Quotation of the Week for Writers: Ashley Ream
“Writing a book is hard. Writing a book while having a day job is harder. Writing a book while having a day job, hobbies and a life requires a strategy — a strategy and a spreadsheet.”
–Ashley Ream
Source: “How to Write a Book When You’re Really, Really Busy”
(Confession: She loses me at the spreadsheet part!)
(I hope she was kidding …)
I think she’s quite serious!
Yep, absolutely serious. My spreadsheet is how I track my daily writing progress and keep myself on target. It absolutely works. The technique grew out of being a competitive ultramarathon runner (races longer than 26.2 miles). Spreadsheets are how I plan and track training runs, and when I started writing books professionally (while working a day job, going back to school, running competitively, etc., etc.) they allowed me to see IF my goals were attainable and then HOW to attain them on a day-by-day basis. I literally charted my way to a dream come true.
Your spreadsheet for organizing your time for writing, etc., is a masterpiece of time management! It is a sterling example of how to set a goal and organize your time to attain it.