Making writing a priority through planning
Part V of writing when you have multiple demands on your time
Over the last several posts, I’ve discussed strategies on how to write when you have multiple demands on your time.
You can catch up on each of those here:
In this last newsletter in the series, we’re going to consider ways to plan out your schedules to account for your newly clarified priorities.
Why Plan?
Planning is a powerful tool that helps you keep your priorities clear, stay focused, and ultimately get more done. Without a clear plan, it's easy to get lost in the day-to-day demands and lose sight of your bigger goals. Writing is often the thing that falls to the wayside when we don’t have a plan in place. That's why it's crucial to approach planning with a focus on your priorities.
The Monthly Plan
As academics, we often think in semesters when planning our writing projects. It’s a natural rhythm that aligns with the academic calendar. However, planning for an entire 16-week semester at once can be overwhelming. Life happens, plans get derailed, and a well-intentioned roadmap can quickly become a source of stress and frustration. I often see people give up on their semester plans after something gets them off track.
I was recently chatting with one of my wonderful coaching clients (with their permission to share) about this very issue. They found that planning in semester-long chunks felt daunting and demoralizing. Instead, we explored a new approach: monthly planning. For them, focusing on a shorter, more manageable timeframe made the process feel less intimidating and more achievable. This shift also helped them stay clear on their priorities, ensuring that they spent their time on what mattered most.
Here are the steps we discussed that might help you keep your priorities clear as you plan your time:
Set Your Monthly Priorities
Start by creating a monthly priority list. This isn’t just a to-do list—it’s a way to zoom out and take stock of what’s most important in the month ahead. What are the key projects or goals you need to focus on? What deadlines are on the horizon? By aligning your monthly plan with your yearly goals, you’ll keep everything in perspective and ensure your time is spent on the priorities you’ve set.
Map Out Your Typical Week
Once you’ve identified your monthly priorities, zoom in and think about where these tasks fit into your typical weekly schedule. Block out time for writing, teaching, prep, meetings, workouts, family, and other commitments. This step helps ensure that your weekly plan reflects your priorities and is realistic and achievable.
Pro tip: resist the urge to block off 8–10 hours per day, 5–6 days a week, to work. You do intellectually demanding work, so that requires breaks and downtime throughout your day. You don’t have to fill every hour of every workday with a task. This can leave you overwhelmed and make it harder to execute your weekly plans.
Weekly Meetings
Schedule a weekly meeting with yourself every Friday afternoon or Monday morning. Use this time to plan for the week ahead, adjusting your tasks and time blocks as needed. This practice helps you stay flexible and responsive to changes while keeping your priorities front and center.
End-of-Week Wrap-Up
Finally, build in time at the end of each week to wrap up any unfinished tasks—especially higher-priority ones. This way, you can accommodate unexpected events during the week while still keeping your priorities in mind. This doesn’t just help you stay on track; it also ensures you start the new week prepared and focused, rather than playing catch-up.
Rinse and Repeat the Next Month!
Breaking down your planning into manageable monthly chunks and keeping your priorities clear will help you stay on track without feeling overwhelmed. Give it a shot and see how this approach can improve clarity and focus in your academic life.
As a reminder, just because this approach works for some of us does not imply it will work for everyone. I believe that there are numerous approaches to planning and staying on top of your work, and you must determine which methods are most effective for you.
