I am a big believer in putting the work in. And learning your industry. As well as always seeking How To on what you do. So, as a writer I am always reading on how to write. Even if it is things I might feel I know. And honestly new perspectives are always amazing. I always read one of these types of books a month aside form the magazines and on-line sources I read and learn from and keep up on the industry through. 

 The Complete HandBook of Novel Writing by Writer’s Digest editors and writers is so far a really good boost that I am far more impressed with than I thought I’d be. I bought it because it appeared to offer some material I could make writing exercises out of as well as a lot of all around in one book. I’ve underlined more than not in both of these books pictured. the other book, HBR’s 10 most Reads On Managing Yourself is in a category of reading that I do at least once a month specifically as well (yes, I read multiple books at one time, a novel before bed, magazines through the day on carious subjects and themes, politics at least once a month holds a book alongside articles and research and so forth), the same goes for history, and this topic for me is known as Better Me. 

This is a vast amount of width in topic such as directing to better manage myself as an at home worker, a writer, and a businesswoman. And also as a partner, as in self-care, and as a better person over all in what I feel is what I would like to be by my own standards. This book I particularly picked up in a little local and super busy shop along my travels because I have been struggling with building good habits that I want and prefer to have while breaking some bad ones that I feel don’t serve me in my goals. Such as even sleeping in late while going to bed very late and how to organize my work. As a writer with over 36 projects this year, some of those are a one piece project, some are like 8 and others are over 300 pieces for each one project, I needed a better way to organize my day as I was in the habit of waking late, making my coffee and sitting down to my laptop and then feeling such a fog of ‘what to I do and where do I start and let me just get through a cup of coffee to wake up’ that I’d go ahead and heck the news, and then Facebook, and then three hours later I was still doing just that and hadn’t accomplished any work. 

I had begun working on scheduling my day and assigning myself my work as well as by detail for each day the night before, and even applying the bullet journal system because my beautiful spreadsheets were like just staring at a screen and not seeing anything but a LOT to do, and frankly I decided I needed more time off screen, more time hand writing things (but not necessarily my works) and more time where I could carry a note book away from my desk, sit outside and set it up for the next day or give it a bit of a notation and read through. And I have begun doing really well this year on managing myself. But there is always room for improvement, one of the things a work-at-home person (or a me working at home) needs is accountability. Something that I never thought I needed and came to realize and finally admit to myself that I very much did. 

Buying these books, and reading through these types of articles on my Nook through various books and magazines, and searching on-line about once a month for new How to’s and articles on the topic actually hold me pretty accountable in the fact that I love to apply my research. Get in the dirty of it and do it. But my underlining, hand written notes and often reading on the bus also has really shown me ways to do things in a view i hadn’t seen before. Many of them by experts, and now, i know I may act like one in most cases, I admit when I need to seek an expert out. This is even sort of my own career coaching, life coaching, and even a therapy for me. This particular book here has even had area’s where I could apply a business tactic to my personal life so a total win win as I am often seeking balance and not only how to work with people better, but my partner, too. At least, it never hurts to find ways to apply a better way to handle things than a way I perhaps was.