This week in time management

Could have gone better, frankly.
The big article I was working on for Raleigh Public Record is done (unless my editor wants more stuff), but it demanded way more time than anticipated (hence my complete lack of blogging this past week). Not that startling—it’s been a long while since I did an article this complex. And before, my solution was always to cut back for a week on my fiction, but I’m tired of doing that (so I didn’t). In hindsight (or foresight for next time) I should have:
•Sat down and mapped out everything I was going to have to research.
•Figured out how much time I was going to need.
•Added extra time in.
•Figured out when to slot it in and when to do all my other projects.
Of course, I was far enough off on the time, I’m not sure it would have made much difference … We’ll see how I do when the next one comes around.
Which may be a while. I doubt the Record tackles anything this big every week and my nonfiction queries are so far coming up snake eyes.
On the plus side, however, my short story He Kindly Stopped For Me just sold to Tales of the Talisman. One sale balances out the despair caused by at least a half-dozen rejections.
•Brain From Outer Space continues to move along. I made my quota for the month, but I’m reaching the point where I need to make changes. I may devote next week’s session to just thinking, idea generating and doodling.
•I finished another draft of Leave the World to Darkness (Thomas Edison’s ghost and Nikolai Tesla battle Nazi shadow demons!) and I Think, Thefore I Die (calculus vs. Cartesian philosophy for the fate of the world!). Regrettably I don’t think either of them will be ready to present to my SF writing group next month—then again, giving them the first story might give me some idea what I need to fix it.
A good week, but I’m glad it’s done. Time to relax!