Time Management Tip 3: Keep Track of Your Writing Time

Book in a Month: The Fool-Proof System for Writing a Novel in 30 Daysby Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Ph.D.

Keep track of your writing time every day using the Writing Time Tracker (available here). Make it a habit to write in the number of hours you spend on each area for one project over 30 days. You can also plug in word or page counts in “Totals.”

When you sit down to write, note the time; when you are done, jot down how long you worked in each category. The “Miscellaneous” category is for research, reading, writing exercises, buying materials, and other writing-related tasks. Use the “Distractions” category for all the
non-writing distractions that come up during your set writing time.