6/12/2019 EBJ - Book Launch Task CalendarAll this month, I'm talking about how to use Microsoft OneNote to create an electronic bullet journal. Visit the Office Warrior Connection's index page to a list of topics. Book Launch Task Calendar For anyone who has already completed a book launch, they have a good idea of how stressful it can be due to the number of tasks that need to be completed prior to the release date. Planning often starts months in advance. If you've never done a book launch before, hold onto your boots! Oh - and make a list! I find it stressful to know I have a lot to do when I start making lists and they start getting a mile long. When I break them down in to smaller, more manageable chunks, I can control my anxiety better. That's why I looked for a way to set up a calendar view in my electronic bullet journal. It helped me keep track of all the moving parts that lead up to a successful book launch. By creating a list and then calendaring it, I was able to see the tasks that I should create each day leading up to the final launch. It also helps to be able to see where I can add other tasks unrelated to the launch, but which are still writing-related, because I don't get to just stop everything else as I prepare for the launch. I still have to keep on blogging and writing on the next novel. Book Launch Tasks Tasks leading up to a book launch can include finalizing and proofing the final copy of a book, creating promotional materials, and building some hype around the release date. For instance, I include all of these items (and a whole lot more!) on my calendar at least three weeks out from the book launch:
If you would like a more comprehensive checklist, see Jane Friedman's post (https://www.janefriedman.com/self-publishing-checklist/), where she includes more information for first time authors. Methodology I find it is easiest to create a list of everything I need to do to prepare for a book launch, then drop those items into task lists for each date on a calendar. Rather than leaving everything for the last minute or "when I get around to it," as I often do with a static check list, I like to space things out. If, for any reason, I am not able to get them completed on the date I picked, I highlight the text rather than move it to the new date. This way if I see a lot of highlighting, I know I'm falling behind. Once I catch up, I remove the highlighting and check the item off the list. I can also jump ahead and complete items if I have more time than expected. That doesn't happen very often, but it's nice to feel like everything is coming together and I can relax a bit. Instructions: Book Launch Task Calendar
Before you start creating your calendar, make a list of everything you can think of that you will need to do for your book launch.
NOTE: If you have Outlook installed, there are some other options for adding tasks and events to your Outlook calendar that are worth checking out. The nice thing about the integration between OneNote and Outlook is that you can keep a task list in both places and sync tasks as you complete them, plus get notifications when items are due. Check out Microsoft's article for more information on using OneNote and Outlook this way. https://support.office.com/en-gb/article/create-outlook-tasks-in-onenote-19725ff3-0234-495d-9838-fb1f511e924f Adaptations In the template I included below for download, you will find that I haven't put in any of the dates, just the days of the weeks. I also have only supplied 4 weeks worth of rows, but if you need two months, you can copy and paste the extra weeks you need below the first then put the month name above each table. Just copy and paste as many tables as you need months. I like to highlight the Release Date in red so that it stands out from the rest of the calendar. If you have important dates that can't be missed, I recommend doing the same thing for those dates or use a third color or highlighting. On days that I am unavailable to work due to some other family or work commitment, I make notes in bold and in a different color so that I am sure not to schedule tasks on those days. Have you customized my instructions to make your journal uniquely your own? I'd love to see or hear how! Please post your creation on your favorite social media platform and tag me or leave a comment with a link in the notes below! DOWNLOAD Book Launch Task Calendar Template Instructions See all the Bullet Journal Posts Return to the Office Warrior Index page Comments are closed.
|