How to stay organised as a writer

Writing is a profession, and a hobby, that can be time-consuming and challenging, but staying organised can make it easier to work efficiently.

I saw on LinkedIn the other week a post from someone who said: If you are thinking and dreaming about wanting to write, then you are an aspiring writer. But if you have already put pen to page, or fingers to keyboard, then you are not aspiring. You ARE a writer.

This really resonated with me because for so long I've always said, I'm an aspiring author, I'm an aspiring writer.

But I actually am a writer and I'm on my way to becoming an author.

I write every day, whether that be journalism, scripts, scenes, or novels. And remembering that fact makes me smile.

However, writing isn't always easy, especially if you're writing lots of different things. It can be easy to become disorganised and overwhelmed, especially if you have several projects that need completing.

So I thought I'd share some tips on how to stay organised as a writer.

Setting a daily schedule

There is nothing worse than sitting down at your desk, getting ready to start and not knowing what you need to do. Or knowing all your tasks, but having no idea where to start.

Creating a daily schedule is the best way to be organised as a writer because it will not only increase your productivity but also your creativity.

Having a daily schedule allows you to know what to do and when. This can either be in the form of a to-do list or if you're more tech-savvy, a spreadsheet.

List out all the projects you have and the tasks involved in each. Spread them out across the week based on priority and allocate a specific time slot for them.

This way, you can work through the schedule, ticking off tasks one by one as you complete them and having a specific block of time for each task will help prevent you from spending too much time on them and make your day more efficient.

A clear calendar for deadlines

As a writer, there is nothing worse than not knowing your deadlines. For me, I have many deadlines for different types of writing, including university assignment deadlines; deadlines for news articles; dates blog posts need to be published by; and an overall deadline for my novel.

Writing is not an easy feat and having a clear calendar with all your deadlines will only be useful.

I use my diary, which includes a monthly overview and a weekly overview. This year, I have colour-coded each event/deadline based on what area of writing it is.

For example, for my motorsport journalism, I write in red. For university, I write in blue. For WriteWatchWork, I write in green, and for personal writing tasks, I write in pink.

Colour-coding my calendar has helped immensely in staying organised and knowing when my deadlines are. It avoids confusion and makes it easier to spot different deadlines and tasks.

Organise your workspace

As the saying goes, 'Tidy room, Tidy mind'.

Writing is a complex task; when it comes to prose or scripts, you have to think not only about the general story, but the characters, the plot, the structure, the dialogue, the world-building, and so much more. For journalists, you have to remember multiple facts, names, grammar rules etc.

So it's no wonder that the above saying does ring true.

To stay organised as a writer, one of the best tips I can give you is to organise your workspace. Having a messy, untidy desk, or office, can be detrimental to your mental health and productivity.

To organise your desk, have a pen pot. Have a coaster for your drink. Have an area for post-its, your stapler, ruler, rubbers, and any other stationery you require. Make sure that your notebooks are tidied away when you're not using them and if you have loose bits of paper, try putting them in a clear plastic wallet to keep them together.

Declutter by removing any items you don't need when writing. If you require textbooks but have them for different subjects, perhaps have a different shelf for each focus.

Having a tidy workspace will allow you to focus on your work and clear your mind so you can be more productive.

Different stationery for different projects

Much like having different areas for different textbooks, having a different set of stationery for different writing projects will keep you organised.

With my degree, I'm studying prose and scriptwriting. These are two very different mediums of writing and one thing that has kept me organised is having different notebooks.

For scriptwriting, I have a set of grey notebooks and for prose, I have blue. Having different books for each medium has made it easier for me to know where my notes and references for each project are. I also have different sections in my folders for each writing project.

Having defined stationery for different projects will help you stay organised because it'll be easier to keep track of everything you need and will make you more productive in the long run because you won't need to spend time searching for different bits and pieces.

Attainable and achievable goals

I'm someone who writes in several mediums and I can honestly tell you, it can be overwhelming, especially when looking at the overall projects.

However, breaking each project down into individual tasks that are attainable has reduced the stress and pressure of dealing with so many. When you split projects into smaller tasks, make sure you're being specific; set a measurable goal and put a deadline in place.

For example, this year I want to complete the first draft of my novel. That sounds daunting and it is. But I have broken it down into smaller, more specific goals and set myself a deadline. Simply saying, 'write more' or 'complete the novel' is not good enough.

Instead, I've said 'write 2000 words each week'. If I don't achieve this, then that is fine, but if I do, it spurs me on even more and makes me more determine to continue writing.

Having these smaller goals for each project that are actually achievable keeps you organised as a writer because you'll have a specific focus and won't feel the pressure of a huge task.

Take breaks

Pomodoro, or tomato in Italian. This is a working method I learnt when studying for my GCSEs. Essentially, it is working in 25-minute chunks with a five-minute break, and then once you've completed this four times, take a longer break.

At first, I was hesitant about this method. But it does work.

Sitting down with your laptop or your notebook and writing non-stop is not good. Not only does it make your hands ache, but it can hinder your creativity in the long run and make you more tired and less inclined to write.

Taking breaks is important in every job because it allows you to stay refreshed and avoid burning out. For writers, you need that inspiration to write and your creative juices need to be flowing and taking breaks can help you maintain that energy and creativity.

Pomodoro splits up the working day, giving you time to stretch your legs and give your mind a break.

However, it's not the only way to take breaks. Visiting a coffee shop one morning, seeing a friend for lunch, going for a walk, all of these will help you stay organised as a writer because they will refresh your mind.

It's up to you as to which method of taking breaks works best for you.

An end-of-the-day routine

My final tip for staying organised as a writer is to have an end-of-the-day routine.

At the end of the working day, it can be easy to bring work home with you or, if you work from home, to keep thinking about what needs to be done.

But if you create a routine at the end of the day once you've finished working, you will be more relaxed and therefore refreshed the next day. It will allow you to enjoy your evening and have time away from work.

The routine can include ticking off the day's tasks from your to-do list, tidying away your books, bits of paper and stationery, cleaning your desk etc. I know that if I tidy away everything and wrap up the day's work, I can then spend my evening doing things I want and not have to think about work.

So, if you find yourself struggling to relax at the end of the day, create a routine that will signify the end of work until the next morning.

Do you have any more tips to stay organised as a writer? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time...