The Trials Of An Indie Author: Balancing Your Work Load

THE TRIALS OF AN INDIE AUTHOR: BALANCING YOUR WORK LOAD

I know that I'm seen as someone who manages a heavy work load, is super productive and also super organised, and while it's true that I do have about five different projects on the go right now, I wasn't always like that. I didn't just wake up one morning and have the ability to manage a whole heap at once. It's not something that every writer can do, and that doesn't mean that there's a personal failing on their part for not being able to do so.

However, there's a lot to be said for being able to know how much you can handle, and balancing it alongside other jobs as well. Every month, right now at least, I'm revising on most days, editing on most days, and also have these admin days that allow me to get the next month's vlog scripts and blog posts written, as well as recording days for the coming month's videos. I say that and I know that a lot of people reading will be wondering how I pull it all off.

Like I said, it wasn't instantaneous, it was something I worked hard at managing and even then there are times when I just need to slow down, back off the work and focus on resting and keeping my health managed. I am chronically ill and disabled, and because of that there are going to be times, a lot of them, where I just overextend myself and need to take it easy. The point I'm trying to make here is that no one, no matter how productive they may seem, can manage to work 24/7 endlessly. It's just not doable, and it leads to crashes or burnout, or other scary things like that.

But what if you're someone who wants to try and see about getting a bit more balance to the work load in front of them? I'm going to give you some of my tips to manage that, but above all else, remember that breaks are not optional. I don't care how many deadlines you have, or how much time you've needed to take off work because of this crisis or that one, you need to have breaks, otherwise all the will in the world will not make a sustainable practice, and at the end of the day, the reason it works for me is because I've made it sustainable for me. That doesn't mean doing everything I do will be the same for you, we're all different, and that's okay and normal.

So onto the tips!

#1 DON'T START WITH EVERYTHING
I've said things along these lines before. I see too many times where people are trying to balance extra work and they just keep piling it on, either straight away, or way too fast for them to know that what they're doing is going to work for them. So don't do that. Don't add five projects instantly. My advice would be one other thing, and even then, be prepared for some trial and error, some days where things do not go well, and some weeks when it feels like you're gonna have to throw in the towel.

The point, as I've said, is for this to be sustainable, and it just won't be if you don't take it slow, work out how to work with the projects on your plate already, and then, after a time of managing it well, then you add something else small to the pile. This is, in my experience, the only way for it to work long term. Otherwise you crash and burn, and that's never fun.

#2 TRACK IF YOU CAN
I started doing this a number of years ago and I found that it really helped for me to have solid data to work out how much a certain task took me. It allowed me to see that writing blog posts for the month, depending on the amount, could take anywhere from 45 mins to 90 mins, and it really helped me see that they needed to be done on a day when nothing else major was expected of me. Vlog scripts usually take a shorter amount of time, so they can be doubled up with something. It was, for me, about having that data to work with.

Now I know it might not be possible for everyone, so if this is something you just can't do because you're stealing minutes here and there, that's fine, it's not for everyone, but it really did just allow me to have some idea of where my time was spent and whether or not, with the limited window of time I have to work, I could slot in another project. It might be the same for you, it might not, but it's always good to try these things and find out.

#3 LEAVE ROOM TO BREATHE, AND TO CATCH UP
I do not mean the rest days should also be catch up days because if you don't get the work done, then you're losing valuable down time. I do mean that when you have your schedule all worked out, you have a number of days to catch up, and a number of days to rest. This gives you a chance to really settle in and know that if everything goes wrong, it's not the end of the world. It's also a good thing to be okay with not hitting your goal for that week/month etc. I've done it. I've had times when I've just not managed to do the things I wanted to get done, and that's okay, because your health and wellbeing is so much more important.

So have some room to breathe, to rest, and also have a couple of days here and there where if you need a little more time, you have it, and if you don't need it, more downtime, and that's not a bad thing!

So there we go, if you have any questions, lemme know in the comments, and happy writing!

Follow Joey to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.