You should keep a daily production log, listing the date, time devoted to writing, words produced, daily and hourly averages, and whatever else you think would help in documenting your work. My log looks like this:
Some people might think this log borders on obsession, but it could be worse. I could have included precise to and from times, summaries of the writing done, and reactions to my productivity levels. But you don't have to resort to spreadsheets or soul searching. You can go low tech by simply jotting daily results in your journal.
Keeping such a log brings to writers at least six benefits:
1. Historical perspective. Remembering exactly when you wrote what and how long it took you can offers insights into project duration when discussing future manuscripts with publishers and editors.
2. Business accounting. You can always refer to the log to see how much time you put into your craft.
3. Business value. If you get paid for your writing, you can estimate what you earn per hour and whether you need to adjust your rates.
4. Developmental progress. You can now start comparing how quickly you wrote Novel A with Novel B, or your 2018 workload with your 2021 workload. This review provides an excellent way to assess your output.
5. Keeping honest. Once you start logging, you can no longer fool others, especially yourself, when you say, "I write every day" if you see a four-day gap in your production log.
6. Feeling accomplished. I've saved the best benefit for last. Logging helps you to get over saying, "I haven't done enough" or asking, "Where has the time gone?" You now have proof that you've done enough, and you know precisely where the time has gone.
No excuses. Start logging.
