E. Christopher Clark, MFA, is an author, family historian, and Internet geek who is passionate about storytelling in all its forms.
Chris has done marketing, design, and administrative work for companies in the computer training, public relations, and healthcare fields. He currently teaches English, manages the office for a not-for-profit literary society, and is at work on his first novel. View his CV here.
Chris's Blog
Hustle 2.0 - My Fall Schedule
My fall schedule was already crazy when, a couple of weeks ago, I first watched Gary Vaynerchuk’s video on keeping a day job while starting a new career online. I was already signed up to teach two English Composition classes at a local university, in addition to continuing work at my full-time gig with a small non-profit. But watching Gary’s video made me realize that there was still time in the day to do more, that I didn’t necessarily have to give up on my writing or on this Website for the entire autumn season.
In his video, Gary makes the point that it’s all about cutting out the wasted time, that it’s all about “hustle 2.0”. Agreeing with basically everything he had to say, I cooked up this schedule, which I’m curious to get your feedback on. Certain bits of it are flexible, but most bits are not. Keep in mind that I’m writing a blog about things that I geek out about, which involves a certain amount of “research” that others might consider “goofing off”.
Oh, and this is my Monday-Wednesday schedule. A few things change from Thursday through Sunday. More on that after.
- 04:15 a.m. - Wake up, make breakfast
- 04:30 a.m. - Watch Early Today and/or quick podcasts (Geek Brief, The Feed) while eating
- 04:45 a.m. - Shower, check e-mail, drive to bus station
- 05:45 a.m. - While riding the bus to Boston, watch previous evening’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann, providing NBC remembered to upload the podcast version of it (I don’t get MSNBC at home, so this is my only way to watch it)
- 07:00 a.m. - Take the Red Line from South Station to Harvard Square, walk from Harvard Square to the campus where I teach, and prep for class
- 08:00 a.m. - Teach class
- 09:15 a.m. - Meet with students as necessary; otherwise, grade papers and/or prep next class
- 09:45 a.m. - Walk 3.2 miles from campus where I teach to Kenmore Square, where I work full-time
- 11:00 a.m. - Work full-time gig, with half-hour break for lunch and walk around square (and/or reading during inclement weather)
- 06:30 p.m. - Walk 2.3 miles from office in Kenmore Square to South Station
- 07:15 p.m. - While riding bus home, work on Website and/or on class prep/grading
- 08:30 p.m. - Arrive home, eat dinner, help put Kaylee to bed
- 09:00 p.m. - Read, wind down
- 09:30 p.m. - Go to sleep
Now, as I said, that’s the Monday-Wednesday schedule. Thursday’s schedule is pretty much the same but, instead of winding down between nine and nine-thirty, I plan to start the first of four days in a row of writing (some late-night, some not). I don’t have a class to teach on Friday morning, and I can sleep on the bus if I need the extra rest before working my one long day at the full-time gig, so I’ll plan on writing from nine until midnight on Thursday night.
I’ll do the same on Friday night. Then, on Saturday, aside from recuperating and spending time with my family, I’ll find three hours to write again. I’ll do my fourth day of writing early on Sunday morning, and then spend the rest of the morning on Sunday (before football) prepping for the next week’s classes.
It’s a busy schedule, but it fits in nearly everything that’s important to me right now: writing, teaching, reading, exercise, this Website, and, most of all, time with my family.
How are you fitting everything into your own busy schedule? What improvements do you think I could make in mine? Let me know!
What Makes a Good Blog? Merlin Mann Knows.
Merlin Mann of 43 Folders writes on “What Makes for a Good Blog”:
1. Good blogs have a voice. Who wrote this? What is their name? What can I figure out about who they are that they have never overtly told me? What’s their personality like and what do they have to contribute — even when it’s “just” curation. What tics and foibles fascinate make me about this blog and the person who makes it? Most importantly: what obsesses this person?
I think the foundation of the success that Geek Force Five is seeing (as opposed to the limited success I found with previous blogs) is in its voice and the way that it very clearly reflects my obsessions. Most of the really good bloggers that I read are focused on just a couple of topics and have a very clear authorial voice. Most of the so-so bloggers I read could become great bloggers by narrowing their focus a bit more, and by being passionate about every sentence they publish.
Kottke quotes point #8 on Mann’s list instead of #1, but we’re both in agreement that Mann is offering the kind of advice that new/young/uncertain bloggers should be following.
Telling a Story Through Your Video Player (Video)
Did you know that Viddler allows you to brand your video player now? If you’re publishing video content on the Web and you’re not using Viddler, you really should be checking them out. Not only can you add your own custom logo, as I’ve done, but you can also customize the color scheme of your video player to match the look & feel of your Website. Check out Wine Library TV and Tasty Blog Snack for examples.
Oh, and while you’re at it: watch the video I’ve embedded above. If you can’t see it there, check it out on Viddler.
Making the Book #007: A Novel in Progress, Pt. 4
In today’s Making the Book, I talk about how the writing went on the fifth day of my weeklong sabbatical. If you don’t see the video above, please click here to watch it on Viddler.com.
Making the Book #006: A Novel in Progress, Pt. 3
In today’s Making the Book, I talk about how the writing went on the third and fourth days of my weeklong sabbatical. If you don’t see the video above, please click here to watch it on Viddler.com.
