How to Build a Bulletproof Schedule for Maximum Efficiency
Master your time and output as a full-time writer
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I have been a full-time content creator for close to six months now, and I’ve learned a lot about productivity, efficiency, and time management. Despite having all the time in the world to focus on what mattered, it felt like I wasn’t achieving anything of note. Focusing was extremely hard, and I lost a lot of time on social media.
Hence, I decided to try a various range of productivity techniques and ended up building a schedule that allows me to do my very best work and get into a state of flow every day. Here’s how you can do it, too.
Determine your 5-year plan
Having a clear vision of where you want to go is essential. It keeps you motivated and gives you a direction to channel your energy and efforts. Navigating content creation without a 5-year plan is like sailing without a compass, hoping you’ll get to your desired destination eventually.
You don’t want to surrender your success to the Gods, so start by creating your own compass. What are some of the goals you want to achieve within 5 years? List as many as you’d like, for any area of your life: Work, Relationships, Self, Health, Finance, etc.
First, write an executive summary that encompasses what success means for you and where you see yourself in five years, ideally.
Executive Summary
Within five years, I want to find success as a TV writer — which means getting a job in a writers’ room, selling original projects, getting my work produced, signing with a manager and an agent, and getting positive press. In addition, I want to launch my own script consulting company and help other writers bring their stories to life. I would like to earn enough to be comfortable and travel whenever I want, and obviously feel healthy and energized so I can deliver my best work.
Goals
Work
Get my first job as a TV writer
Having written and sold at least 3 original projects
Sign with an agent and a manager
Launch my own script consulting agency
Health
Build a regular yoga and meditation practice
Feeling energized and healthy
Finance
Become financially independent
Make at least $5,000/month
Travel
Visit Norway and see the Northern Lights
Visit Brighton
Tip: I recommend writing down your goals into a live document that you can update regularly to track your progress.
Your 6-month plan
Now that you know where you want to be, you need to determine the specific projects you will be working on during the next 6 months. If one of your big goals is to travel the world, you could spend those six months creating a new income stream or building a side hustle to finance your trip.
My two biggest goals are to become a successful screenwriter and earn a comfortable income. Hence, during the next six months, I will work on these specific projects:
Finish and distribute my first TV spec script
Write, polish, and distribute an original pilot
Create a short interactive movie
Write and produce an immersive audio series
Reach $500/month on Medium
Make $2,000/month from freelance work
Write this down in your live document and on a piece of paper you will stick to your desk and review every day.
Create your bulletproof schedule
Disclaimer: this will work best for solopreneurs and full-time content creators, as you will need to be the master of your time. If you have a day job but are working remotely, you might be able to adapt it somehow to fit your schedule.
Know thyself
Knowing that I am a master procrastinator who finds it very hard to concentrate, I tried multiple things and created a schedule based on three productivity principles that work for me:
Time-blocking — aka dedicating blocks of time to a certain activity and nothing else. For example, “writing” from 9 am to 12 pm, “brainstorming” from “2 pm to 3 pm,” etc.
Reducing friction by starting the week on Sunday;
Using the Ivy Lee method to execute the daily tasks — which means determining and focusing on only 6 tasks per day.
Ask yourself: what are your strengths and weaknesses? Try to find how to balance them out. For example, if you find it very difficult to focus, you might want to try time-blocking, because focusing longer on a task might be easier than switching activity several times a day, scrolling on Twitter in-between.
My schedule
Here’s what my week looks like:
Sunday — On Sundays, I’m often inspired, so I write 2–3 Medium stories that can be submitted to publication during the week. In addition, I usually apply for a couple of freelance opportunities.
Monday — I run two newsletters (one daily and one weekly), so I write all of the upcoming issues for the week on Monday. When I didn’t do that, I started every day writing a newsletter, which took me about an hour and a half, and squeezed most of my creative juices.
Doing this all at once on Monday allows me to build momentum and get into a state of flow. In addition, I make sure to do anything that can be executed right away — like booking appointments, and other administrative things. If time allows, I will also write an additional story for Medium.
Tuesday— Screenwriting from 9 to 5.
Wednesday — Screenwriting from 9 to 5. Here, I build on what I did the day before and everything is still fresh in my head, which allows me to focus and get started more quickly.
Thursday — Depending on what’s coming up, I will whether dedicate this day to freelance work or focus on a project that isn’t writing, like creating a course or a marketing strategy. If time allows, I’ll write in the afternoon. I also take calls on this day.
Friday — Similar to Thursday.
Saturday — Rest.
How flexible is this?
Let’s be honest: things often come up. Freelance work that needs to be done within 24 hours, an unexpected call, a cold, a deadline, etc. There is always wiggle room and tasks can be moved around — you’re the CEO after all.
However, you must figure out what cannot be moved around, aka what’s not negotiable. To me, this is having two full days to work on my screenplays. These days do not have to be Wednesday and Thursday, but they have to exist.
So, what can you do when something unexpected comes up?
You can wake up earlier to tackle the task first thing in the morning or move things around in your schedule to accommodate — as long as you ensure that your boundaries are respected, and what needs to be done gets done.
I treat every week as a standalone, and never tell myself things like “Okay, I don’t have time to work on my screenplay this week so I’ll just write three days instead of two next week.” This is the best way to fail and never get anything done. Prioritize your work, your goals, like they are not negotiable.
Takeaways
Build your compass: get clear on where you want to go by establishing your 5-year plan and then your 6-month plan.
Know yourself: what are your strengths and weaknesses? What productivity techniques work best for you? Try several.
Determine your boundaries: on what days are you taking calls? On what days do you want to be left alone to do deep work?
Treat every week as a standalone and ensure your boundaries are respected.