Many people have called me "prolific" vis-a-vis me turning out novels. Well, not to toot my own horn too much, but, yes, I've been quite productive. That is a fact, as over thirty novels in the past five years are any indication. Other writers have written more, and others far less.

To me, being productive--not to be confused, unfortunately, with being successful in the financial sense (darn!)--simply means budgeting your time to do what you love the most.

Many writers have complained that they don't have the time in which to pen their work. I get it, I really do. They have full-time jobs, family, friends, social functions, pets...the list goes on. And many people simply love procrastinating. (I do, too, so I get that as well).

I also work--not as often or as much as I'd like, to be honest--and I have my wife to take care of. However, I still get stuff done, and below is a basic primer on how to get sh!t done and still have a life left over for yourself.

If there's a secret to being productive, then it's budgeting your time. Of course, family comes first, as it should. If you have children, young children, or children with special needs, then they MUST come first. Same deal if your spouse or your parents need care.

But, if you want to get that novel done, here are a few 'hacks' (and I really don't care for that word, preferring to use tips, instead) to help you along.

One: set aside a chunk of your day or night to writing. Get your thoughts down, save the file, and then do whatever else needs to be done. That time is your time, so don't let anything interfere unless your SO/child/parent needs 'round-the-clock care.

Two: in line with the above suggestion, don't worry about perfection. Some writers can't abide by writing down anything less than what they consider to be perfect. In contrast, I never worry about that. I simply get the basics down, leave notes on what happens next, and finish writing for the night.

You can always edit later on. Always. You can't edit what ain't there, and you can't worry about perfection, for that's a nebulous concept. Just get those all-important thoughts down and keep on keepin' on.

Three: limit social functions if they aren't helping you. I know many people love going out, going to bars, hoisting a few, kicking back, etc. Nothing wrong with that. But if boozing up cuts into your writing time, then why bother? You have to decide which is more important to you.

Four: get your zzzzzzzs in. Many writers tend to burn the candle at both ends. I've done that, but my health eventually suffered. While it seems cool to write late--and sometimes, if you have a deadline, it can't be helped--in the long run, it's counterproductive.

Five: take care of you! This is perhaps the most important tip of all. In the past couple of years, I've suffered health issues that have prevented me from working at full capacity. High blood pressure, herniated discs, and this year, colitis and ileitis have really done a number on me.

As someone once said in a movie: "You can't arrest the bad guys if you're dead." In the same vein, you can't turn out a good novel unless you're well enough to write it. So take care of you. Get your health checked regularly. Trust me. You'll be glad you did.