Jamie Novak’s Decluttering AND Productivity Tips for Writers
Professional Organizer Jamie Novak has been featured in national magazines and on the HGTV network sharing tips on how to declutter. She says that devoting 10 minutes a day to organizing can help people declutter with less stress. She also recommends people take before and after photographs to track progress.
“Decluttering can be challenging,” Jamie says. “It may look like you haven’t done much but when you take a photo you will have evidence of your progress.”
Her book Keep This, Toss That Updated and Expanded:The Practical Guide For Tidying Up can be purchased on Amazon or wherever books are sold. She revealed her top organizing tips for writers in our conversation.
As creatives, writer aren’t known for being organized, but, successful writers have mastered these skills that optimize their time and money. Receipts can be used at tax time to write off expenses, tracking submissions and publications can help writers get paid and practicing organization can help an author create. This all sounds good but I, like many of my writer friends still struggle with organization.
Jamie was happy to share a few helpful tips. Jamie says the key to organizing is to do it in small increments on a daily basis. She uses a timer to help her stay on track.
Jamie’s Tip #1: Prepare for The Next Day
Juggling deadlines, clients, obligations, commitments, paperwork, notes, contracts, invoices, receipts, and a personal life is difficult. When this all has to happen working from home it can be extra challenging. Wrap up each day by prepping for tomorrow. Clear your desk, put things away, and pull out what you need to work on first thing tomorrow.
Stave-off distractions by clearing your line of sight. Tidy your workspace and bring out only what you need for what you are working on in the moment. Otherwise you’ll be thinking about what was or what’s next.
Jamie’s Tip #2: Keep a Schedule
Break up your workday by types of tasks. Group similar tasks together like phone calls, emails, reading, paperwork, long-term projects and short-term projects. Then schedule time to focus on each task for a specific amount of time. Once you are doing a task, it is easier to keep going than it is to interrupt yourself continuously switching tasks. Known by the term “time blocking,” the batching of tasks is a helpful technique. As a creative person, if you find this to be too structured, try working in blocks one or two days of the week.
Jamie’s Tip #3: Use a Timer
Use a timer as a reminder to move from one task to another. The goal is to get as much done before the buzzer sounds. Transition from one task to another by taking a breather, getting up, walking around, stretching, or grabbing a coffee.
Trick yourself into being more productive by telling yourself you have fewer hours in your workday. Ever notice how on a day when you have to leave work early, you get more accomplished? That’s not a coincidence. With limited time you tend to be more focused and less willing to give into distractions and interruptions.
Jamie’s Tip #4: Use Folders
Jamie has three email folders – Working Now, Follow-up, Archive. (The Working Now folder is for anything she is working on now. The Follow-up folder is anything she is waiting on or has to follow-up on and she doesn’t want to forget. The Archive folder is for anything she might want to refer to or she needs to keep a record of.
Jamie also recommends putting important papers such as receipts, contracts and completed assignments in different folders. This will help a writer track expenses and payments.
Jamie’s Tip #5: Work on the Hardest Task First
Do the task you dread the most first so that way you won’t be trying to avoid it the rest of the day. Plus, it can be a confidence booster, so you feel more accomplished and ready to take on the rest of your to do list.
Make that you include a schedule block of unplanned time, that will be used for unexpected, emergencies, or getting back on track. You can also schedule time to do something fun if you are on totally on track.
Jamie’s Tip #6: Limit Emails and Social Media
Switch your computer to airplane mode to prevent you from procrastinating by going online and, do not make answering emails first task of the day. It is a surefire way to spend your day responding to others and not getting your own work accomplished. Try spending the first 30 minutes of your day working on your top priority. You may not complete it, but you’ll have made noticeable progress.
Jamie’s Tip #7: Use Rewards and Challenges
Set-up rewards for reaching your productivity goals. Did you work for 30 minutes on a report? Enjoy a quick online game or some time scrolling social media.
Set up challenges for yourself to help you accomplish goals. For example, act like you are on a game show: set a timer for a short window of time (maybe 10 minutes) and see how much you can get done.
“I do this with emails, I see how many I can open, read, and process (processing is key!) before the buzzer rings,” Jamie says.
Want more tips for Jamie? Check out her book or visit her website, www.jamienovak.com. to She has a newsletter that shares sign up shares organizing tips and calendars that visitors can download to help the declutter.
One Reply to “Jamie Novak’s Decluttering AND Productivity Tips for Writers”
Your blog is packed with helpful tips Candace, thank you including my interview on your page. Clearing clutter creates space for even more creativity!