Ask me anything...about time management!
#AMA about goal-setting, accountability practices, content calendar creation, and more.
In case you were out of pocket last week (or in Kansas City for the AWP Conference) I rolled out my 2024 line-up of online writing classes and shared a special discount code for subscribers to those classes.1 The first course in the Turning Points masterclass line-up is happening on February 28th. It’s right around the bend. Here’s a refresher on the topic of that first class:
Time Management for People with No Time: Improving accountability, productivity and smashing goals in 2024 (Feb 28th 7pm - 10pm EST on Zoom)
In this class, we’ll build a list of strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and short and long-term goals to bring more ease, pleasure and success into your writing life. We’ll look at different kinds of working schedules to suit the creative that you are. A great way to jumpstart those New Year Resolutions!
We’re going to start class off by identifying our strengths and weakness when it comes to working and work ethics. Then we’ll identify how to build a manageable work schedule based on the type of person that you are. (By “type of person” I mean not only in terms of productivity, but also in terms of productivity challengers. Are you a parent, a caretaker, do you have a demanding full-time job, a sick pet, a sick parent—things of this nature.) We’ll discuss short and long term goal setting, best practices for accountability, and why creating a content calendar is so important (and how to do it). A great deal of time will be devoted to understanding how to balance our creative lives with our domestic and professional obligations.
You can register for the Time Management masterclass here. A video of the class will be available upon request for two weeks after class. A full list of the 2024 curriculum for online writing masterclasses is here. Thank you so much to those of you who have already registered!
In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you regarding any and all questions you have about time management, accountability, balancing your writing life with your “Life life” and anything else in the time management sphere in the comments section today.
I had the BEST conversation about the publishing industry’s discomfort with hourly wage positions and non literary jobs with
on her “In the Weeds” podcast. Give it a listen! Especially those of you who were challenged by our bio intensive because you felt a disconnect to the literary community. Hope you like our talk!Georgia Clark— writer and founder of the popular NYC-based storytelling series “Generation Women” has a romance workshop this March with a special discount for my subscribers! Learn to write a modern romance novel over four virtual Monday night sessions, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18, 3/25. Use code COURTNEY25 for $25 off until 2/23.
Writer Megan Kamalei Kakimoto is teaching an online craft intensive for Tin House called “Writing Into the Mythic and Modern: Contemporizing Ancestral Stories.” You can sign up for the February 24th class here.
Applications are open for my October writing retreat, Turning Points, in New Mexico! Learn what makes this retreat extra special and apply through my website for our October retreat. We’re open to all genders and genres except poetry (not because I don’t like poetry, I do! I just don’t write and publish poetry myself so I can’t give you good advice on poetic endeavors.)
And finally, I want to heartily congratulate my ride or die editor Sally Kim who accepted a job to be the freaking President and Publisher of Little Brown. Sally changed my life when she published my first novel (and my second, and—here’s hoping—we’ll go for a third) and is one of the kindest and most sensitive editors in the entire publishing industry while also remaining powerful and influential AF. I’ll have to have her to the Substack to find out how she does it!
Regarding today’s AMA, I’ve opened comments to both paid and free subscribers. Please note that while I’m not able to answer each and every question, I’ll incorporate select questions into the Time Management masterclass to ensure I’m covering what interests and challenges you.
Please stick to the topic of time management, goal-setting, work/life balance and accountability in your questions.
Thanks for being here, and Happy belated Valentines Day to all who celebrated!
Courtney
Click here and scroll to the bottom of the post to get your discount code for the Turning Point classes— if you are not a paid subscriber, you can become one to access the code.
I'm curious how you structure your time/energy between all the things relevant to your writing life that aren't typing words on the screen. Specifically, how we know it's time to attend conferences or join associations like WPA, WFWA. I'm now convinced we have to "act as if we're ready" before we get a book deal (or this is my impression - I promise your book is in my TBR so apologies if you've said this or have said the opposite!), but/and as people who have all the things you mention (sick parents, kids, jobs), even once we give over more and more of ourselves to this pursuit, I'm struggling to figure out which things within this general pursuit get my time and attention.
Oh, one more thing. Maybe you can't answer it, but I'm curious if you - or any other readers here- have thoughts about friends. I'm an introvert and I like people, with a preference for one-on-one vs a big group. I'm involved at my kids' school (in what I perceive as a meaningful way with boundaries). Some people want more of me than is available, especially in group settings (e.g., moms' night out). I have a long-distance bff to whom I speak on the phone weekly and an in-town bff I try to see on weekends with our families. I feel full/sated. And yet, I also feel like I'm often turning down lunch, a spontaneous play date, hours to do things I genuinely like with people I genuinely like and respect. I recognize this is 'good' problem, but if you have comments on showing up for your community and protecting our time as creatives - I'm all ears.
I have a question about when your 'day job'/your non creative writing life is also intellectually and emotionally taxing. I'm a single mom and so have had to be good at time management. What really has begun to hit home as I get older (I'm 46) is that making space for my creative life is not just about setting aside time, which I know how to do, but about having emotionally recovered and recharged from other demands (for me, teaching and other work responsibilities) so that I have enough internal leisure to show up to the page. It's like I know how to make the hours, but struggle with the internal space. Hoping that makes sense. Thank you!