The Australian Association of Writing Programs

Hi Carol,

Don't feel lonely on this site - even if people aren't posting I'm sure they're reading as usually several 'guests' are around. Besides, there has been much more interaction lately than previously. Also, as you say, maybe we're all being exceptionally good with our time management.

I found a really bracing set of guidelines addressing time management for writers. I think its worth reading, even though I usually  cringe when managerial fads are deployed beyond their natural scope.

The full doc is at 

http://www.nawe.co.uk/metadot/index.pl?id=39679&isa=DBRow&op=show&dbview...

Here's part of the intro:

Time management for writers
by Debbie Taylor
This information sheet was co-commissioned by literaturetraining and litfest from a series of writer evelopment seminars run by litfest in autumn 2008.

Imagine your life as an empty bucket, and the important things
you would like in it as stones. Visualise putting the stones in the bucket until it’s full - family, job, friends, health, home, sleep, money, writing… Now visualise the less important things as gravel; things like hobbies, clothes, acquaintances, holidays, fine food, housework. Can you fit them in too?
Of course you can: in the spaces between the stones. Now take the trivial things - surfing the net,yebrow tweezing, watching Big Brother. These are the sand, and of course they fit in too, in the spaces between the bits of gravel.
Now take a new bucket and put the sand in first: right to the brim. How are you going to fit the stones in? Well, time management is about putting the stones in first...