need to do as a writer. There are many aspects to the craft and business of writing: research, writing, reading, learning the craft, and promotion. While physicists haven't yet discovered a way to create more time in a day, you can create more time to do research, to write, to ready by making all parts of your life more efficient.

More Time for Research

1. TiVo it. Use the TiVo's digital video recorder's keyword search function to find and record shows on your research topic. When I wanted more information about the Philippines, I set TiVo to record all shows about the Philippines for me to watch later.

2. Google it. I use Google.com for two purposes: (1) to find web sites with the information I need and (2) to mine all the news stories with any articles regarding my research topic and have them conveniently sent to my e-mail inbox. NOTE: there are many types of search engines available for your use (e.g., ask.com, yahoo.com, and etc.).

3. Search it. Browse the online databases for reference material. I use the local library's online database and search for books that I'm interested in and request the materials to be sent to the closest library branch for me to pick up at my convenience. Don't forget that community college and university libraries may have borrowing privileges for the public. And even if they don't, you can stil read their books on site.

4. Scan it. Tired of transcribing notes form a research book? Invest in a personal scanner (some come as small as the size of a pen), to scan pages from a book and transfer the information to your computer. Do a google search for information on pen scanners.

5. Hire help. Let your kids or friends or your spouse help with your research. Include them in your process and make it a family affair. Assign them a specific topic and then have them read materials or watch shows relevant to your research. Then have them talk to you about what they learned. If something sounds interesting, you can go back to that source for your own review. And here's a bonus, if you hire your kids to do your research, they are learning something new too. Just be mindful of what topic you ask your children to research.

6. Use RSS. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, but most call it RSS. There is a lot of information on the internet and we all have our favorite web sties and blogs that we like to frequent. But what we don't have is a lot of time to keep checking if new materials have been added. Sign up for an RSS Reader either at an online wite or through a program such as Microsoft Outlook and have the information delivered to you.

More Time for Writing

1. Carry a notebook and pen. Carry your notebook and a pen with you at all times. You may find yourself with some unexpected downtime and if you keep your current work-in-process (WIP) with you, you can work on it.

2. Schedule Writing Time. Reserve writing time at a particular time each day and write. Make this a routine and do this everyday or every other day or whatever frequency works fo ryou. I have a day job, so weekends are the only times I have for writing. I keep to the same sleep schedule each day. I don't sleep in on weekends. I wake up and I write.

3. Get out of the house. On weekends, I wake up and leave the house at 6 am and head to the nearest coffee shop and write for a few hours. I could write at hime, but I am too easily tempted to do other things like chores or better yet, hitting the snooze button on the alarm. Being in a place with limited distractions, I can more easily focus on writing.

4. Reduce Wasted Time. Have you ever had to wait in line or wait for someone or something? Well, I don't consider those pockets of time as wasted. They are little writing time gems. Those are the times I do some writing. I always have something to write on. To save even more time, instead of pen and paper, I always keep my Pocket PC and keyboard with me. Other writer friends keep their laptop or Alphasmart with them. My Pocket PC (a Dell Axim) is the lightest of the lot. I also carry my current WIP on my Pocket PC to work on if I find myself with time gems.

5. Take public transportation. Not only will you help reduce your carbon footprint, you're also making opportunities for writing time. While I'm waiting for, or riding on, the bus or commuter train, I'll read, write or edit. I'm always doing something with my novel. And if I'm waiting around but can't write, then I'll do something else on my priority list. For example, exercise is on my list, so I exercise by pacing or stretching.

If you have any tips you would like to share, please e-mail them to me and I'll add them to the list.