Time management tips for writers Tip 2: list everything

You're a writer; write it down. Make your motto: "if it's not written down, it doesn't happen".

The most effective time managers are the people who use lists the most. When something is on a list, you don't need to keep it in your mind. The best way to develop the list-making habit is to carry a notebook and pen, index cards, and/ or an electronic organizer.

You have a choice of how to make your lists. You can have one enormous list, in "Getting Things Done" (GTD) Inbox style, into which you dump all your projects and tasks, or you can make several lists. Try out both methods, and see how they feel to you.

If you keep an all-in-one paper list, use a legal pad rather than a small pad, and leave a couple of lines between each task, so that you can add notes. The benefit of using a large pad is that you can make notes and sketches.

I'm not a GTD person. For me, an Inbox takes too much maintenance. I keep a Today list in Ta Da List; I carry index cards with me everywhere; and I maintain several idea lists in Curio and Tinderbox for blogging.

See what works for you. The point isn't to be perfectly organized list-wise, it's to use your lists as tools to manage your time so that you have time for your writing.

Your list making will change over time. Try out new software and new list-making methods occasionally.

Earlier tips in this series

Time management tips for writers Tip 1: see yourself as a competent writer

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