My friend, Scott Eblin is writing a book. Like most of my clients, Scott has got a lot going on. He’s just written an excellent post, “How to Optimize Your Operating Rhythm,” with lots of good advice about how to get it all done. Here are some of my observations to add to Scott’s great advice.
Life goes on.
When you decide to write a book, the rest of your life doesn’t just go away. You still have obligations and commitments. There will be emergencies. So you have to figure out how to make it all work.
Stop doing some things.
Your writing time has to come from somewhere, so start by figuring out what you can stop doing so you have more time available to write. That might mean cutting back on some income producing activities.
Learn what works for you.
I’ve worked with and talked to a lot of writers. Every one of us works just a little differently. Scott’s post is packed with good advice on figuring out how and when you do your best work.
Make a work plan.
There are essentially “4 Ways to get the writing done.” Decide how and where you’re going to work.
Review your progress weekly.
Every week, take stock of how you’re doing. Then make any changes you need to make. A weekly review gives you enough time to get significant work done. It’s frequent enough for you to catch problems early enough to say on track.