This year was a big one for my own writing; I graduated with my MFA in Fiction, I finally started work on a novel-length manuscript, and I began seriously considering the next steps (potential agents, publishers, etc). In the past month or so, though, the writing has fallen by the wayside as I wrestled with grades and my teaching career. One of my goals for the new year might be to better juggle my day job with what I think of as my REAL job.

And as family matters intruded and kept me from blogging this week, I hardened my resolve to juggle my various types of writing more capably in the coming months. I’ll continue tackling those thoughtful comments in the weekly mailbag series, and I’ve got a ton of ideas about what’s bubbling in the writing world today and how we writers stay on top of it all.

I hope those of you celebrating Christmas had a wonderful holiday, and whether you celebrate any holiday this time of year or not, I hope you all got the chance to spend some time with family and loved ones. Stay tuned this week for more thoughts on what a writer can do at the end of the year to make sure his or her next creative year gets off to a bangin’ start!

The problem was that I was pretending I was still a college student who didn’t have a three-hour daily commute and would easily have the energy to work late into the night. I set aside my work time as during the night. Then when I actually got to that late hour, I realized I was too exhausted to do the work, and I’d have no choice but to put it off until the morning. Needless to say, this wasn’t a winning strategy. What I had to realize was that I wasn’t a college student anymore, and I couldn’t be counted on to work late at night. I’ve since changed my plan to use my mornings more effectively. It’s an important reminder that we can all benefit from: we have to plan our schedules wisely, understanding what we’re truly capable of. Planning to write two pages every morning at 5am just won’t fly unless you really are a 5am worker. If you’re struggling to find time for your writing, here are a few tips about managing your time more wisely.

Discipline takes self-knowledge.

I’ve read a few fascinating articles about procrastination and willpower. The studies always conclude that people who don’t procrastinate and who exhibit willpower don’t have any special powers. They don’t enjoy the tasks any more than others do, and they don’t have greater mental oomph forcing them to do their work. Instead, they have a greater amount of insight into how their own minds work. They then use tricks to make it harder not to work than work. They force themselves to concentrate by removing temptations; for example, they cut off access to the internet or change rooms. These strategies are the only difference between the strong- and weak-willed among us.

That means you, too, can learn how to trick yourself into productivity. It starts with an understanding of what your temptations are and how you can cut them off at the pass. Disconnect your computer from the internet, or go to the library where no talking is allowed. Establish tricks for yourself that you can’t circumvent. For example, Victor Hugo stripped naked and ordered his servant to hide his clothes when writing so that he wouldn’t be able to leave the house until he was finished with the day’s work!

After the jump: more tips for tricking yourself into productivity.

Set up Productivity Traps for Yourself

You can try out Victory Hugo’s nudist routine, or figure out your own strategies for trapping yourself in a productive mode. Other ways to trap yourself are going to a different location to write, and not allowing yourself to leave until work is done; setting “writing days” in your calendar, and not rewarding yourself until that day has included some writing; or having a writing buddy, someone who will hold you accountable and expect to see your work on a regular basis.

Set Realistic Goals

Amazingly, the most common source of procrastination and unfinished work is perfectionism. People get fixated on the idea of creating something perfect, and if they can’t do all of the work, they won’t do any of the work. Perfectionism creates extraordinary work, but it’s often the enemy of getting any work done at all. Instead of setting unrealistic goals such as finishing your novel in a week, you’ve got to show a little self-knowledge and understand what you are truly capable of. I’m hoping my new plan will work a little better because I’m being more savvy about when I’m actually capable of work. How will you turn a sharper eye to your own capabilities?

Storms are always a strange interlude in our daily lives, a chance to pause and reconsider the way we spend our time and attention. Rain has always put me in a thoughtful mood, and hopefully it will get me thinking more about my writing, which has suffered in the past weeks due to a big move. How do you wait out storms? Do you watch old movies, or just watch the rain? Do you sleep late and stay in bed, or use the time to clean your house? Have you ever considered that storm time is a terrific writing time too?

I’m using the time to catch up on my blogging and writing as much as I can, while also slowing down and enjoying the different pace of a different day today. Try appreciating how the rhythm of your days have been changed lately, and stay safe, readers.

And of course, I gave my own talk about managing the writing life and the online life and building your platform on the web. I’ll be posting my notes on the presentation in future posts, but I can tell you now that it was a great experience. Hopefully I’ll be able to take my talk on the road and meet other people at other conferences.

It was the people that impressed me the most during my trip to Utah. I’ve been on the East Coast a long time; we tend to be taciturn and severe, and people in New York City in particular tend to be gruff and isolated. It was a bit of a culture shock to be welcomed so warmly in Salt Lake City and have people come up to me, stick out their hands and tell me about their lives! I’m glad so many warm friendly artists are out there working away, making conferences like this one possible.

Stay tuned for my thoughts on how to manage your writing life online and on paper, readers. I’m currently swamped due to the pending due date of my thesis (this Tuesday!) but I’ll back soon with more.

Writers are inherently observers of other people’s lives, but they also tend to be shy people, keeping an emotional distance from others in order to observe them. New York City is the perfect peoplewatching city in that way: you’re able to see a lot of drama unfolding right on the streets, but you’re simultaneously held apart from that drama, safe in your anonymity. Keep your eyes down, goes the general philosophy, and no one will bother you.

I’m very glad to have lived the New York life for a few years, but being a naturally very shy person, I’ve ultimately found it isolating; I think I’ve had my fill for the time being. It’s very tough to break that bubble into other people’s lives in New York. Try striking up a conversation with a stranger and you’re likely to be thought of as strange or threatening. Don’t try too hard to be friends with your neighbors; they’re most likely not interested. And the sheer number of very cool, very hip people in New York is another barrier of intimidation for me; I find myself worried about my behavior, troubled by thoughts of inadequacy. When I’m at home and relaxed, I’m far less worried about being “cool”, but “coolness” is a powerful ethos in New York that governs many social interactions.

That’s another secret about writers; even with their shyness and their desire to be a little apart, many of them are also desperate to be cool and exude the aura of a worldly, detached person who’s got it all figured out. I know I’ve felt that before; by our nature, we produce art for many reasons, but one of them is certainly to be liked.

So it’s with a little sadness, but also a little eagerness that I’m contemplating a move back to my hometown of Boston. Boston has its own weird aspects, but there is at least a little less pressure to be cool, to be detached, to be above it all.

For many of us, the seasons can be an obstacle or a energizer for our creative lives. The long cold and dark of winter can tire us out; the soft full light of a spring day can fill us with creative energy once again. We wait for the light to fill our windows in that special way, and somehow that gives us the signal that a new year full of potential has begun.

Spring isn’t here yet, but its first whisperings have been heard as far as I’m concerned. We’ve entered the rainy stage and the sunny stage is just beyond it. That’s why now is the perfect time to start planning for your spring so that you’re ready to take full advantage of the good weather when it comes. What are some goals you’re going to set for yourself, and how will you use the good weather to accomplish them? Will you write outside once a week, or go on more walks to get inspired? Will you get more active (which can help us think better), or will you read under a tree once in a while? What will spring mean for your creative life?

Spring is the season of potential; while it tends to be a wet and cold one in New England, it’s still a positive time and a chance for a mental renewal. Maybe it’s time for you to do some mental spring cleaning. Will you re-think your writing plan, or try writing a new story? Will you dig an old story out of a drawer to revise or send out? How will you seize this spring and make it count?

Avid readers carry something within them wherever they go — it’s a kind of internal book list, the books they’ve loved and that are special to them, the books they passionately hate and have formulated reasons proving their lousiness, and the books they want to read and have deemed worthy. I know I carry this list with me in my head, and I’m constantly making additions. When I enter a bookstore, my eyes go easily and quickly to the “correct” books on tables that I’ve heard good things about and want to read. Whole shelves that don’t interest me — romance novels, cheap murder mysteries, financial and self-help books — go past in a blur. If I’m being brutally honest with myself, I’ve got to admit that I’ll judge people — just a little — for their reading choices. If someone insists that Twilight is a great book or that Harry Potter has serious literary merit, or that some cheesy flavor-of-the-month best-seller will be a classic, I can’t help feeling a little superior.

I know, taste can be very subjective; but this makes me wonder how successful a site like Alikewise could be for matching people romantically. Do you consider taste in books an important criteria for a potential romance? Could you respect someone who loved books you hated? Sound off in the comments, and I’ll be interested to hear what you all have to say.

You’re in the thick of it now. The snow has gotten dirty and disgusting on the roads; the cold just won’t quit. It’s hard to get up in the morning and hard to sustain your energy during a long school day. You’ve probably got school exams coming up. You’re officially in the winter doldrums, and spring’s a long ways away.

Don’t fear, readers – there are things to love about winter, too, and ways to kickstart your winter. The first step is to stop wishing for spring. Winter’s here, it’s not going anywhere soon, and you can make the best of it.
Remember the good things – Winter has its own charms. Remember the joy of snowball fights? Snow suits? Sledding? If you’re in a snowy part of the world, there’s still reason to rejoice. You’re not too old to make snow angels or snow men. Show off your snow sculpting skills. Go sledding. Chuck a snowball at somebody. If you’re not in a winter wonderland right now, enjoy winter sports and activities. Ice hockey or skating, anyone? How about just pleasantly indoor events, like bowling or shopping or museum-hopping? There are plenty of places to take shelter and stimulate yourself.