Caitlin, this is SO incredibly helpful!! I have been trying to figure out how to organize myself since I have some extra time right now (writing full-time for a little bit after my layoff) and this is fantastic. I'm going to go through my Notion board and try to revamp today!
I have a couple of questions:
- How do you decide what to work on each day? Do you pick things you want to get done at the beginning of the week and then squeeze them in, or go by how you're feeling in the morning?
- Do you create your own deadlines for projects that don't have an outside deadline?
- Do you limit your working time each day, or do you go by how the project is going?
Thanks for sharing your processes -- always enlightening!!
Caitlin, thank you so much for this framing of something I've always felt overwhelmed by. I'm intrigued by the idea of formally stacking projects and that each of these types of creative energy needs their own bucket. I've I guess been doing this informally but always feeling guilty for being behind or not doing enough of one type of project, and this makes me feel like I can reframe that. I'm especially someone who LOVES to ideate (first time using it as a verb, thanks to you). I'm brainstorming a nonfiction book proposal and totally enjoying it, I think because there's no pressure to make it perfect since it's just an idea, and working on various ongoing projects, like compiling a solo collection of new and unpublished, short stories, editing two anthologies (a few months apart), and editing a weekly personal essay publication, Open Secrets, plus freelance gigs. It's a lot to juggle and sometimes overwhelming but as I was reading over your list, I was thinking about how I actually get creative energy from each of these, as long as I don't try to do them all at once.
I loved reading this. As I work on different projects simultaneously, it's so helpful to start assessing the stages of those projects using this framework. Thanks for that, Caitlin!
Such a helpful post. I have a similar-ish system and I do have a database of ideas but I never thought to track them this way. This just made my life so simple lol and it feels good to know that I’m not the only one working on a bunch of things at once. That honestly use to make me feel like I was doing something wrong hahaha but seems like I’m actually right on track!
Caitlin, I've been thinking about this post since I first read it, and now I am convinced that "stacking" is not the same as "juggling." You gave me the correct word I needed, and on top of that, you inspired me to write about how I stack my own various projects!
This is very helpful. I'm trying to get back into writing after a hiatus and my old-fashioned system of various notebooks is driving me nuts. I will check out Trello!
My oh my! Thanks, Caitlin, for laying this method out so clearly, I haven’t seen/read such a clear picture of what stacking is-hadn’t seen the term but this is what I do all of the time. Your clarity on the steps and your listing of them is way ahead of me (I just make a list each week/month and 1/4 of what I’ll do when to keep all of the projects percolating along) and now I have a clearer template to do that. The actual doing each day or segment of day is completely familiar-I’ve often wondered if anyone worked this way-I thought I was kind of strange to do it but I knew it worked for me-it’s kept me super productive for decades and allows for leisure time as well. I’ve tried to share this method with my children who might be stuck but I don’t know if it’s everyone’s cup of tea or they find it confusing or it sounds like too much to implement--in any case I am delighted that you have shared your process and am sending you tons of thanks! And hello fellow gardener--it’s life affirming for sure!
Caitlin, this is SO incredibly helpful!! I have been trying to figure out how to organize myself since I have some extra time right now (writing full-time for a little bit after my layoff) and this is fantastic. I'm going to go through my Notion board and try to revamp today!
I have a couple of questions:
- How do you decide what to work on each day? Do you pick things you want to get done at the beginning of the week and then squeeze them in, or go by how you're feeling in the morning?
- Do you create your own deadlines for projects that don't have an outside deadline?
- Do you limit your working time each day, or do you go by how the project is going?
Thanks for sharing your processes -- always enlightening!!
Caitlin, thank you so much for this framing of something I've always felt overwhelmed by. I'm intrigued by the idea of formally stacking projects and that each of these types of creative energy needs their own bucket. I've I guess been doing this informally but always feeling guilty for being behind or not doing enough of one type of project, and this makes me feel like I can reframe that. I'm especially someone who LOVES to ideate (first time using it as a verb, thanks to you). I'm brainstorming a nonfiction book proposal and totally enjoying it, I think because there's no pressure to make it perfect since it's just an idea, and working on various ongoing projects, like compiling a solo collection of new and unpublished, short stories, editing two anthologies (a few months apart), and editing a weekly personal essay publication, Open Secrets, plus freelance gigs. It's a lot to juggle and sometimes overwhelming but as I was reading over your list, I was thinking about how I actually get creative energy from each of these, as long as I don't try to do them all at once.
I loved reading this. As I work on different projects simultaneously, it's so helpful to start assessing the stages of those projects using this framework. Thanks for that, Caitlin!
Such a helpful post. I have a similar-ish system and I do have a database of ideas but I never thought to track them this way. This just made my life so simple lol and it feels good to know that I’m not the only one working on a bunch of things at once. That honestly use to make me feel like I was doing something wrong hahaha but seems like I’m actually right on track!
Caitlin, I've been thinking about this post since I first read it, and now I am convinced that "stacking" is not the same as "juggling." You gave me the correct word I needed, and on top of that, you inspired me to write about how I stack my own various projects!
This is so helpful!! You’ve answered exactly the question that’s been gnawing at me. Thanks, Caitlin!
This is very helpful. I'm trying to get back into writing after a hiatus and my old-fashioned system of various notebooks is driving me nuts. I will check out Trello!
My oh my! Thanks, Caitlin, for laying this method out so clearly, I haven’t seen/read such a clear picture of what stacking is-hadn’t seen the term but this is what I do all of the time. Your clarity on the steps and your listing of them is way ahead of me (I just make a list each week/month and 1/4 of what I’ll do when to keep all of the projects percolating along) and now I have a clearer template to do that. The actual doing each day or segment of day is completely familiar-I’ve often wondered if anyone worked this way-I thought I was kind of strange to do it but I knew it worked for me-it’s kept me super productive for decades and allows for leisure time as well. I’ve tried to share this method with my children who might be stuck but I don’t know if it’s everyone’s cup of tea or they find it confusing or it sounds like too much to implement--in any case I am delighted that you have shared your process and am sending you tons of thanks! And hello fellow gardener--it’s life affirming for sure!