Time Management Tips For Writing an Essay

In the past, you’ve likely heard of the term "time management" or wondered where all the hours in your workweek are going and wish for more.
Man writing outdoor
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Time management isn’t about creating more hours; it’s the process of maximizing the amount of productivity you have during the available time.

It’s been a term used to describe productive management for years, which has frequently been interpreted as a sign that time management isn’t something creative people should be concerned about.

Yet, we’re making whole worlds with our imaginations and often working full-time with children, and other commitments. Therefore, we should be as aware of time management as any other person!

How to Start

If you’re already overwhelmed, learning to manage your time may seem like something you simply don’t have time to do. It’s a bit like a big and overwhelming task — you might be interested, but you’re not sure what to do first.

This article will help you step by step through beginning your journey to manage time.

Which Place Are You Now?

Planning routes without knowing the beginning place is impossible, like any other trip. The first thing you should do to understand how to manage your time better is to analyze your current situation.

There are two methods to do this. You need to ask yourself crucial questions:

Where are you spending your time?

What areas do you find most effective?

What are the distractions you'd like to get rid of?

While you're working towards your goals, how focused are you?

Which are your most productive hours of the day?

Although these questions are helpful, they also depend on your memory and understanding of how you manage your time. These questions alone aren't enough to provide the complete picture.

It's the reason why it is recommended that you keep a basic tracker of time for at least a week. Physical productivity timers have the advantage over conventional time keeper apps of not generating additional distraction, while you work. The time log, divided into 15-minute segments, should be completed as frequently throughout the day as you can and should document, in sufficient detail, the activities you accomplished during the time.
TIMEFLIP time tracker and TIMEFLIP mobile app
Image source: TIMEFLIP
For example, filling out the slots from 9 am to 5 pm using one word, "work," could be accurate, but it does not provide much information. The 15 minutes you spend filling in with more detailed descriptions could give you a wealth of knowledge to gain.

A typical day’s work schedule could comprise:

I was a participant in a gathering.

Commuted.

Unable to focus, I talked with coworkers or browsed social media sites.

Verified emails (this one appears more frequently than many people think).

Did an article.

When you’re done with your week, you’ll have an accurate and complete record of how you’re currently managing your time. You can use that information in conjunction with the above questions to clearly understand where you’re in the present.

Where Do You Want To Go?

The next step is to determine your goal. You can select any target or milestone you want to achieve for the writing profession. For many creatives, their goal is to be full-time authors. For those who are just beginning, the plan could be to complete your first work.

If you don’t have a goal that pops into your mind, immediately think about what you would like to be able to accomplish over the course of 6 to 12 months. Are you looking to publish two books? Do you want to boost your earnings and work with a partner on a new venture or project?

This isn’t the end of the road; however, when working to improve your time management skills, you must know your goals.

If you’re trying to write your novel, that story that has been haunting your since the time you were a teen and that has been in different draft stages over the past ten years, your time management will be quite different from someone with a massive backlist and is moving towards becoming a small-scale publishing house.

With this in mind, it is possible to review your time-logging and your responses to the questions and then analyze the changes that must be made.

Tips for Time Management

There’s not a one-size-fits-all guideline to manage your time, but the best place to start is to assess whether your current schedule is necessary to meet the target you’ve decided to reach.

For example, let’s take the author who is writing for the first time and wishes to complete their first novel. The main goal for the writer will be to get the most writing time possible.

That’s the broad picture of managing time, but what about the details? What are the tactics and hacks?

The truth is that your particulars will be specific to your objectives and circumstances. However, there are some suggestions.

Choose the ones that work for you, alter, and you can, and then throw away the rest.

1. Create a Schedule

Write all at once throughout the day, at least once a day, especially if you’re working on a full-time job and have other commitments.

2. Use a timer

Use a dedicated time keeper app or a physical pomodoro timer or simply set up a 25 minute countdown timer on your Android or Apple device . Do nothing but write. You can take a five-minute break and then allow yourself another 25 minutes. Repeat this process throughout each writing session.

3. To-Do Lists help organize your tasks

To do lists help you stay on the right track and eliminate the pressure of trying to keep track of everything that needs to be accomplished. It’s also very satisfying to complete the task and then take it off your list.
To Do list
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4. Start writing early or write late in the evening

The time when the entire family is sleeping is the ideal moment to start writing. This may require some sacrifices, but they could be worth it if you’re making a sellable product.

5. Don't be afraid to wait until you are in the mood to write

Writing isn’t so much about talent but working and being consistent. Write every day, even when you’re not in the mood. Consider it an element of your routine, like showering and brushing your teeth.

6. Widen the definitions of what you mean by writing

You can always do something while you’re an author, including editing and researching. Utilize each time slot to the max, even if you’ve never written the first word.

7. Start by taking on the tough stuff first

If you have trouble with a particular job, do it first and then remove it from the way so that you won’t be anxious about it when you’re working on different writing-related tasks.

8. Don't Be Fooled by the myth of multitasking

There is no notion of multitasking. The brain is moving swiftly between two things. The result? Stress for you with each task taking longer than double as if you tackle every task simultaneously.
Stress at work
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9. Outsource the fewer essentials

If you are unhappy with something, cannot perform it properly, or it has no direct influence on your writing success or your financial success, assign it to an individual freelancer to take care of the task.

10. You should spend more time planning and less time editing

Another rule writers learn is through trial and error. This is fine when you have a decent amount of time. If you will never complete the work you started, you must establish a clear plan of action before starting.

The more you think about it, the better; the less you’ll have to make edits. It’s incredibly disheartening to completely redo or throw away months of work after discovering that you’ve made a mistake in the project.

11. Make sure you write your words down before you start

This is probably the most popular piece of advice on time management. Write down your priority each morning when you wake up.

The feeling of having your thoughts written down before other people begin demanding of you is an incredibly satisfying experience. If you can't shake the feeling that you're not writing what's required, turn to an essay writing service like studycrumb.com and get your questions answered.

12. Utilize your daytime work hours to relax

Most people don’t work all day long at their day jobs. They’re on Facebook during snarky breaks or engaging in chatter with colleagues.

Here’s the thing, your boss knows this. Suppose your boss hasn’t expressed concerns regarding your productivity or the time you’re working at work. In that case, you should plan your downtime carefully and use it as small pockets of time to handle your social media accounts, conduct research, create your newsletter for email, and so on.
Break at work
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13. Batch similar activities

Profit from the momentum you’ll gain while doing a particular task by doing it more often in one sitting.

You can record several podcast episodes in one day. You can also plan the entire month’s social media activities, outline the content areas for the year or schedule several promotions or email swaps to be prepared for the next few months.

14. Say No

To affirm the goals you’d like to reach, you’ll be forced to say"no" to some other plans. This is fine. Remember, as Oprah declares, "no" is a complete sentence.

15. Delegate tasks

What are you currently working on that someone else could be doing? Remember, the time you save in your private life could make time for writing. This ensures that those who live with you have most house management tasks.

16. Accept your limitations

Certain aspects of your writing career aren’t within your skills. You might be able to do that but aren’t sure how to format your book. If you’re trying to accomplish but only devote a significant amount of time to get an unsatisfactory result, acknowledge that, from a management perspective, it’s not sensible. Do you have the ability to pay someone else to complete the task? If not, can you trade your skills or services or swap in some way?

17. Limit distractions

It’s impossible to eliminate distractions entirely, even if you decide to sell your home and relocate to an isolated Scottish island. However, you can reduce these. In the beginning, determine the sources of distraction. What are the distractions you’re most affected by? Do you have a family member web or your group chats? What are the best ways to limit them?

18. Modify the notification settings on your smartphone

Most smartphone users don’t alter the settings for notifications on their phones, meaning they’re continuously distracted by notifications from numerous apps daily.

If you’re experiencing this, go to your settings and disable all notifications that aren’t needed. For instance, you can only receive push notifications for texts, Whatsapp messages, and calls.
Woman holds a smartphone
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19. Check your email less

You probably go through your emails more often than you need to. If you are feeling particularly attached to your email inbox because you need to be available to colleagues or clients, set up an autoresponder that is similar to:

"I regularly check my email twice a day, between 10 am and 3 pm. If you have an urgent email and cannot wait, contact me on _____."

From my experience, people who follow up on an email with a phone call respond when it takes longer than five minutes to answer an email, which means this autoresponder won’t boost the number of calls you get by a great deal.

The Benefits of Time Management

The ability to effectively manage your time is essential. A well-organized time management system leads to increased effectiveness as well as productivity. It also reduces stress and tremendous success in your life. Here are some advantages of time management that are effective:

1. Stress relief

Following a plan can reduce anxiety. When you cross off tasks in your "to-do" list, you can observe that you’re making progress. This can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed by worry over how you’re doing.

2. More time

Effective time management can give you time in your day-to-day life. People who manage their time effectively can enjoy more time to devote to interests or other activities.
Running woman
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3. More opportunities

Being able to manage time effectively can lead to more significant opportunities and less time spent on nit-picky activities. Practical time management skills are essential qualities that employers seek. The ability to prioritize and plan work is necessary for any company.

4. Capability to accomplish the goals

People proficient in time management will be able to meet their goals and targets better and achieve this in less time.
  • Joe Eckel
    Author
    Having spent more than 25 years guiding students through their theses and dissertations with great attention, Joe Eckel is now sharing his valuable experience with StudyCrumb. As a passionate researcher and instructor, he makes sure that each student gets precious insights on composing A-grade academic writing.
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