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The year is almost half over. Are you on track with your writing goals? Or is poor time management getting in your way?

Not long ago, one of my clients told me she got out of bed eager to get to her computer. She had lots of plans about what she would write for that day.

Somehow, she got distracted before she sat down at the keyboard. Hours would go by before she turned on her computer. By that time her inspiration and motivation had vanished.

On other days she would peak at her email or Twitter before she opened her manuscript file. She got up from her desk with a page count of zero.

Today a critique partner and I discussed achieving our daily writing goals. We all have the same number of hours in a day. We all have a life that gets in the way of our writing.

It seems that the busiest people are the one who get the most done. Realizing that your time is limited is one of the best keys to meeting your goals.

Here are some tips to keep you on track with your writing goals.

• Set realistic goals for each day.
  • If your goal is unobtainable, you’ll overwhelm yourself before you ever start.
• Break each goal into small steps.
  • You might not have time to write an entire chapter. You might have time to write one scene.
  • Write a rough draft of a query letter
  • Outline an article
• Chunk your time.
  • Set aside 10,15, or 30 minutes and focus on one single task.
  • Set a timer. Don’t stop until you hear that bell.
  • Use email or forums as a reward for finishing a task.
• Find an accountability buddy.
  • Share your goals for the day or the week.
  • Report on your success or failure.
• Reward yourself when you’ve successfully completed your goals for the day.
  • Find a reward that works for you. It doesn’t always have to be chocolate.

You can use a simple system for chunking your time.

1. Write down all the tasks you want to get done today

2. Assign a specific block of time for completing each task
(like 30 minutes)

3. Select a task, start a timer, and focus on nothing else until
that task is complete!

Simple, yes! Incredibly effective, YES!

By itself, this system can put your productivity into high-gear -

IF you use it.

The challenge for most of us is that in a day and age of
technology and automation, writing things down on paper and using something like an egg-timer feels a bit clunky and
inefficient.

You know that I’m really into technology.

I’ve recently discovered an incredible piece of software
that not only automates this system in a very unique way, but includes some tools such as simple reports (so you know WHERE you spend your time), as well as a very slick and intuitive interface.

There’s a demo video, which shows the software in action, by clicking this link (you’ll find it about half-way down the page).

This software can help you keep on track with your writing goals.

What have you found to help you keep your writing goals on track?

Write on,

Lynn