Right now I am finalizing content for a presentation this weekend – so I have moved from writing to revising, editing and polishing. This kind of work takes focused effort. Yesterday, a major news story developed in my state, as several large fires were burning out of control, impacting the homes of friends. So last night when I sat down to do some revising and polishing on my project, my mind was distracted. I had too many news feeds going and I couldn’t focus my thinking.

When I got up this morning, I decided that I would work without any news feeds or social media going in the background. I needed all my thoughts focused on the final honing, which would make the difference between good content and great content. So I worked 2 solid hours without distraction. Then I allowed myself to check news sources before taking a walk to freshen my thinking for the final editorial push.

The project management side of editorial work involves lots of juggling and multi-tasking, as an editor takes action on future stories and projects even while current content is undergoing revision. However, in the midst of many editorial projects in different stages of completion, the ability to focus quality time and energy on bringing one project to a successful conclusion is essential. The art of editorial work is knowing how to bring creative energy to all the various stages of a project, and how to manage both time and focus to bring forth excellent results.