Struggling With Time Management? 3 Key Strategies

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Three strategies got me moving again when I had no time for my books: write everything down in priority order, block off time at the start of the day for the most important task, and join an accountability group. Together they took me from zero minutes a day to 2 hours.

Why did I stop working on my books?

I was living in Norway, working on my first books. I had my first book on the market and my motivation was high. I was 100% sure self-publishing was right for me. But with three kids, a wife, my day job, a social life and the clubs and organizations we belong to, I had no time left for the thing I thought could be great for my family.

I was investing a big fat zero minutes a day. The sales on my books would slowly shrink if I gave them no attention, and I risked coming to a crashing stop. I started to doubt I would ever have time, and thought maybe I should wait until the kids were out of the house. That would be another 10 to 20 years. Then I realized the doubts were trying to stop me from making any progress. I know myself: if I put something off, I never go back to it.

I also needed to relax. After long days at work and with the kids, I wanted potato chips and a TV series. That is fine, but it left no time for self-publishing.

What are the 3 time management strategies?

A guide I trust, Miles, gave me three suggestions that made the difference:

1. Write everything down, in priority order. What are the most important things to do right now in self-publishing? Be specific, so nothing is in your head. Use paper, a spreadsheet, or an app like Todoist. Todoist’s free Beginner plan includes 5 personal projects, and Pro is $7 a month, or $5 a month billed yearly (Todoist pricing). If your book is already out, a good first task is to optimize your Amazon book page.
2. Block off time each day, at the start of the day. This is the idea called swallowing the frog: take the task you least want to do, your most important one, and do it first. There are a million tasks in self-publishing, so pick the next one that moves the needle, not social media.
3. Join a group coaching or accountability group. You share your progress every day and get feedback from the other members and the coach.

A plan helps because it tells you when and where. A meta-analysis of “implementation intentions”, plans in the form “when X happens, I will do Y”, found a medium to large effect (d = 0.65) on reaching goals, as cited in a 2021 paper (Wang and others, Frontiers in Psychology).

How do I manage motivation and energy?

The third suggestion was powerful. It is one of the reasons I offer group coaching. It is $47 a month, you can cancel any time, and there is a 7-day money-back guarantee, so you can see whether it works for you. You have one goal: post your status each day in our private Slack group. Then we discuss the next step and the most important step for you.

My last obstacle was practical. I took public transport to work and had no internet there, so I could make no progress. I bought a wireless router to connect my computer. Then I hired an accountability coach online, to hold me to 5 minutes of work a day. That sounds like nothing. She was surprised. Her one job was to ask what I had done and what progress I had made that day. I wish group coaching like mine had existed, but it wasn’t an option then.

With these small changes, my 5 minutes a day turned into 2 hours a day. It’s not just about managing time. It’s managing your motivation and energy, and that is a big part of how to find success in self-publishing.

Can I write in small gaps, like on a commute?

Yes. This is my advice, so test it on yourself. Keep your writing in one place that works without a signal, so a lost connection never becomes the excuse.

Google Docs can do this. Google’s help page says you turn on the Offline setting in Google Drive while you are connected, and that it needs Chrome or Edge, the Google Docs Offline extension, and enough free space on your device. After that you can create, view and edit documents offline. Set it up at home, not on the train.

A phone note works too. Write the next scene or the next paragraph in two minutes, and tidy it up later at your desk.

Are you struggling with time management? Pick your most important task, set a timer for 5 minutes and start today. If you want someone to check in with, the group coaching above is there for that. For a task system built for authors, see the right task management system for self-publishers.

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