Advantage Book Binding

July 19, 2017

4 Ways to Stay On Track with Your Deadlines

Although every writer dreads deadlines, there is little reason why you should.

Before beginning the book binding process, you need to get your manuscript done first. But whether you choose self-publishing, or the route of traditional publishing one major obstacle remains – deadlines. Although every writer dreads deadlines, there is little reason why you should. Remember that procrastination is not your friend when you are a writer. Here are 4 ways to stay on track with your deadlines.

Be Your Own Boss

Remember to be responsible for yourself when it comes to writing. The key to staying on track with your deadlines is a combination of motivation, dedication, and responsibility. Choose someone you should report to, or you can be your own boss. One important step in designating someone as your “boss” is if you can afford to hire someone through online services. But if you can’t afford to do this, or don’t want to, it is still easy to find someone who will serve as your boss. Friends, family, colleagues, and other writers can all help keep you going. Using outlines and target completion dates will also help make this process easier.

Make It Manageable

Another way to make it easier to stay on track with deadlines is to make it all more manageable. It can get overwhelming if you think of your book as one enormous project. Like any successful long-term project, chunking will help make it less daunting. Consider some questions that will help you determine how best to break the project into smaller tasks first:

When do you want the initial phase (writing) to be completed?
When do you want the secondary phase (marketing) to begin?
What must you do over the course of the coming week? The upcoming month? What about the next six months?

Reducing your overall stress level can make you feel better and more relaxed. This should enable you to reach your deadlines without feeling flustered or pressured.

Define Writing Objectives

Writing is all about reaching various objectives. It can be a long, arduous process, whether you are writing a nonfiction book that took a year to research before you even started your first paragraph or the newest fiction sensation that takes over the bestseller list for weeks at a time. Defining your writing objectives does have its tangible benefits, after all:

Determines what you intend to accomplish
Keeps you encouraged about your progress
Keeps your objectives realistic

Choosing realistic objectives is critical to making the most of this step. For instance, defining an objective of “write an entire manuscript” in a month or less is certainly feasible (as there are contests devoted to the idea) but choosing a target number of days (i.e. write a chapter in the next seven days) is much more feasible.

Talk About Your Deadlines

Talking about your deadlines helps too. Even if you have acquired a reputation for constant procrastination so that your friends and family do not take you seriously, you can start to reverse that reputation. Constantly talk about your deadlines with the people around you, across your social media channels, and anyone else who can encourage you and help you stick to your planned deadlines.