7 Ways To Work To A Deadline


2014 has been a wonderful year for my murder mystery script writing business with the third commissioned play confirmed yesterday. With one play written and delivered, and the second underway, I've been working to a tight schedule to meet customer deadlines.

An added complication is the fact that I work from home and juggle my work hours around my two children. Here's how I've managed to keep to my deadlines.
  1. Before I began each script, I had a brainstorm session. I wrote down all the things that I had to do besides writing the script. For instance, I have a morning school run and and another one in the afternoon. These are non negotiable. They are a must. However, certain tasks (like filing) can be put off for a few weeks. Decide what is on your non negotiable list and what can be postponed.
  2. I made a time plan. I know how long it will take to devise the idea for a script, and then the length of time it will take to write, edit and polish it. I have my customer deadlines to hand. Looking at the results of my brain storm session (above), I also know what else I have to fit in to my day. An extra complication is the fact that it's the half term next week so I will have my children at home all day. My plan has to take all of these things into consideration.
  3. I made a worst case scenario plan. What would I do if either (or both) of my children were off ill? What would I do if I was ill? What would I do if we had a power cut? These are mainly time related concerns so I then altered my time plan to give myself a little toe wiggling room should the need arise.
  4. As part of the original conversation with my customer, I confirmed and reconfirmed the details of the commission - cast, staging, theme, deadline, contact details, payment terms. Having these details agreed and definite, I could safely get on with writing the script.
  5. Before I begin to write, I ensure I have everything I need to hand - notes, coffee, glasses - so there is no reason to interrupt my writing to go and find something.
  6. To keep to my time plan, I do my best to cut out distractions. I don't answer the phone unless I can see that it's the school or my husband and I have only the script open on my computer. I can concentrate solely on my writing.
  7. Finally, I give myself permission to say 'no'. No, I  can't take the morning out for a coffee with a friend (I'll save that as a treat for when the project is over). No, I can't spend a couple of hours on the phone to another friend during the day (but in the evening, I'm free to chat). Most importantly, no, I can't take on more work than I can feasibly fit into a working day/week/month/year. Saying 'no' isn't an act of rejection in this instance. It's an honest statement that saves me and everyone else from bad temper, misunderstanding and resentment. It's a healthy laying down of boundaries.
How do you keep to your deadlines?

Comments

  1. Congrats on a terrific start to the year! I'm so happy your script writing is going so well. That's awesome!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kelly. Busy, busy, busy. Had an email today requesting another custom written play.

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  2. Great list Fi, for me also, writing down the plan, whether its a daily plan or a project plan always helps me. I have to remember to factor in 'thinking time' ... which of course can alos be mutlitasking with a walk or legs up the wall for a while (I also practice yoga), and those times waiting for a iflm to begin or concert set can be very useful!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Good to see I'm not the only one with the constantly imagining mind.

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  3. Oh, how I wish I could be so organised.
    Well done on the commissions :-)

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