Time Management for Writers: How to write faster, find the time to write your book, and be a more prolific writer

Writers' Guide Series #2

by Sandra Gerth

In the digital age, publishing as book is easier than ever, but finding the time to write a book is becoming harder and harder. With day jobs, family obligations, household chores, and hobbies, many writers struggle to get any writing done. At the same time, publishers and readers expect writers to publish multiple books every year and to somehow find enough time to market their books through blogging, social media, and networking. If you are struggling to find enough time to write or don’t get much written once you finally do, this book is for you. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this book will help you to - Find enough time to write, even if you have a day job, - Write and publish more books in less time, - Use rituals to create a powerful writing habit, - Get your first drafts written more quickly, while still writing well, - Deal with distractions and interruptions, - Find your most productive writing routine and environment, - Use writing challenges to become more productive, - Discover tools and resources that help you focus on your writing, - Manage your e-mail inbox in less time, - Decide how much time to spend writing versus marketing, - Overcome writer’s block and procrastination.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2015

About the author

Sandra Gerth is a writer and an editor who divides her time between writing her own books and helping other writers revise and polish theirs.

She holds a degree in psychology and worked as a psychologist for eight years before transitioning into a career as a full-time novelist—the best job in the world as far as she’s concerned.

She earned a certificate in editing from the Academy of German Book Trade and is now the senior editor of Ylva Publishing, a small press that publishes women’s fiction.

Under her pen name, Jae, she has published twelve novels and about two dozen short stories. Her books have won numerous awards and have been #1 bestsellers on Amazon on various occasions.

She’s also the author of a series of books for writers

Reviews

[Suwitcha Chandhorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resourceful แม้ว่าที่จริงส่วนใหญ่จะไม่ได้เฉพาะเจาะจงไปกับเรื่องนักเขียนเพียงอย่างเดียว (อาชีพไหนเอาไปใช้ก็น่าจะได้ประโยชน์) เนื้อหาส่วนใหญ่เคยผ่านตามาจากเล่มอื่น ๆ ในหัวข้อเดียวกันนี้บ้างแล้ว ไม่ได้แปลกใหม่อะไร

3.5

[Carrie Daws · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read/listened to a lot of other advice on time management and productivity, so nothing within these pages was new to me. However, it is full of excellent advice, and it provided some good reminders for me.

[Jery Schober · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chock-full with tipps covering everything you can think of (and then some more) to manage your time and get a productivity boost. Nothing is revolutionary or even new, but I've never read a book where the tipps cover bascially everything and not just a few specific areas.
Each chapter ends with exercises to remind you to try to implement some of the strategies. The book recommendations are quite useful and the uncomfortable truths about procrastination really hit home ;-)

[Shannon O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly a fantastic, up to date resource. Some of it I knew but there were a lot of things I took from this. Will definitely recommend to my writer friends

[Destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my spare time, I like to write. I also like to read books and I'm a bit of a sucker for time management and personal development books.

What I liked about this book the most was how concise the chapters were. The author gets straight to the point. I also really loved how at the end of each chapter, she recommended books on the topic at hand. When I tell you, I am a sucker for bibliographies, I am not fronting. The bibliography is always one of my favorite sections of nonfiction books.

This book gave me a lot to think about. While I have tried out some of the suggestions (like keeping a writing log), there is so much here to incorporate into my writing practice.

If you write and you have even the slightest interest in time management or are trying to figure out how to knock a book out, I highly suggest you read this. I think it will be extremely helpful and I can't wait to try some of the suggestions out.

[James Geary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time Management for Writers was very informative and while I'd heard some of the tips before, it did present them in an interesting context, alongside other advice for squeezing out more writing time from a busy schedule. The author went through plenty of different causes for poor time management and presented some good solutions. I liked that she also offered lots of other resources for if you wanted delve into any of the topics discussed more deeply. I'll definitely be looking to this book as a reference in future.

[Michelle Sonnier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is solid, but doesn't have too many gems that you won't find in other time management books. If you've read a lot of time management books, you might find yourself skimming. If you haven't read a lot of them yet, there is a lot of good advice here. One thing I really appreciated about this book was the list of extra resources at the end of every chapter in case you want to dig deeper on that particular topic. Overall, solid but not spectacular.

[Erin Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and Practical

I love the format of this book - short, concise sections with bullet points and further reading lists. Not a word is wasted and all suggestions are practical and highly effective. The first day I tried one of her suggestions I quadrupled my word count. I now have a list of her suggestions I plan to implement over time.

[Carla Cano · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most useful time management for writers books.

I truly found many helpful suggestions in this book. I love the way the chapters were presented. Each chapter had suggested readings and exercises to pinpoint what works for you in your specific circumstances. I would highly recommend this to newbie authors and those that are transitioning to a full time writing career.

[Michelle ☽⁺✧. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very simple and to the point book with practical advice given in an easy-t0-read fashion. Some of the advice given may seem obvious but lined out and organized the way it is, it helps to be reminded of the struggles writers face and the solutions to a lot of nagging problems.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a LOT of writing books, and this one is pretty good. There’s new to me stuff here. Heaps of good advice, a lot of links to useful sites and programs, and I filled a few pages with notes.
And given English is not her first language, she has done an excellent job.
4 stars

[Jo Osborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not bad and does have some good tips for writers who tend to procrastinate or believe that they don’t have the time.

It’s not the best ‘how to’ book I’ve read but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful and I will be using some of the tips and advice contained within its pages.

[Diane Faulkner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great info

Time management is critical for writers who write professionally full-time. This book has a lot of great practical information supplemented with suggested resources. Very handy.

[Jenn Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best Advice Any Writer Ever Had!

I had just read this fascinating eBook on how writers can manage their time; Excellent! I recommend it to all!

[LaChelle Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of writing craft books and love when there are things offered I can incorporate to improve my writing and productivity. Good, short read.

[Barrie Sanderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read dozens of books for would-be-writers and this is probably one of the best.
The advice and help is invaluable. Would recommend to any writer out there.

[Judy Shank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for writers

Encouragement and specific steps for completing and marketing your book, including how to balance writing and family. Great sources suggested, too!

[Parmita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical & useful with a bucket load of resources for further reading (especially for authors starting to write full-time).  

[Shelly Mendenhall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Very informative . I will be implementing many of the tools I read here. Will be looking for other works by this author.

[Antonino Saccà · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh... Una serie di blog post di scarso valore.

[T.A. Rosewood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book for time management. Have a lot of this in place but still enjoyed it and got some tips for future projects.

[Mark Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resources galore

Not only is this book a great resource, it contains even more. If you are a writer and have a difficult time finding time, read this book.

[Zoë · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not masses of new ideas for time management to be honest. Interesting writing guide though.

[Jeanetta Chrystie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information and ideas

This book has so much great information, ideas, and practical suggestions with examples, I recommend it for any writer or homeworker.

[Lucia Mezeiová · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are already familiar with the basics of time management, then this book will not offer any new insight. It's simple and nice, but don't expect anything ground-breaking unless you have never tried to learn about time management. Yes, it is aimed specifically at writers, but the ideas and advice are more or less general.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really helpful resources and learnings to build a writing practice!

[Katherine Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for beginners. Personally, I already know a lot of the stuff she mentioned.

[Orenaike Tosin · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing goal setting for writers, I won't call myself one yet. I thought i should read this as well and I must say i liked it too, again not specifically as a writer but the lessons from managing your time as a writer can be applied to every other area and the resources section is another feat I like about the book.

[Cheyenne Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and straightforward, with tips and suggestions for making time to write and maximizing the time available. Links for further reading.

Recommended.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has lots of great tips - but in 2025, the Twitter content and tips are seriously out of date. And some of the authors referenced probably need to be reviewed too....