Time Management

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  • Time Management

    Some great minds on this board. Interested in your thoughts on time management.

    As an amateur with a full time job and two kids under five, I write when I can. That is, in the heat of the night!

    As I'm sure most will agree, the temptation is to picture your ultimate moment of success, whether that's a villa in Tuscany, a golden statue or simply a script that resonates, and go all out on a five hour writing binge.

    But when you're staring into the coffee next morning, you realize you cannot possibly write the next night for fatigue.

    So - disciplined structures are the order of the day, no matter a writer's professional circumstance or access to time.

    What's your minimum? The level of weekly output at which you breathe a sigh of relief and go treat yourself to a movie?

    Me, I try to do six hours from Monday to Friday and four hours on weekends. Ten overall.

    The parents out there will understand my modest target!

    Time is golden. Is there anything more valuable?

  • #2
    Re: Time Management

    Originally posted by Beaumont-sur-Mer View Post
    Some great minds on this board. Interested in your thoughts on time management.

    As an amateur with a full time job and two kids under five, I write when I can. That is, in the heat of the night!

    As I'm sure most will agree, the temptation is to picture your ultimate moment of success, whether that's a villa in Tuscany, a golden statue or simply a script that resonates, and go all out on a five hour writing binge.

    But when you're staring into the coffee next morning, you realize you cannot possibly write the next night for fatigue.

    So - disciplined structures are the order of the day, no matter a writer's professional circumstance or access to time.

    What's your minimum? The level of weekly output at which you breathe a sigh of relief and go treat yourself to a movie?

    Me, I try to do six hours from Monday to Friday and four hours on weekends. Ten overall.

    The parents out there will understand my modest target!

    Time is golden. Is there anything more valuable?
    Oh, I do understand. Two young'uns, day job, 40x40 garden, eight bee hives, nascent shiitake mushroom business venture, house to run and (currently) a damn broken ankle.

    I used to be a night writer before all of this. Now I've discovered that I am far more productive 5am - 7am before anyone rises and before I've wrung myself dry for the day. I no longer set a goal of "hours per week" or "pages per day". I just grab this time and run with it, however many words go down.

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    • #3
      Re: Time Management

      I aim for 15 hours, but don't always hit it. Sometimes I'll do 25. I've got a full-time job (usually about 45 hrs), a two year-old, and one on the way, so I have a pretty good idea of where you're coming from.

      Although I haven't done it once this past week, my general strategy is to get up at 4:30 AM, because that gives me 1-2 hours before anyone else in the house is awake. I write on lunch breaks whenever possible, which usually affords me an extra 2 hours. I have a day off during the week, during which I write while my son takes a nap. There's another 2 hours. Saturdays, I work from 7:30-3:30, so I rarely get in anything above that morning session. Most Sundays, I manage around 3-4 hours.

      Night sessions are rare, but I get them in when my wife is out or when I have some sort of deadline to meet.

      I'm not sure if it means anything or not, but I didn't break in until well after my son was born. Could it be possible that the increased pressure and decreased time gave me the necessary push to make it happen? Might be. That said, I can't imagine how awesome the extra free time will be when I'm able to quit my day job and just focus on writing.
      QUESTICLES -- It's about balls on a mission.

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      • #4
        Re: Time Management

        You guys sure know how to make a single guy in his 20s with no responsibilities other than work feel guilty. I should get a lot more done than I do.

        My advertising job kicks my ass most weeks. My greatest recent successes have been when I've set aside entire free weekends to write. Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday. Not often I manage them, but I do get a lot done.

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        • #5
          Re: Time Management

          Full-time (overtime) job, marriage, and a 7 year old and 2 year old here, so time management is crucial.

          This is why the outlining process is so important for me. Once I determine what my next script will be, I try to only focus on that one project (although sometimes I've found if I pair a new project with a rewrite of an old one, my success rate of completing both tends to go way up).

          I can outline, even if it's in my head, whenever I get the chance. I usually outline a scene or fix a plot hole as I'm laying in bed waiting to fall asleep. I can even solve some of these things in dreams as kooky as that sounds.

          I don't really put a deadline on the outlining process, I've had some stories rolling around in my head for years, but I keep a rough idea of when I want the first draft finished. Currently, I'm shooting for a rough draft and rewrite completed by March 31.

          Once I actually get the outline to paper (which is really just a shot list with some key dialogue or character moments here and there), it's time to actually sit down and start typing.

          I like to consider that all my scripts will be 100 pages, that way I can easily keep track of what my completion percentage is each day. Obviously, in the end that page number can be anything, but focusing on 100 works for me.

          Then the time management process kicks in. I focus on averaging 3 pages a day. It's important to keep in mind "AVERAGE." Some days I slog it out just to hit that average, other days I might find the time and be on a roll to hit 6-8 pages. Other days I might know there's a family event or other obstacle that will prevent any writing, so if possible, I'll write over the day before, or catch up on the weekend. I also know that I tend to end on a flourish, so if I'm down to 3 days and have 20 pages left, that's usually okay. I've also found that if I keep myself close to 3 pages, it allows me to sleep on and always re-evaluate where I'm at and where I'm going with the thing.

          The key is to not fall so far behind that you are staring at a 12 or 15 page day just to get back on track. If you are way behind, it's better to just whip yourself a few times for screwing up and then restart the clock to 30 days again. It's also important to stay sober and keep normal sleep patterns. Once you're in the sit down to write stage, treat it like a professional job.

          The other crucial thing about this is that it lets you prepare your family for what's to come, but it also tells them that it's going to end on a certain date. I can let the wife know that I'm going to be pretty much pre-occupied from say March 1 to March 31, but after that it's back to normal. This also sets more of a definitive deadline that otherwise wouldn't exist.

          What I don't do well is managing the time to actually get any interest in my work after the fact.
          On Twitter @DeadManSkipping

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          • #6
            Re: Time Management

            I had a full time job and a young baby when Levien and I wrote our first script. We met 5 days a week for between 90 minutes and 2 hours before work. And we had our first draft done in 110 days.
            Even if you just commit to an hour a day, you will make serious progress.
            And don't beat yourself up about it--almost everyone started the same way.

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            • #7
              Re: Time Management

              On average, I spend around 2-4 hours a day, usually 5-7 days a week. I think the biggest commitment is even if I’m not in the mood, I force myself to at least spend some time on it every day, just as Brian said. I’ve had days where I’ve written for 12-14 hours, others where I've only wrote an hour. But I make the effort every day for at least an hour or two. You can really feel the progress when you do that.

              Brian - big fan of your work, btw.
              Last edited by Mike M; 12-11-2012, 08:27 AM.

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              • #8
                Re: Time Management

                I had been working full time and writing 10-15 hours a week. Fortunately my work is in production so I never felt out of the creative loop. Two years ago I decided to go freelance to free up more time for writing and developing my projects. I never expected the outcome.

                Today it is feast or famine. I am overwhelmed with work starting spring until fall. Winter it slows way down and I try to make up for the other 75% of the year I can't write. That's why I only can visit these boards in the winter months.
                Never mistake motion for action. ~Ernest Hemingway

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                • #9
                  Re: Time Management

                  Depends on if I'm outlining or writing. When I'm outlining I tend to work on other things, watch a lot of similar movies, but I'm always jotting notes and working things out 24/7. Then eventually that leads to three or four days where I completely clear my schedule, become antisocial and write about six to twelve hours each day. When I rewrite, I do the same thing, compile all the notes I've received for a week or two then rewrite in one big session.
                  I can't imagine that works for most people, though, especially people who have full time jobs and families. I think if you set an hour each day where you get into the groove and really work, you'd have a script in the same amount of time as someone who sprint writes like me. Just have to find what balances out with the important things.
                  @ZOlkewicz - Don't follow me on Twitter.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Time Management

                    I don't think in terms of hours per day but in terms of pages. I have a full-time job and a two-year-old. I shoot for, and usually do, four pages a day (sometimes five). Luckily my job is a relatively low-stress office job so I do a page here a page there during work hours, and before I know it I've got my four pages in. This allows me to complete scripts within six weeks max, without having to work evenings or weekends

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                    • #11
                      Re: Time Management

                      I shoot for 4 hours a day during the week, 8 hours or more on the weekend.

                      So it comes in at around 35-40 hours a week on writing. I treat it like a job. It's the only way I can look at it.

                      I grew up working on my grandfather's farm, so hard work is ingrained in me. I don't know how to not work. So I'm either working (as a substitute teacher) or writing.

                      At the very least, I can rest assured that I've busted my ass. Whatever the outcome, I know I can't fail for a lack of effort.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Time Management

                        I have a 10 month old and an office job that often turns into 12 hour days, so for me its when I can. More than happy to get 10 pages in a week. too often I have a little time and spend it outlining as I tell myself its not enough to get into a scene properly. Outlining often then turns into thinking of new ideas or wandering off instead of focusing on the script at hand.

                        I need a lot more self discipline, one of many things I suspect that sets the pro's apart from many wannabe's.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Time Management

                          The number one most effective time management tool for me is turning off the wi-fi. If I'm feeling especially weak, I tell my daughter to change the password.

                          The fact is - writers are the best procrastinators in the world. We will do anything to delay for as long as possible the moment we actually have to sit down and produce words. We rationalize that we are "mulling over story ideas" or "working out a thorny plot issue." No we're not. We're futzing around on message boards, Netflixing the Walking Dead and playing Assassin's Creed.

                          The actual time it takes me to finish a first draft is miniscule compared to the time I spend thinking up excuses for not writing.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Time Management

                            Here's how I manage: I have not seen a single episode of a television series since The Sopranos went off the air.

                            Sometimes I hear people talk about things like The Wire or Lost or Homeland or Game Of Thrones, and to be honest, some of them sound really great, but I cannot imagine a bigger waste of time than sitting in front of a tv set 10-15 hours a week, when you could be writing.



                            (unless, of course, you are a tv writer, and consider that part of the learning process)

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                            • #15
                              Re: Time Management

                              Originally posted by grumpywriter View Post
                              I don't think in terms of hours per day but in terms of pages. I have a full-time job and a two-year-old. I shoot for, and usually do, four pages a day (sometimes five). Luckily my job is a relatively low-stress office job so I do a page here a page there during work hours, and before I know it I've got my four pages in. This allows me to complete scripts within six weeks max, without having to work evenings or weekends
                              I'm kind of like you. I have a full-time administrative job, so I bring my laptop and write on my lunch breaks. I also plot stuff over IM with my husband who works at home. I don't write pages without an outline and generally I can do 5-10 pages on a lunch break this way, even with multiple interruptions.

                              The idea of sitting down and working on a script for hours and hours is completely baffling to me, because I've never had such luxury.
                              writertypepeople.tumblr.com
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