RE: Procedures for a young writer

["Goldstein, Dan" <DGoldstein -at- DeusTech -dot- com>]

Hi Antony,

Welcome to the guild!

I maintain a simple Excel task spreadsheet with the following columns:
Sequence Number (beginning with 001), Date Added, Source, Assign To, Due
Date, Description, Release Date, Notes/Documents, and Project (i.e., we have
multiple projects running, so we need to know which task goes with which
project).

Once a week, I meet with a few people who know what's being done and can
decide what needs to be done. We quickly run down the list (about a hundred
items in 30 minutes) to note progress, changes, completion, and new items. I
filter the list to remove anything with a date or "Canceled" in the Release
date column. I have a simple form where I jot down minimal notes about the
meeting, using the Sequence numbers for reference (e.g., "147 canceled per
Ed," "914 added"). I can meet with project leaders as needed and filter the
list by project -- you get the idea.

There are certainly more sophisticated project management systems than this
one! This one works for us on the level of Not Forgetting To Do Things.

NOTE: If you can't meet in person or on the phone with a few people who know
what's being done and can decide what needs to be done, I can't imagine how
you could make this system -- or any system -- work.

Dan Goldstein

> -----Original Message-----
> From: A.H.
> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 12:02 PM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Procedures for a young writer
> 
> ... The thing that I have the most trouble with is
> setting time-management procedures for myself. There
> is a lot to do and I can't seem to establish a system
> that allows me to tackle one problem at a time. I
> often find myself picking here and there, not really
> sticking with and finishing something I start.
> 
> My question is, Does anyone have suggestions, books,
> articles, (anything) that can help me learn to focus
> on getting something done without quickly abandoning
> it and moving on to something else?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

WEBWORKS FINALDRAFT - EDIT AND REVIEW, REDEFINED
Accelerate the document lifecycle with full online discussions and unique feedback-management capabilities. Unlimited, efficient reviews for Word
and FrameMaker authors. Live, online demo:
http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l

Your Ad Here! Have a product or service you'd like to get some attention for? Use this space to get the word out! Contact lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com for more details.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archiver -at- techwr-l -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Send administrative questions to lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.