Someone on the list asked if I could detail how I manage my time because I write a lot. I said sure.
I use a program called AText. It allows me to craft templates for sentences I frequently use, and use acronyms for them. I use it a lot when writing code as well as writing emails. (For example, I can type ‘mywww’ and my website address automatically pops up.) It’s five bucks but I’m sure there are free programs out there that do the same thing.
I work in sprints. I will say “I can answer email for the next hour and I’d like to answer 40 of them” and then I don’t look at email for an hour while working on something else. What that also means is that I may write quickly and probably not as eloquently as I would like, but it’s good enough.
I split housework stuff with my partner. We cook together, which is nice. We also read together in bed every night and turn off screens, which is really nice. I tend to not be able to sleep if I look at a monitor within an hour of bedtime.
I take micro five section breaks to tweet something. This sometimes helps me collect my thoughts for something longer. It may look like I’m on Twitter a lot but I’m actually not - I pop in for a thought and then will duck out for 20-30 minutes. Twitter also allows me to bounce half-formed thoughts on a wider audience, and then receive feedback. At work, I do the same thing with our chat program.
I generally write essays in my head before putting them down on paper. I may write an essay while walking to the bus and then the actual process of writing isn’t very long.
That’s it!
What do you do?
Mel