PAMELA Q. FERNANDES

Why a Yearly Calendar For Authors is Good!

A Yearly Calendar? You must be joking. That’s what some people will say.

Calendar for AuthorsCalendar for Authors

Calendar for Authors

🙂 Hear me out. One of things that changed last year was making a calendar for my writing work. I started with scheduling blog posts on Google Calendar (which is the best way for me) and thought since I had so much to schedule why not schedule everything on it.

So I took a day off (yes it does take a good chunk of your noon) and started planning, first with big things. Blog posts, podcast dates, submission dates, publication dates and payments. Then I added all the other stuff like meet x, interview y, edit manuscript, revise, send to agent, create a query, start an ad campaign, etc.

Why do it?

You Get More Done

I review the calendar for the next day before I sleep just so I know what needs to be done. And I have been able to do so much more when things are on the calendar. In fact, I will definitely get things done on the calendar while ignoring anything and everything else. And I have been able to get more done. I was able to write more, publish more, query more, pitch more and definitely accomplish more than I ever have in a writing year. So this year, I’ve managed to make a more detailed calendar.

Keeps A Schedule

It keeps me on schedule. With my calendar I know that every Monday my blog post has to be out, my podcast needs to be ready for the 1st and 20th, I need to read 5 books by the end of the 31st of the month and my short story needs to be ready for mid month. That has kept me on a wired system that sticks to time. No excuses, just do it! 😉

A Measure of You

It gives you a measure of where you are. For example, I’ve earmarked my calendar to write a new draft in January, then edit in February and then another rewrite in March. Now if something sells and I need to write or read or rewrite on short notice then I can look at my calendar and add it in without feeling overburdened or lost. Also I can review my quarterly schedule and know if I’ve managed to complete the work I assigned myself in that quarter. So it gives you a measure of writing who you are and how much is done and how much room there is for more.

Now how do you do this.

Calendar

Have you used a calendar? Which one? Has it helped you?

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