Consider these tasks when you feel brain dead or are too tired to think straight. Here’s a list of jobs for writers when you want to be productive without much mental effort.
• Organize your Internet Bookmarks/Favorites and verify that the links are still active.
• Verify that the links you recommend on your websites are still valid.
• Update mailing lists and remove bounces and unsubscribes.
• Back up your files. Email a copy of your WIP to yourself.
• Go through your online folders and erase old files.
• Delete photographs stored on your computer that you no longer need.
• Convert old file formats to current ones.
• Delete unnecessary messages from your email Inbox and Sent folders.
• Delete old contacts from your address book.
• Unfollow people from Twitter who are no longer following you.
• Sort your Twitter friends into Lists.
• Post reviews of books you’ve read to Goodreads and Amazon.
• Get caught up on listing tax deductible items for your writing expenses.
• Index your blog posts by date and subject so you have a quick reference.
• Read back issues of trade magazines and get caught up reading newsletters.
• Organize your physical book collection.
• Donate books you’ll never read again and don’t want to keep.
• Pare down your digital TBR pile. Are you really going to read all those free downloads?
• Sort through the piles of papers on your desk. Act on them, file them, or throw them out.
• Work on blogs like this one.
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These are great, Nancy. If only someone would come to my house and do them for me. (sigh)
Good idea! This is why we need a few clones.
or secretaries. Maybe writers of the next generation will have one. Or robots will be advanced enough to help us…
I think they’re called virtual assistants these days. Lots of authors have them, but I’m not at that level yet.
I think you are. But that’s for you to decide.
Lol I knew when I saw the title that you’d be spot on. But you know what? I just can’t look at all this tedium at once. So I’m going to write each task on a piece of paper, fold it up real good and put it in The Job Jar; then, when I’m “stuck”, or bored (read: it’s raining or I can’t go to the pool) I’ll pull out a task and get it done.
This is a great idea!
Yes, wonderful idea! it’s so much easier to tackle chores one at a time.
Great suggestions
Thanks for visiting!
It’s son nice to see validation for the chores related to but not actually writing. I’m going to print this list out and put it on the bulletin board over my desk as a reminder for what to do when I need a break, or have ten minutes with nothing to do (when is that again?)
Yeah, nothing to do. I hear you on that one. But sometimes our brain is fried and we just need a menial task to do to feel a sense of accomplishment.