If you are like me, you have several projects in progress. I have these blogs that I write every week. Then I have several completed manuscripts in my revision file. I have a couple that are waiting for final formatting before I upload them for publication.
What you need to do is budget time to work on them. I keep a list of my projects and what I need to do to each one.
How do you budget time you ask? You make a list of all the projects you have going. A spreadsheet is good for that. Then you list the step you are on in each project, writing, revising, formatting, whatever. Then you assign each one a priority. That’s the hard part. Which one takes priority over the others and so on. Then you put them in order by priority.
Once you have prioritized your tasks, you can better determine when you have the time to work on them. Or when you can make time to work on them. Create a schedule of your writing tasks and do your best to stick with it.
This is the method I use. I can combine my journal writing with writing first drafts and that’s what I do. I write the first draft of everything in my journal then copy and paste the text into its own file.
So I have the original in my journal. i also have a copy in its own file which I can edit. When I finish the final editing, the copy of the rough draft becomes the final draft.
The list of projects is in a folder I call WIP or work in progress. I know where the items are because they are all in that folder as well, often in sub folders. The key isorganization. When I publish a piece, I move the folder holding the project to another folder called published. That way I have it handy if I need to refer to it again.
Maintaining such a schedule is easy if you are consistent with it. Finished editing a work? Mark it finished and change the required task to formatting. Then you need to reevaluate your priorities. If you’ve published a piece, take it off your list. If you like, you can make a list of published works that you can add that piece to. That’s up to you.
Time budgeting takes organization and maintenance. You can be as organized as you like, but if you don’t maintain it, you descend into chaos. Then you are in the same mess you started with. So start with organizing, then maintain your organization. You will find it easier once you do the initial work. Good luck and keep writing.
I am not one who is comfortable talking about myself but here goes. I enjoy writing, family history, and reading. I decided to do this blog because I wanted to try something new. I decided to make it a weekly blog because I wasn't sure that I could keep up with a daily one, and monthly seemed like I was writing a magazine. I think I did ok with my choices. You'll notice that there are not a lot of graphics on my site. That's because there are graphics plastered everywhere on the Internet and those sites sometimes take forever to load. This blog is a place where you can kick back, relax and be ready to be amused. At least I hope I willbamuse you. This blog is on a variety of subjects from my ficitional cat agency, the FFL, which is monthly, to instructional blogs to editorials, which are my opinions only. I admit that I don't know everything and could be wrong -- I frequently am. Now, stop reading about me and read what I have to say!
Check out my novel, The Accidental Colony — It's the story of a group of scientists fighting for survival.
FCIS: The Tricolor Killer is now available on Smashwords
Pebblepup's Writing Den 
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