TIME. Pt. 2.
TIME MANAGEMENT for the Writer.
Time, and its Need for Management.
Time is an instance or single occasion of a life or an event. For instance, it could be the span of an animal’s life, or the period it takes to start and finish the construction—writing and publishing of a book. Time invariably aids the calculation of the length of every life, existence, or occurrence. Having been established in our previous article as a resource, time is limited: each day has twenty-four hours given to all humans—base or noble for use: no more, no less. It is the lack of ‘time management’ that has made some persons seemingly have less of it and consequently cannot get things done, while others have more time to ply and achieve their purposes. I have deduced by experience that, overwhelming oneself with so much to accomplish—frivolities inclusive, especially at the same time is a sheer cause of ‘time wastage.’ The resultant disorderliness that leads to the chopping off of chunks of valued time must be restructured, in order to make the most of time.
TIME MANAGEMENT WORKFLOW
There are ways that seem right unto men, but the end of them all is regret. Regret for purposeful projects that could have been actualised, but were not; perhaps, because of falling for distractions or working disorderly when work was ought to be done or done aright. This workflow below will help to manage time, and make the most of the resource. When you have a purpose to actualise, set goals that will aid the actualisation of the defined project, which will get it done. Formulate an action plan with set milestones, and Frame it in workflow—make an outline of your plan. Get the work to be done broken down in a to-do list, action the to-do list, and intermittently evaluate your progress, so as to alter flawed work modes and consolidate the plying of working ways; be on it, till project is accomplished and purpose achieved.
Time Management Workflow Flowchart.
Five Tips to Aid TIME MANAGEMENT.
1. Scale Your Preference, and Schedule them.
Plan your schedules to accommodate a chosen period—a year, a month, a week, or a day. Conclude planning with a list of things to do—a whole book to write, its chapter, a paragraph therein, or few lines of it: just do something about the entries that will progress the project. Prioritize everything that makes the list, for high effectiveness: prioritizing will create an illusion of redeemed time, since it is the essential aspects of the project embarked upon that will top the list and be achieved first. When creating your list, endeavour to make a preferential scale of 
the engagements to fall in descending order—from the highest in priority to the lowest. In scheduling, do them collectively as well as specifically. Outline the things that need to be done with allotted times, and stick to the timing earmarked for them. Asides from work schedules, your life’s is important too.
2. Set Goals, and Achieve them.
With set goals, make marks where focus will have the purpose’s vision cast, as you gravitate toward the place of task accomplishments. Beyond setting goals however, is achieving them: this turns on the faucet of fulfilment to gush out happiness—true measure of wages of work. At the port of goals setting, time’s values are left; as distraction
s are visibly spotted, and blown away. Set goals; for the act helps to evaluate made progress of any kind of work, such as writing and its procedures. Therefore, draw targets pertaining to getting you off to your next—higher writing career level, and make sure you attain it; then set another, and do same … and so on. That is how to thrive in the writing strive.
3. Avert Distractions, so as to Avoid Procrastination.
Knowing a problem is half way to solving it: the realization of this negative duo aforementioned and doing away with them, makes for the eventual proffering of the solution that is the reason to have them eliminated; so as to cancel their potency for value detraction off any writing worth. Distraction is an impediment that stops anyone—writers inclusive who minds it, from achieving their goals. They come in all forms and sizes, most of which are proliferated in this generation—the digital age. Billed for success, you must be aware of the amount of time family, friends, and mostly foes take away from your creative periods, and avert the wastage that comes thence. Talk about the age aforesaid: the digital age is the present period on earth where internet via computer technology and their peripherals are designed to bring man immeasurable solutions to his innumerable challenges; they albeit come with ills of civilisation, I dare add—distraction bringing about procrastination. You must do well to curb to the barest minimum the time given to gadgets, and social sites on the internet: television, games, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, phone calls, and lots more are not left out. Let your awareness get a hold of your involvements, so as to ease distractions reductions. Procrastination on the other hand, which is the resultant
effect, or a major reason of indulging elements of distraction, should be avoided. In the end, it brings you guilt of project delay, or its outright abandonment; after having you endued with tension out of mounted pressure to finish the task—given or taken. Done at all, cut-and-dried will be the quality of the project finishing—lacking grace. If a job—a literary work for instance has to be done; do it: liken this to justice, if delayed, it seemingly is denied. Avoid procrastination—“the lazy man’s excuse;” especially, if you are not one.
4. Be Productively Active, and Multitask as last Resort.
Have you ever heard the saying “busy doing nothing”? I know many people who feign work, but have no result to show for their activities—they are only busy, not necessarily productive. This negative attitude is expressed to either impress colleagues or authorities, or merely triggered by the adrenaline surge, pumped when time wastage catches up with its wasters. While the former happens to seek favour, the latter takes place to assuage the last minute job completion with crash schedules. Awfully busy with fast paces when time, if properly dispensed, could have seen the job through in good time. Howbeit, it is better to slow down the pace of action to redeem 
and manage time appositely. Multitasking on the other hand has its advantage, being that more will be done in less time. But, the negative outturns of “more haste less speed” will become the outcome of events, if multitasking precedes mastery: reverse should be the case. Do not multitask, but if you must, do when it is the only option left, of the choices to be made. Avoid it, if you can; for the down side of this work mode is that productions will most times encounter flaws. I will advise you to focus on one task per time, so as to enable you produce literary works of higher qualities.
5. Take Recess to Recharge Your Power.
Work—physical or mental is exhausting; therefore, rests in-between the processes of any work procedure—writing not left out is necessary to bring the worker to a point of renewed energy, deserving, to see the exertion through. Take breaks during your scheduled work; this will bring about unhindered focus, and ensure a high quality work performance. For mental exertion like writing, pauses here and there allows the brain time to 
rest and recharge; it as well helps to exert less stress on the writer’s memory—the tool that recalls information from the perception—knowledge base.
In all you do about time management, let discipline bear devotion on you to wait out every process of any writing project actualization with due perseverance. A properly managed time sees to orderliness of work procedures, which in the end dredges writing compositions with excellence.
We just wrapped up this subject—time with this segment—part two, even if there are still more to the subject matter. In the previous article: TIME. Pt. 1. CREATIVITY IN TANGENT TO TIME, we saw the definition of time and how the limited resource can be used maximally for more to be achieved, whilst this article: TIME. Pt. 2. TIME MANAGEMENT for the Writer, uncovered how its use can be spread evenly for best coverage. I am hopeful that you can live up to expectation, reaching the peak of your writing career in good time.
If you stay on this occupation long enough—doing the right things, you sure will fire your pennings to glisten amid those of your peers. Time is what qualifies the apprentice a master: beyond your literary works, give other engagements time enough to mature from the moment of conception; the period sure will be worth the birth of sound brainchildren.
The next newsletter bearing an educative article with a psychological insight will be coming before you know it…. Keep watch!
This upcoming newsletter that you will receive will introduce a whole new subject matter: of course, pertaining still, to the essence of right writing. It will be hitting your inbox in another two days, by the title: PSYCHOLOGY OF THE WRITING ART. The revelation of the article, which this newsletter will be coming with will enliven your writing to the point where your audience—readers can relate with your created characters, scenes, and settings, because they have semblances to nature. Your writing will soar from being mundane to becoming extraordinary, for you would have taken control over writing psychology—writing routinely, in apposite environments and time, as it pertains to you as an individual. Be expectant; for the expectation of the faithful will not be cut off.
Take charge, my colleague.
Malik Obynna.
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