When is it time to clear out some of your clutter? As Beth Morrissey said in a 2010 issue of The Writer Magazine, it’s time to clear out the clutter when “disarray” has reached “dismay.” So what to do, what to do? Where should you start?

How about getting started with the book clutter you have amassed? Writers have many, many books. We’re starting with our books as a way of clearing the clutter because you will see an immediate improvement and will be motivated to continue with some of the de-cluttering that may be more difficult.

1. Buy book ends. Sounds simple. It is. Do this first.

2. Stand up all your books that are on shelves with their spines out.

3. Grab any and all books that are lying on their sides and put them in the vertical position.

4. Grab any and all books that are lying face down on flat surfaces. Put a post it note on the page so that it extends past the edge of the page. Write down the reason you had this page marked (i.e., why it was lying face down) on the sticky note. If you can’t remember why, just close the book and put it on the shelf vertically (spine out, of course).

5. Look in the drawers of your work space. If there are books in any of them, put them on the shelves, too.

6. Look in your file cabinet drawers and if you see books there, put them on your book shelves.

7. You should now have every book you own on a book shelf, placed vertically, with the spine out. Check and make sure that you do.

8. Start on the topmost shelf on the bookshelf that is the furthest from your desk. Regardless of whether it contains 20, 30, or 40 books, remove one of those books to give away to someone else. If you are so inspired, challenge yourself to remove more than one book, but you must at least release one book from each one of the bookshelves.

9. Challenge yourself to ultimately have 6″ of free shelf on each of your bookshelves that contains books. That means 6″ of each individual shelf. Note: This is why you needed bookends because your shelves are not ultimately going to be “edge to edge/wall to wall” with books.

10. Set aside 15″ each day toward this project.

Your books didn’t become a cluttered, less-than-productive mass in just a day or two. Don’t expect that you can rectify the situation in a few minutes. Spend the time needed and you will get that time – and energy – back in multiples.

Heaven only knows that being writers, we can all procrastinate. Anyway, rather than postponing the actual writing of this article by meandering around with words, let me get to it for you. Here are three tips to apply starting today to begin to postpone writing procrastination:

1. Clean off your desk. You might think that this is actually a way to procrastinate, and it can be. What I am suggesting here though is the idea that when it is time to write, you have a cleaned-off surface. Depending on where you write, this may be the surface of your desk or it could be the space around your computer. A clean and clear desk eliminates many distractions, with those distractions being the last thing you need when you are trying to avoid procrastination so that you can write.

2. Notice when you are messing around and only pretending to write. I will make the assumption that you are an adult and that you have the executive control functions required to be a productive grown-up. Given that fact, you know perfectly well when you are fiddling around and not writing.I am sure you could list all kinds of “pretend” writing that you do. Tinkering with margins, changing fonts, tracing back over words on a pad, making sure all your pencils are sharpened…you know what I mean. Call yourself on these behaviors and get back to writing.

3. Sit down. Maybe you don’t need this tip, but when I was a professor, I could not believe the number of people who would stand out in the hall or wander around the office area talking about how much they needed to write and complaining that the publication expectations were too high, etc., etc., etc. It was all I could do not to go out into the hall and suggest (nicely, of course), that they might want to get their rear ends into chairs and start writing instead of standing around talking about writing. Recently, Chris Clarke-Epstein said she had heard a quote (so I guess this is hearsay), that if you are hoping the Muse is going to visit when you write, it’s best if the Muse knows where to find you. So sit down and let the Muse know you are available for inspiration.

All three of these tips work in conjunction with each other. This means that if you have one of these under control, it will help you with the other three. So, which one will you start with – right now? No procrastinating, please.

No matter what your profession, being a better (and published) writer will increase your success. Here are some books that you will find useful to consider for your library of books about writing and publishing.

2010 Writer’s Market (Paperback).

Holy moly. This book is a treasure trove of information for anyone who is a writer. Just click on the link and once you get to the Amazon page, you’ll see several of this book’s brothers and sisters (including an on-line version), too. Note: It’s not necessary to purchase the Writer’s Market book every year, but if you intend to write and get your ideas out there in any number of different formats, then you need to buy one every couple of years, at least. You can also find this book at essentially every public library. Check it out!

Kremer, John. 1001 Ways to Market Your Books (for authors and publishers; paperback), 6th edition.

Are you kidding me? 1001 ways…. And it’s true. It’s quite the hefty book (704 pages) and it’s stunning the number of different ideas that are included. Out of that number, any one of us can surely find at least…10 ideas we can use. Or maybe even 100…

Manser, Martin H. The Facts on File Guide to Good Writing.

This book has chapters on preparing to write, revising, grammar, word usage, punctuation, etc. It’s a handy reference tool.

Winget, Larry. How to Write a Book One Page at a Time.

This book is apparently no longer in print, but maybe you can find a copy somewhere. I’ve included the link to Amazon, although you can only buy it from used booksellers. It is worth worth hunting for a copy.

McCutcheon, Marc. Damn! Why Didn’t I Write That? How Ordinary People Are Raking in $100,000 or More Writing Niche Books and How You Can, Too.

If you’ve ever had the experience of seeing a book and thinking, ‘Hmmm…I could have written this,” then you will want to read this book.

Sellers, Heather. Chapter After Chapter: Discover the Dedication and Focus You Need to Write the Book of Your Dreams.

This is a great book, especially if you are considering writing a novel. HOWEVER, and it’s a big however, I recommend it regardless. I am certainly not writing a novel and I have learned a great deal from reading this book.

Sellers, Heather. Page After Page: Discover the Confidence and Passion You Need to Start Writing and Keep Writing (No Matter What).

It’s hard to say which book in this list I recommend the most highly, but this is one of them. When I bought this book, I read a little bit of it each night before I went to sleep. I find it a scrumptious book. Both of these two books (Page After Page and Chapter After Chapter) are printed on great paper and in such an intriguing way. But it’s the content that will really be helpful to you (and has been to me).

Check out at least one of these books and see what you will learn that will keep propelling you toward more success in your writing and publishing.

Knowing what your strengths are and then working through your strengths will change your business and professional life. Here are three books worth reading (and I have read them more times than I can count).

Now, Discover Your Strengths – Buckingham, Marcus & Donald O. Clifton

For anyone who uses Microsoft Outlook, this books is worth reading…and even if you don’t, most of the concepts apply across the various types of productivity software. As I skimmed this book at the bookstore prior to buying it, I thought, ‘Hmmmm…this sounds a lot like David Allen’s work.’ Then, I read the book and found that she and David Allen (prior to both of them forming their own companies) had worked together and had developed the ideas that are foundational to this book (and David Allen’s Getting Things Done system). So, since I was already a big fan of the ideas, this just strengthened my knowledge of how to implement the practices in my life. McGhee writes clearly and gives readers step-by-step ways to use the ideas she discusses. Read it, take what works for you, and leave the rest behind. (Of course, this is pretty much my advice for all books!)

If you love having books arrive FAST, be sure to sign up for Amazon Prime…free 2-day shipping for one flat rate each year (and you can have 4 family members all using it.  Such a bargain for those of us who want books NOW vs. later!)

 Welch, Suzy.   10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea.

This is an OUTSTANDING book whether you are an introvert or an extrovert.  I learned so much from reading Laney’s book.  I wish it had been written years ago and that I had known about it. Her information is enlightening and her suggestions are smart and reasonable.  She knows what she is talking about and doesn’t offer ideas that an introvert would eschew.  This is an excellent follow-up book to the ‘Networking for Introverts’ workshop – which you may receive as an immediate download – learn more here:  www.meggin.com/NetworkingforIntroverts.php.

“Holy moly!”  This book is a treasure trove of information for anyone who is a writer.  Just click on the link and once you get to the Amazon page, you’ll see several of this book’s brothers and sisters (including an on-line version), too.  Note:  It’s not necessary to purchase the Writer’s Market book every year, but if you intend to write and get your ideas out there in any number of different formats, then you need to buy one every couple of years, at least.  You can also find this book at essentially every public library.  Check it out!

Just the title alone intrigued me…and then when I read the Seven Principles of Fierce Conversations, I was hooked. For example, Principle 6 is “Take Responsibility for Your Emotional Wake.”  Scott points out that for leaders, there are no “trivial comments.” Since reading this book, I have highly recommended it in my leadership training seminars, and have used as a core text in a year-long training. Reading it will have an impact on your professional and personal life–even if you don’t do anything. If you DO follow some of her suggestions, your personal and professional lives will be “fiercely” affected.

No matter what your profession, being a better (and prolific) writer will increase your success.  I teach several different classes about writing including 30 Articles In Just 30 Days and always recommend various books to participants, including some of the ones listed below.

Take a few moments to read the annotations below to see if any of the books sound interesting to you (and more are constantly added and deleted) so visit often.

Manser, Martin H. The Facts on File Guide to Good Writing.

This book has chapters on preparing to write, revising, grammar, word usage, punctuation, etc.  It’s a handy reference tool.

McCutcheon, Marc.  Damn!  Why Didn’t I Write That?  How Ordinary People Are Raking in $100,000 or More Writing Niche Books and How You Can, Too.

If you’ve ever had the experience of seeing a book and thinking, ‘Hmmm…I could have written this,” then you will want to read this book.

Sellers, Heather.  Chapter After Chapter:  Discover the Dedication and Focus You Need to Write the Book of Your Dreams.

This is a great book, especially if you are considering writing a novel.  HOWEVER, and it’s a big however, I recommend it regardless. I am certainly not writing a novel and I have learned a great deal from reading this book.

Sellers, Heather.  Page After Page:  Discover the Confidence and Passion You Need to Start Writing and Keep Writing (No Matter What).

It’s hard to say which book in this list I recommend the most highly, but this is one of them.  When I bought this book, I read a little bit of it each night before I went to sleep.  I find it a scrumptious book.  Both of these two books (Page After Page and Chapter After Chapter) are printed on great paper and in such an intriguing way.  But it’s the content that will really be helpful to you (and has been to me).

Winget, Larry.  How to Write a Book One Page at a Time.

This book is apparently no longer in print, but maybe you can find a copy somewhere.  I’ve included the link to Amazon, although you can only buy it from used booksellers.  I referenced it in the “Words That Fall Out of Your Keyboard:  Writing Naturally” teleseminar (which is free) and it would be worth hunting for a copy.