This guest post is by Udi Tirosh of DIYPhotography.
When you start blogging it seems that there is never enough time—especially if you aren’t blogging full time, and you’re doing it from home. You get phone calls that need to be picked up; the service guy for the dishwasher shows up; you must read that important mail. It is not uncommon for an entire day to go by only to find out you didn’t complete any of the tasks you set for yourself.
The magic flask…
What if I told you there was a magic flask you can drink from which will freeze time for you? Every surrounding noise will stop: no calls, no incoming urgent mails, no dishes to wash or laundry to do. It will be just you and the computer. Everyone else will be frozen in time, allowing you to do your work. If you need something from someone, you just call their name and they will wake up for the exact amount of time you need them for an answer. I will grant you one flask a week.
Imagine: a whole day just for you and your work each wee. How would you use it? Would you outline your next blog series? Finally finish that long post that’s waiting in the queue? Brainstorm a subject for your next month of posts? How would you make this time useful?
Finding the extra day
Of course there is no such thing as a magic flask, but getting a day a week for your important work is actually not that hard.
All you have to do is spot the time of day when you are most prolific and productive. For some it is the afternoon, for some it is early morning. For me, it is the period after lunch.
Now decide that you are going to dedicate this time to blogging—think of it as a one-hour meeting with yourself. Actually, don’t just decide it, put it into your calendar. With a reminder. For every day of the week.
This will gain you six hours of uninterrupted work. During that time, don’t answer phones (disconnect or turn them off, if you need to), don’t surf the web (use blocking software if your willpower isn’t strong enough), and dedicate yourself to the blog.
Since this is your best time of day and since you will be uninterrupted, your potential for using this hour for something productive is high.
But it takes commitment. It means that you must use the time for work. And it means that you cannot set this appointment aside. You must stick with it every day. After a while, you’re likely to find that you need to expand that meeting. Go ahead and do that. And after a longer while, you may find that you don’t need this meeting at all.
Now, this is up to you. I’m offering the flask only for the next ten minutes. Use those ten minutes to schedule your daily appointment.
Udi Tirosh runs DIYPhotography, a place for photography lovers, and makes awesome photography products.
Thanks for the tips. This is great advice…my only problem is finding consistent time without kid interruption. The early morning is my only time..unfortunately my brain is fog in the morning..but I will give it a try.
Thanks Again!!
Take the help of your spouse for one hour to implement it or you can also hire a baby sitter for one or two hour.
This is a matter of start only.
Ironically, I’m single, with no kids, and there are still a million and a half things to rob my time. My weekends, which don’t come around NEARLY as often as I need them, are often taken over by family, and I am realizing how VITAL it is to have that PERSONAL TIME, to spill my guts onto a page, before I end up saying things I may or may not be able to take back! And, before I know it, it’s MONDAY again. Christmas is another occasion that has me feeling a tad claustrophobic at times. It’s all GO, GO, GO! I wonder if this is how cults wear their victims down? Keep ’em going til their brains snap and they either kill or just surrender the battle.
Personal ‘me’ time, is important; selfish as it sounds, and the guest blogger is right…about finding that time to set aside. Find me that time and I’ll put it to one side, for the cause. Just don’t tell my family about that extra day, or they’ll want it.
This is very true for increasing productivity. I feel I can concentrate on my blog the most in early morning and I am going to dedicate at least one hour to my blog during this time of the day.
Yeah 5 am in the morning is the best time at that time i concentrate to get new ideas and concept for my blog and other vantures.
Five in the morning? Unless I’m up already, (and that has been known to happen) my brain does NOT function at that hour for anything! You’re way ahead of me.
Great post! I implemented something like this for all my to-do and planning. First thing in the morning, I grab my coffee and put my dogs out. Then I close the door to my office. I set an alarm for 45 minutes. During that first 45 minutes I just plan or write – I don’t open an email or browse around.
When I first started I used a room in a house that didn’t have a computer and all I had was my journal. Now I can sit at my computer without getting distracted.
For me it is the freedom of knowing that I can do whatever I want for those 45 minutes without worry. The alarm will tell me when to stop, so I don’t have to check my watch or time along the way.
Good thoughts for a Sunday with a fresh week just hours away!
There’s a lot to be said for doing things in batches and blocking out time. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding or allocating a better time for things.
I like to be productive in the mornings, but creative at night.
I get up 30 minutes before I need to every week day morning to capture the news and put it on my blog to go live during the course of the day. Works well, it’s something I like to get up early for.
To increase productivity we must have focus and avoid all distractions. I usually wake up so early in the morning where there is no distraction to do blogging.
As for me i have a teenage daughter and a 3year old boy. A wife who works nights, and i dont sit down till 8pm most nights,by that time im shattered. do i have to write lots of content to make this work for me as an extra income or is little and often enough? cheers Richard.
thejollyjoiner.blogspot.com
This is a great idea. As a full-time doctoral , husband, and parent, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to post. I do tend to have certain evenings and/or period of the day set aside for tasks that I need to complete. Working late at night is also very frequent…I tend to think better and there are less distractions.
Internet has always been my main distractions and it has caused me a lot. It affects my concentration and train of thoughts.
I do believe that it is always best for us to do one thing at one time. It will help us to focus and improve our quality of work.
Sometimes I wonder whether do multitasking exist? Or whether it is merely an excuse given by those who have short attention span…
In the beginning adopting this kind of practice will be quite tough but you will need solid determination to apply it.
i just blogging as my part time. because i have another job more important than blogging.
but, ia actually set my time optimally for blogging every day.
i have another job, so blogging in a day maybe just 10 to 15 minutes. maybe i have to plan wisely,,
I find in the morning is the best time, and not to get distracted with the news
or twitter.
It’s all about having some quality time with yourself. When you are able to take out time for yourself, may be enjoy that cup of coffee, you will definitely have the time to take out for something that you love – blogging!
Thanks for sharing these tips!
Useful advice since we live in a busy crazy world as it is,if you are a night crawler though,Stayin awake deep into the night to blog will help.Good post
I don’t have any idea for make time effective.. i have many task and urgent meeting with my friend… it not esay as you think…
I do my work early in the morning, however the internet can be a very distracting place, set your goals and set your mind right is of utmost importance. Good post thanks
We all need extra hours and even extra hands when it comes to blogging. I like the late evenings when interruptions are less likely to happen.
Another way to find an extra hour might be hard for some people, but simply get up an hour earlier in the morning. Use that time to do your blogging, working out, or whatever. That gives you seven extra hours a week, pretty much a full work day.
and, the beauty of blogging is that you can blog as you please at any hour of the day. Additionally, blogging can also become a full-time job as well as a full-time income, if you dedicate yourself to working at it consistently :-)
this is as simple as it can get and yet we look at the things in a complicated way. You make it sound so easy and productive.
for me, that period is 1 hour before i sleep. That is the time I am at my best
Excellent suggestion and something I’ve thought about. I think getting up an hour early would work well for me. I’ll program my coffee maker so that I’ll have fresh coffee earlier…that’ll be an incentive for me since coffee first thing in the morning isn’t something I’m willing to give up!
i actually have this technique, i brainstorm my next post subject , then i start to write down a piece of the post any day (it takes like 30 min) and after 3-4 days, my post is done!. i find this way the more efficient for me, try it out!
I’m exact opposite of you Udi, right after lunch I want to sleep. LOL
I think you’re right on though, found the best time for you, and also find the worse time, and try and do other things during that time, things that are fun with friends or family, you’ll end up with a win-win situation.
I love these tips. My biggest challenge is that I have to surf the web to help research and supplement my blog article. Often this process uncovers other gold nuggets and I lose focus.
I think I should setup a reward system for myself. Maybe If I get my writing done on-time, I get..
Geez, I just realized I am spoiled. Someone else needs to make me accountable to earn a reward! Pay isn’t enough when money isn’t your motivator.
I tend to write just after my morning run. My morning run tends to be about 5:50 in the morning and I am ready to go by 6:45 (after situps and everything else). Having that time is essential to getting things done.
A great reminder to everyone here. These are many of the strategies covered in a recent “Managing Priorities and Juggling Multiple Tasks” program that I created for my peeps. Everyone devoured the info and saw great results so I would encourage all the readers here to make a commitment to implement the tips you have here.
Hi, Udi
Definitely it’s the only way to go. If you don’t set time apart for each of the tasks that need to be taken care of on every single day, you’ll end up feeling frustrated, not doing your things and, most important, not being efficient, or at least not as much efficient as you can be.
Thanks for the good advice. It’d be good to put it on writting :-D
Man, if I gained a whole day every time I took a wee, I’d start drinking a lot more. ;)
I think I’ve managed to do a pretty good job of scheduling blogging time. For me, what I really need to schedule is meal time. And shopping time. I got up and started working right away, but I don’t think I ate until about 1, and when I did go to eat, I realized that I have practically no food left. o_0
I should really get on that…
Good input. What helps for me is actually having all of my brainstorm materials ready before hand. So when the hour comes, it’s all about pouring the inspiration in writing. However, the daily consistency is what’s missing. Sometimes idea bubbles and I have to help my son with his homework. I need to find workarounds for this. Thanks for the tip however….
I had my credit card out, I was ready to pay whatever the price for that flask!
I sneak my writng time in around 4 am about three times a week. I have a whole days worth of information and experiences to reflect on, and plenty of quiet time (now that the baby is sleeping through the night). The biggest downside to that is sometimes my brain is just too fried, after 12 or 13 hours of work, to be creative or even form coherent sentences.