Time Management For Copywriters

I'm very big on getting more done in less time.

Here are some useful tools that will
work will greatly boost your productivity:

1. Google Docs/Apps
(https://www.google.com/a/)

Communicate with your assistants/partners/clients with
Google Docs. You can easily share documents
and excel spreadsheets.

2. Dark Room
(they.misled.us/dark-room)

Disturbance and interruption free writing.
Simple, elegant and powerful.

For me - a must have for hard core prolific
writers/copywriters.

3. Time Left
(TimeLeft - Free clock, reminder, countdown, stopwatch, timer, sticker, auction watch and time synchronization utility using Winamp skins to show digits and text.)

Useful egg timer. Put aside a block of time
(e.g. 30 mins) and focus singularly on that
tasks. And watch your productivity soar.

4. Launchy
(Launchy: The Open Source Keystroke Launcher)

I simply cannot do without launchy.

It helps me instantly find any file or documents I want
- on the fly.

No more rummaging through folders or countless menu.

This is easy file finding at your finger tip.

5. WinAutomation
(WinAutomation - Windows Automation Software & Macro Recorder - Windows Scripting - Automate and Schedule Windows tasks)

I'm involved with this product. So I'm naturally biased.

But if you want to find a value-packed, feature-packed,
robust, versatile and reliable windows automation
tool at an extremely affordable price...look no further
than WinAutomation.

You will be hard pressed to find any better at
the same price.

You can use WinAutomation to social bookmark
your sites...submit your sites to Google...open
your favorite bookmarks...launch your programs
and much much more - all automatically.

- Jag

If you need a simple timer and don't want to install any software then you can use the site E.gg Timer - simple online countdown timer.

Also, an alternative to Dark Room is Q10.

I also find that rest and renewal is extremely important.

The intuitive reaction is to work...work...work.

The thing is - you are a human - not a machine.
Even a machine needs a break. So why shouldn't you?

I discovered that if you want to produce your best work
...you need to mentally and physically fit.

Plenty of rest, exercise and mediation go a long way.

Besides, I frequently find myself getting the best ideas
and "aha" moments when I'm away from the computer.

Usually when I'm relaxing or running or bathing.

That's another incentive to take breaks and to rejuvenate yourself.

It's important to keep yourself strong first!

- Jag

I have some favorites on this subject... For example, a huge time saver for me is Outlook. You can't have 10 email accounts, and not have Outlook. I even have rules that put email from specific clients into a folder with THEIR name on it, that way I can see at a glance if a client has emailed and respond only to important things, ASAP.

I have two monitors, too. That is a huge time saver. I keep my email open in one, and browser or work program (Dreamweaver or Word, depending on the project) open on the other. If I need both my browser and work program (if I'm doing a lot of research, for a medical piece or something) I put the browser over my email program. Then I can see my research & my work at the same time, without switching windows.

I also have a spot on my desk for my laptop, so I can have two systems running at once - helpful when you're doing things with Wordpress, so you don't have to log-in, log-out, log-in, log-out, to see how users will view things. Or when I'm waiting for an important email, doing research, and writing at the same time. Means I get 3 monitors.

RescueTime is another big one for me that is rarely mentioned. I don't know why - it's free, and it tracks how much time you spend in each program and on each website. It will SHOW you your time wasters, and how much time you're spending on important things vs. trivial time sucks.

For example, I've spent over 30 minutes in emails today. Of course that is a typical Monday, getting back to client communications from the weekend. But it SHOWS you where you're wasting time, so you can stop yourself. Patterns emerge. You can train yourself, knowing that if you waste 30 minutes playing Bejewelled - you have to see that on your time chart for the rest of the week.

Hmm, time savers... I have some routines. Of course I use outlook to schedule everything, right down to my meals. Every other Friday I deal with finances, since that is hubby's payday so I just do it all at the same time. I just use a simple Excel spreadsheet to manage our household finances, and it works well.

Two big blocks of writing work every day, with dedicated time for emails, meals, volunteer work, etc.

And I take weekends off, as much as possible. Even if I do volunteer work and check my email, I never take on a project over the weekend unless the client makes it *very* worthwhile - and even then, I usually take time off during the week to make up for it.

Overall, I spend about 4 hours/day writing and 2/day marketing, and then the other 3 hours on email, volunteer work, organization, management, planning, etc.

It works for me. That's the key - you have to find what works for YOU and stick with it. If you need *no distractions* - get dark room. If you need to *see* where you're wasting your time, get RescueTime. If you need to be an active planner, use Outlook or Google Calendar - or even use an excel spreadsheet to write down what you did every 15 minutes.

Find what works for you, and STICK WITH IT.

And don't forget to plan for the unplannable - bathroom breaks, phone calls, you name it. Leave time for those things, because otherwise your schedule will get completely shot...

Hey dude,

Here's something I learned from one of
the big writers. Either Makepeace or
Bencivenga, I forget which.

Basically, think about what you do that
makes money. Which of your daily tasks
is your main income producing activity?
The one that helps you meet your
monthly nut and put food on the table?

Then get up first thing, and do THAT
for 3 hours. No breaks. No internet. No
emails. Nothing but your IPA.

Literally sit there in your jammies, making
money.

Get into the habit of doing that each
day, and you'll be pretty well positioned
to squander the rest of it however you
see fit.

It works for me. I'm a night owl though,
so first thing in the morning for me is
often anything but... but the principle
is the same.

Not sure how useful that is for anyone
else, but it helped me so I thought I'd
post it.

-Dave

Here are a few things I learn from the great
Brian Tracy (I adore him so much!):

1. Not every tasks are created equal.
Focus on the 20% of the highest
value tasks that will give you 80% of the results.

2. Always ask yourself, "What's the most valuable
use of my time?" Always be reviewing and
always be taking action.

3. On the flipside - you want to be procrastinating.
Procrastinating on 80% of your activities (the lowest
value ones).

Find that you are reading your email again? Sod that.
Facebook? Ban it. At least until you finished all your
work that is.

4. Eat the damn frog.
Tackle the most difficult job first (assuming
it's a high value one).

Once you start your day right - you are
set for the rest of it.

5. Keep a clean organized workspace.
You will find yourself being more efficient
and more productive.

6. Use the pen and paper (my fave tool
even in this age of computers, blackberrys
and iPads).

Write down your goals daily. Re-affirm them.
Write down your daily tasks. And do them.

You will get a huge high when you cancel
the tasks off the list when you get them done.

The high will translate to a more confident
and happy you. Which will then automatically
translate to a more productive you.

- Jag

I'm a HUGE fan of Microsoft OneNote.

I just got the 2007 version on eBay for $15.

I centralize ALL my notetaking on there, so I can find and search it easily.

Before OneNote, I used EverNote and random files saved to my computer. But I realized that I wasn't reviewing my past notes that were full of great lessons to internalize.

OneNote changed all that. It's so much easier to use and organize than with EverNote or with random Word files stored on my computer.

You can also have a section with all your passwords and personal info, and encrypt it with a password (you can do this with an Excel file too).

You can have shared notebooks/folders that you share with a team (or a family member).

If you get the 2010 version, you can also access through the cloud, through their SkyDrive.

Hands down, one of the BEST productivity purchase EVER.

Tip: Put your most valuable life lessons in OneNote and check it for inspiration from time to time...so you can really absorb them.

I also have a section in my Personal notebook in OneNote that lists my goals, etc.

There's sooo much you can do with it, it's awesome.

You can also link a file from your computer inside a OneNote page for easy categorization.

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As for timer, I just use a regular stopwatch. No need for fancy software.

I forward all my mail to my main account, where I answer and check emails from in Outlook, so I don't need to see a bunch of folders.

This also saves me from clicking too much and delays the onset of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome :-)

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My main theme is SIMPLIFY so I can focus on the stuff that gets results.

I use a paper monthly planner and post-it notes stuck in there to organize things.

I find that it's much quicker for me to flip through a paper planner when I'm on the go rather than wait for my phone to load.
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Pretty much, my life planning, note taking, brainstorming, and organization is found in 3 places:

1. My planner
2. OneNote
3. Emails

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As great as OneNote is, I still believe in culling the things I keep.

I go through my notes and physical stuff at least once a month and trash/give away stuff that's non original, I don't use, or not really helping me that much.

I do that with everything: books, clothes, notes, computer files, etc.

Once all the crap is gone, it's soooo much faster and easier for you to reach the stuff that really makes a difference in your life.