Work Tool: Weekly Schedule

Think well on the week ahead.

I create a weekly work schedule. Using a large sheet of paper, I write hourly increments of each work day, Monday to Friday. Each hour has a task to be accomplished. If necessary, I subdivide into half-hours.

I usually start by looking at my Outlook calendar and enter any known meetings. Then, I fill in the rest of the blanks. If needed, I jot down a jumble of important tasks on a separate piece of paper beforehand, rank them, and add them by importance (to be covered in more detail in a later post).

I give myself wiggle room by penning in [open time] to account for projects taking longer or assignments that come up within the week. I also typically mark completed tasks with a highlighter and ~~cross out~~ and then update tasks when higher demands announce themselves.

This method helps me to stay productive and make progress on important tasks. It is especially important for large, multifaceted tasks that can take several days or weeks. And it is the natural compliment of my other writing tool, the previously mentioned Daily Journal.

Figure 1: December 2021 Examples. Individuals' names are black out for privacy, not because the author has an obscenity problem.

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Creative Tool: Idea Mutation

It's mutating out of control! Here is another wild method of improving the creativity of ideas through the process of introducing random 'mutations'. I call it Idea Mutation. Method: Start with an idea. Add it to a circle on the far left side of a piece of paper. That is round 1. Make two branches off the first idea. Each branch has a new circle. That is round 2. For each branch, roll a 10-sided dice and select the 'mutation' from the table below. For each branch, create a 'mutated' idea incorporating that branch's mutation. Continue branching and mutation ideas for subsequent rounds (3, 4, etc.). Modifications: Include different mutations (ex. Add Thrill, More Collaborative, Clearer, etc.) Add null mutation (no changes for certain branches) Change probability of mutations (same mutation for more than one number) Examples:

Creative Tool: Idea Bracket

Let the Best Idea Win. How to generate great ideas? Why not create an Idea Bracket ? It is analogous to a sports league play-off. Ideas are pitted against each other, with the winning idea moving on to the next round. The last idea standing is the winner. I do have a few additional rules. The Three M's : Modify, Merge, and Markup. These rules allow for both idea modification and saving sub-winner ideas. Simple enough, right? Let's try it out on some examples. Story Beginning Location Floating City and Haunted Graveyard merged into Floating Graveyard Screaming Wastelands modified into Blasted Wastelands Winner was Floating Graveyard and Sundered Titan merged into Floating Graveyard of Titans Artistic Inspiration Shack Brainstorming and Review Idea/Notes merged to Shack Review Ideas TCG View modified to TCG Mashup Shack Review Ideas marked for later Monster App and Walk and Song merged to Walk and Song with Monster App Priming Winner was T...

Writing Tool: Panic Cards

For writing emergencies only... In a previous post , I created a break-in-case of emergency box for days where I'm severely struggling to get my writing goal in. In case that box is not enough, or if I'm away from my house, I've devised another emergency method to keep me from veering off my writing track. Panic Cards. What are they? Simple. Index cards cut in half with encouraging phrases on one side. The other side has a small, randomized reward for completing the writing task. I made it random on purpose to increase the intrigue. To use them, I pull out the card, read the phrase of encouragement, and get the writing done. Once the thirty minutes of writing is completed, I turn over the card and reap the reward. Silly? Maybe. Effective? Time will tell. It's better to have an emergency plan and never use it than to not have one when an emergency comes calling.

The Mark Williamson Creative Universe

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