We are well into 2026. How are you doing with those writing goals? Are you racing against time like me? Trying to get your word count every day. Wanting to keep the goals you made on January 1^st?

Every year, I have the same goals. Write at least two books, lose twenty pounds, exercise more, don’t spend so much time on social media, and be more focused on my goals. I feel like I’m slowly making progress, but it’s very slow.

I like to wake up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee and write. When I have other things I have to do instead, it throws off my whole day. I try and make it back to writing, but that doesn’t always happen.

Life is busy. There are so many calls on my time, and I ask myself every year, how do I say no to things that I don’t need to do so I can concentrate on writing. You know how it is, on Monday you look at the week ahead and think, I have lots of time to write this week. Then things begin to steal that time away. Your best friend wants to meet for lunch or someone needs  you to do things for them. The kids need you. The bills need to be paid. You have to shop for groceries. The list goes on and on.

I’ve known writers who say they never go out to lunch when they are writing a book. They wait until the book is finished and then take a few days to catch up with friends before they dive into the next writing project.  I personally don’t think I could do this. I don’t want to live in a vacuum where all I do is write. I want to find a way to have it all!

Others say they shut off their phones or shut down social media while they’re writing. I think this might help me. There is no reason I need to check social media every few minutes. I don’t even need to check it every hour.

I decided to go online and see if I could find good time management goals for writers and there were a lot of them. I borrowed a few ideas.

Create a To-Do List

I love making lists. There is so much satisfaction in checking off those tasks, so this one really appealed to me. Put everything on your list because everything sucks up our time. And maybe if it’s there you can find a way of doing it faster to free up more time for writing!

Set Boundaries

I have a tough time with this one. I’m a people pleaser, so if someone needs me to help them or needs something done, I tend to put aside my schedule to help them out. I need to work on this one.

Avoid the shiny objects syndrome

That made me laugh, but it’s important to stay focused on your current project and avoid getting sidetracked by a new one.

There are apps that block distracting websites. If you need to, use them. I don’t know how many cute clothes I’ve bought because an ad popped up for one of my favorite websites and I just had to stop what I was doing a buy a sweater or dress.

Avoid procrastination

I know I’m a procrastinator, so I need to figure out how to work around that. Common reasons for procrastination are fear of failure, perfectionism, and feeling overwhelmed.

Set realistic goals. 

Don’t think you’re going to write 50,000 words in one day. Make your goals attainable. I read somewhere that Stephan King writes 2,000 a day. If that’s what works for you, that’s great. Just try and do it every day.

Use specific times for different tasks.

I like to write first thing in the morning, and work on social media posts and marketing in the afternoon or evening. Sometimes I make the mistake of skipping writing for marketing. I’ve found that marketing can suck up a lot of my time. I need to be strict with myself and make sure I keep to my schedule. One way to do that is to jot down notes when something sparks an idea while I’m writing, then I can do that later during writing task time.

I’m easily distracted, so self-discipline is very important for me.

And one of the most important things is to not guilt yourself if you don’t get your writing goals done. I liked this quote I found online: Scheduling is there to serve you. You are not in service to scheduling.

Time management is an important tool in our writer’s toolbox. My goal for 2026 is to use it wisely.

By donalee Moulton

            Writers are always looking to get the word out about their latest book. Readers are always looking for information about their favorite authors and looking to discover new favorites. Media plays a key role in getting information into everyone’s hands.

            As a freelance journalist and a communications director, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to make stories appealing to reporters. Now I find myself doing the same thing as a mystery writer. In part, that’s why a friend and I wrote Newsworthy: Media Relations Without the Spin (Business Expert Press). I thought I’d share some of what we discuss with you.

We talk about news as if it’s one thing. Did you hear the news? According to the news …. It was in the news. News isn’t one thing. It’s many things. In particular, it is two things: hard and soft.

Hard news is often what draws us in and keeps us reading, listening, and watching. You’ll find it on the front page, at the start of a newscast, and at the top of the hour. Hard news is big news: controversy and crisis. It is immediate, and it is important. It’s often called “breaking news.”

Soft news does not send us scrambling. It is the intersection between information and entertainment. It is not usually immediate—you can learn about the signs of stroke or how to make an easy apple pie without apples at any point in time—and it is increasingly about personalities, famous and otherwise.

Many companies have carved a niche in the soft news market. Dove, for example, is known for its “Real Beauty” campaign, which uses social media and other media platforms to promote body positivity and self-acceptance, going beyond traditional product marketing. Airbnb, Inc., uses social media and its blog to share stories about travel, local culture, and the experiences its platform facilitates, reinforcing its brand values and creating a sense of community.

To understand the distinction between hard and soft news, take a look at these headlines: 

Hard news:
20% Increase in Leafy Green Consumption Among Teens

Soft news:
Why Spinach Smoothies Are Suddenly Cool — Even for Picky Eaters

Hard news:
School Board Introduces Weight Limits for Student Backpacks

Soft news:
The Weirdest Things Teachers Have Found in Student Backpacks

Topics and timeliness are only two of the features that serve to classify news as hard or soft. How the story is told also differs. Hard news almost invariably starts up front with the “headline” then provides the details to flesh out the headline. Soft news has more options; it can be more creative and more flexible in its structure and content.

Kinda like a good mystery.