How To Fill Your Empty Calendar
By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin
Like most freelance writers, I
have an empty calendar for many days. How do I fill that schedule with
productive activity that moves me forward toward my goals? In this article and
no matter what you write, I want to give you some ideas about how to fill those
blank and empty periods.
1. Determine what you want to
write or achieve. Do you want to publish in magazines? Do you want to do more
speaking? Do you want to write books for others? Do you want to learn about how
to write screenplays or do effective Facebook ads? There are many opportunities
and you have to determine which one is where you want to go. If you are looking
for a list of writing possibilities, then download the first chapter of my book,
Jumpstart Your
Publishing Dreams. Use this download
link (no optin).
2. Focus your planning and energy
toward consistent effort to this goal. To achieve it, what do you need to learn?
Who do you need to connect with? How can you build those relationships? It will
not be overnight but you have to consistently make the effort to achieve this
goal.
3. As you get responses, fill
your calendar with scheduled phone calls or meetings to build your
relationships. As I've mentioned in the past on these articles, who you know is
just as important as what you know. Your connections can be invaluable in
reaching your publishing goals.
I don't expect this process to
be easy or simple
and know will involve hard work and continued effort. Here's what I have learned
from decades in this business, if you do the work, you will eventually achieve
the results. I recently listened to Darren Hardy's The Compound
Effect about where you can achieve big results from making
incremental changes. There is a payoff for making these changes with
consistency.
As I put together my calendar,
balance is a
key component. I'm not perfect at it but overall there is a mixture
between current work, optional work, planning ahead for future work and
consistent learning and growth.
For this process, I don't use a
paper calendar. Instead I keep dates and appointments on my electronic calendar.
I made this switch several years ago and it has been a good one because in
general I have my phone with me and can keep up with my variety of
deadlines.
My Personal
Philosophy
For a number of years, I've been
an early riser with no alarm clock. Yes, if I have to get up at 3 am (which
happens sometimes to catch an early flight), I use my alarm but otherwise I
don't. For me every day is a gift and we are charged to use that gift
wisely—whether it be a regular work day or a holiday or the weekends. I have
many different activities which fill my day. Some of them are on my calendar as
appointments but others are just work activities that I want to get finished.
Some of those activities relate to current work while others relate to future
work. Some activities are something new that I'm learning. Others are consistent
ways I spread the news to others about my work and effort such as marketing
efforts. I'm often in a routine which I've created but I consciously work at
changing up that routine so it is different and not boring. I believe each of us
have a lot to accomplish in a given day—if we celebrate and seize the
opportunity.
How do you fill your empty
calendar? What steps or ideas can you add to what I've said? Let me know in the
comments below.
Labels: calendar, consistency, Darren Hardy, freelance writing, goals, How To Fill Your Empty Calendar, Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, schedule, Terry Whalin, The Compound Effect, The Writing Life
