How to Create a System to Organize Your Writing and Submissions on Associated Content

Whether you are new to writing for Associated Content or one of the seasoned old timers or high-volume producers, everyone knows that having an organized system to manage multiple tasks and numerous projects not only saves time, it helps keep your sanity! This simple method will make you feel on top of your game and get you excited about your writing goals.

Here's all you need to do:

1. Create A Folder On Your Hard Drive Called Associated Content

2. Create subfolders called the following:

A. Ideas

B. Submitted

D. Published

E. Pictures

Now, here is how you approach your organization:

Ideas

In the Ideas Folder, each article idea will have its own Word Document. The reason for this is because as a writer you have lots of article ideas, some of which you will write about immediately and some others you intend to write about one day when you are either in the mood, have more time to research the subject, or when you develop more notes on what you want to say, to make sure the article is comprehensive. Let's say for example, today you had the idea that you want to write and article on a kitchen product you recently bought, and you also remembered about a recent restaurant you visited and wanted to write a review, and you also wanted to write about job interviewing skills and you also wanted to write about dating tips. That is 4 article ideas. As such, you will be creating 4 word documents nicknaming the article ideas so you can go back to these documents when you are ready to write those articles, or if you want to add a note or a thought. These 4 word documents are going to be empty until you get to them when you are ready. They are basically serving as place holders until you open the documents and start writing your articles. The beauty of this is you can be working on many articles at one time as the urge strikes you and as time permits. Now, based on these 4 example article ideas, you would now create and name 4 word documents such as " Kitchenaid Blender Product Review", " Sally's Burger Joint", " Job Interview Skills", " Dating Tips".

I just gave you 4 examples, but in reality, if you are writing for Associated Content you probably have a dozen or more article ideas a day, so the number of word documents in your Ideas Folder will grow large. The other beauty to this system is because if you only dealt with creating one word document for your ideas, all the information becomes overgrown and unmanageable. That one word document would become pages and pages and pages long and very chaotic! THIS system, of 1 folder and 4 subfolders gives every single article idea its own word document that stays with you throughout the whole article writing process from notes to finished product. Also remember when you are exploring your hard drive and you are in the Associated Content Folder you created called "Ideas", you can sort that list alphabetically by name, or by date modified, so you can easily see at a glance your whole slew of article ideas you want to write about. Then, when you sit down to write, you pick one of those word documents in the Ideas folder, just open it up and start writing away. This method is great for multitasking because you may be on the internet doing something else and suddenly come across a link or a fact that would work great in one of your article ideas and you can just quickly add that information to your already existing and named article word document you created in your Associated Content Ideas folder!

Pictures

If you take pictures to accompany your submitted Associated Content Articles, and you really should, whenever possible and accessible, you will be creating a library of pictures. Keep those pictures which may be used in an article under the Associated Content Pictures Folder. DO NOT keep these pictures anywhere else on your computer because you want to get to these quickly and efficiently and don't want to ever mix up your personal or family photos with your article photos.

Submitted

When you are ready to submit your article to Associated Content, and you intend to submit a picture, be sure to name that picture to match your article theme. Once you submit both, then MOVE the submitted picture to the "Submitted" folder. Move the submitted article from the "Ideas" folder to the "Submitted" Folder. Those 2 items will remain in that folder until you see your article accepted for publication at which time you will move that word document and that jpg. to the "Published" folder. Now what if your submitted article gets declined? Well you can leave that submitted article in your submitted folder and rename it with the word declined as part of the renamed word document title. Then if you decide to rewrite it, you know exactly what status it was in. But let's think positive and assume that almost all your articles go straight from your submitted folder to your published folder!

It's that simple! Over time, as you write more and more articles you will see how eloquent this system is in saving time and knowing the status of all your article projects and pictures!