The Think Tank: An Organizational Tool for the Freelancer
By
Pamela Hatheway
Today I spent almost 45 minutes trying to find my wedding rings that eventually turned up in a teacup in my china cabinet. I don’t know about you but I absolutely hate looking for stuff. Wasted time is wasted money in the life of a freelancer. When I walk into my home office, my goal is twofold: creativity and production. I have found that the key to this for me is an efficient tracking and retrieval system.
For those of us who write from home, amid the everyday chaos of our “real life†making good use of our already fragmented time, and space is even more important. We all have to find systems that work for us. Perhaps you can adapt some of my system into something that works for you. My most valuable organizational tool is a 5â€x 7†metal card box, affectionately labeled “My Think Tankâ€. My current box is a two-drawer gray model rescued from a second hand business supply office for the incredible sum of $5. It sits directly above my filing cabinet at my left hand side, and pretty much houses my brain.
For a number of years now I have also used 5â€x 7†cards, punched with three holes so they fit in my organizer to record, thoughts, ideas, phone numbers, and other interesting and not so interesting bits, this travels with me when I leave the house. I keep stacks of cards by my bed, by my chair in the TV room and by the telephone to catch embryos of fancy for a later time when they can be developed to a mature thought or complete article. These cards are all periodically collected, or removed from the binder and either culled or filed for future use in their respective place in my card file.
In the first drawer I have tabs marked as follows:
• Work in Progress – Behind this tab I keep my “To do list†exclusively for my current writing projects. Each project has it’s own card, or cards, at the top, I make sure the file name is consistent with the file name in the computer or disk so I can find it quickly. By the time it gets to this place the card is usually pretty scribbled up, with diagrams, lists, target markets, phone numbers and outlines and doodles. Instead of recopying the information I just add another card onto the first with a staple. In the case of larger projects I break them down into bite-sized bits each with their own card. Right now, for example, I am working on a book length project, only two sections of chapter five are in the Work-in-Progress slot, this keeps me from being overwhelmed with the enormity of the project and keeps me focused on the task at hand.
• Writing Log – When I sit down to my computer, I try and record how I am using my time. This is purely for my own benefit. By using this system I know how long it will take me to do a certain job, based on past performance, and how much time I am actually writing.
• Query’s- I maintain a list of what query’s are out, where and when sent as well as the expected date for the response. My goal is to have ten to twelve active queries out at all times, this system helps track this.
• Articles Out- This is a list of articles that have been sent out for speculation, some are from positive responses to queries, or fillers, and others are already published articles that I am trying to have reprinted in a different market.
• Article Ideas- When I first started I put all of my ideas behind this one tab, I have found that ideas tend to come more easily now so I have broken down it down into smaller subsections that I write, or am interested in writing for: Women, Time Management, Organizational, Food, Health, Household, Parenting, Devotional, Bible Study, People Profiles, Fillers, How-To.
• Markets- Behind this tab I keep a stack of names of magazine and e-zine’s that may be interested in the things that I write. On these cards I have both the snail mail address, and the email and website, as well as a listing of the rights they purchase, the pay scale, and the editors name. On the back of the card I have recorded whether I have submitted to them before, and what the response was.
• Clips- When the article is finally published, the card(s) is moved behind this tab, with the addition of the name of the publication, and the amount it sold for. When I get paid, I actually put a red dot sticker on the right hand corner of the card. This helps me track my accounts receivable.
• Financial - Accounts receivable with expected dates, and Deposits are marked in the checkbook kept behind the tab. For filing expenses I use a simple system of 5†x 7†envelopes marked with the months of the year. I keep the current envelope in my binder and just slip any receipts into it. The envelopes are sequentially placed in the back section of the drawer.
The second drawer houses my research; clips and quotes, research, sermon notes, statistics and studies and websites for future reference, all filed alphabetically for easy retrieval.
If you are frustrated with wasting time trying to find things and want writing time to be spent writing rather than searching, I challenge you to set up your own simple system of tracking and retrieval and information management. Setting up an organizational system that will work for you may take a bit of time, but the payoff is incalculable.
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Pamela Hatheway is a busy teacher, mother, and freelance writer and speaker. She has ministered in the United States and Canada, both through her writing, as well as teaching and facilitating workshops, speaking at regular services and conferences. Pamela lives in New Brunswick Canada with her husband David and their two daughters Anna and Olivia.
phatheway@rogers.com