I belong to a group of writers that meets once a month to discuss writing, trade tips and flesh out pitches. I’ve been meeting with this group of people for a year now. We call ourselves The Thumb Slammers. The name comes from the act of slamming your thumb down on your mouse when you send a really big pitch to an editor. As far as I know the term was coined by David Hochman, at whose writing workshop we met. (Hi, David.)

A few weeks ago The Thumb Slammers celebrated our one-year reunion. We talked about the usual frustrations of making time to write, waiting to hear back from editors and trying to strike the proper money/life/joy balance. During the day a recurring question emerged, and that was how to be more efficient and manage your time and your life so that you can do work that you’re proud of.

Unbeknownst to the group, efficiency has become a fetish of mine. I’ve been reading books, articles, websites, you name it, on the topic. I think it’s because, as I transitioned back to being a freelance writer after being laid off and replaced by Paul F. Tompkins, I knew it would be important.

This list of time-savers for freelance writers is by no means complete. Also, hey, they might not apply to you, depending on a host of factors. But if they helped me, and help The Thumb Slammers, maybe they can help you, too. Many of these tips were taken from or inspired by David Allen’s Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

Why does any of this matter? Experts say, and I concur, that being efficient boosts creativity. Being efficient also means you can knock off at 4 on Friday and go to happy hour with your wife, which is exactly the type of lifestyle bonus we should all enjoy in return for the financial trade-offs we make by choosing to be self-employed writers.

1. Do two  big things a day
I try to accomplish one major task in the morning and one major task in the afternoon. If I try to do too much, and don’t get it done, it bums be out, my energy drops and I become less productive. If I get my one thing done, and then tackle something else, and get that thing started or done, and it’s not even noon yet, I feel great. Just as we should under-promise and over-deliver with editors, we should do the same with ourselves.

2. Embrace the whiteboard
I use a whiteboard. The whiteboard reminds me of tasks I have to accomplish that day, such as my two things from above. I also use it to jot down ideas I don’t want to forget.

3. Embrace the digital whiteboard
I keep a list of tasks I need to complete in one place on my computer so that all of my work obligations are in one place, and not scattered in various files and calendars and such.

4. Use email folders
It’s easy to let email stack up. That’s why I broke down my email into folders such as To Do (email I need to answer that day), Work (work-related email that demands my attention), Upcoming Events, Save for Later and others. I star any email that requires action before depositing it into a folder. At the end of the day I go through each folder to make sure I’ve tackled everything.

5. Use real folders
All important printed papers go into a well-organized file cabinet, where they can be accessed easily. I file things like tax forms, business expenses and contracts.

6. Use calendars
If I have to make a decision, but I don’t need to make it for a few weeks, I save it in a folder, no star, and make a note on my calendar to revisit the email and make a decision. Sometimes decisions can’t or won’t be made for weeks. This way I know it will be be dealt with and I can free my mind to tackle the next task instead letting it weigh on my brain or hoping I will remember it in a few weeks. (I won’t.)

7. Write when you write best
For a long time I did all of my web browsing in the morning. This was stupid. These are my best hours of the day. Now I save non-mission critical tasks, such as answering email and browsing the web and paying bills, for the mid-afternoon, when my energy and alertness wanes.

8. Snack
I eat a healthy snack of fruit or vegetables or nuts between every meal. This keeps my energy level up. I got this from the book Willpower. Your brain needs good, healthy glucose to operate at an optimal level. Don’t deprive it.

9. Exercise
I exercise for 30 minutes a day. Even if it’s just walking to the store or walking my dog. This also keeps my energy levels up.

10. Drink water
See 8 and 9.

11. Track your time
I count how many hours I work on a job. I have a goal rate in my head. If I am being paid for one hour of my goal rate, I dedicate one hour to that job, file, send and move on. The temptation to keep working on something over and over can be tempting, but at some point you’re costing yourself money and you’re not improving the piece that much, so don’t let the perfect become the enemy of paying the rent.

OK. That can’t be all of them. I’m not that smart. Add yours!

Image by Sean MacEntee 

Gustavo Arellano does a great job here explaining the triumph of the taco.

Next time someone tells you the current generation of young, unmotivated 20-somethings is somehow indicative of what it wrong with this country, show them them this 60 Minutes report about when two small-town newspaper reporters in Kentucky began investigating the corrupt local sheriff. They not only got headline stories. They also got death threats.

Wheelan writes: “The same goes for the time you spent playing intramural sports, working on the school newspaper or just hanging with friends. Research tells us that one of the most important causal factors associated with happiness and well-being is your meaningful connections with other human beings. Look around today. Certainly one benchmark of your postgraduation success should be how many of these people are still your close friends in 10 or 20 years.”

As someone who just had a great weekend reuniting with my old college newspaper friends from The Post at Ohio University, I concur.

Read the whole thing here.

Enjoyed this article in The Atlantic about how Louis C.K has become America’s unlikely conscience. It’s true. He has. And as much as I like Louis, it’s not necessarily a good thing. The national conscience should be concerned with more than masturbating. Which kind of explains how things are going for the old USA these days. Read it here.

This time it’s Patch.com with an article entitled Mayfield Grads Form Publishing Firm. The author, Brandon Baker, does a nice job telling the story of how my brother Dan and his friend founded their own publishing company.

The synopsis:

“What if a character from Medea wrested the children away from their mother’s murderous intent, accidentally transporting them to present-day Maine in the middle of a hurricane? The Children is a layered, Rubik’s Cube of a story, rich with comedy, passion and pain. Is that the modern-day sheriff or Jason, Medea’s husband? Will these children grow up to overcome their horrific childhoods? Wild theatricality, myth, and puppetry combine to tell an eerily moving story of survival and healing.”

For more info go here.

UPDATE: Looks like it’s a winner. It’s the Critics Pick in Backstage. From the review: “Sonny Valicenti and Paige Lindsey White create magic as the Man-in-Slacks and the Woman-in-Sundress, who remove the puppets from harnesses as they descend from above and literally breathe life into them. Placing their hands inside their backs and operating their arms with Thai puppet–like sticks, Valicenti and White voice and manipulate the children à la Timon in Taymor’s “The Lion King.” Gratch’s puppets are captivating, with faces paying homage to the Mask of Agamemnon at Mycenae and fluid movements Valicente and White execute so well the inanimate kiddies become as real as their co-stars.”