WEBVTT - Just put in the time

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 1>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>tip is to just put in the time, even if

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<v Speaker 1>you don't know exactly what you will do in a

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<v Speaker 1>chunk of time devoted to a long term project. Making

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<v Speaker 1>space for that project frequently keeps your mind on that project,

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<v Speaker 1>and that increases the chances that you will keep making progress.

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<v Speaker 1>So I love writing books. Books also take a long

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<v Speaker 1>time to write. They are planned out long ahead of time,

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<v Speaker 1>and publication often happens about a year after the initial

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<v Speaker 1>manuscript is finished. But time keeps passing, and for most

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<v Speaker 1>long term projects it pays to start early. So lately

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<v Speaker 1>I have been making space on my calendar regularly for

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<v Speaker 1>two things. One is figuring out promotion strategies for my

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<v Speaker 1>next book, currently called Big Time, which will be out

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<v Speaker 1>in spring of twenty twenty six. I block out time

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<v Speaker 1>on my calendar to figure out who I'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>reach out to or what promotional materials I can create.

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<v Speaker 1>The second is to work on writing my next book,

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<v Speaker 1>currently called The Golden Hours, that won't be out until

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<v Speaker 1>twenty twenty seven, but I will need to write it eventually,

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<v Speaker 1>so I make some time on my calendar now to

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<v Speaker 1>think about ideas and what I might like to include.

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<v Speaker 1>There is nothing specific I need to do right now

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<v Speaker 1>for either of those long term projects. Lots of things

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<v Speaker 1>can change between now and when the deadlines will become

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<v Speaker 1>more urgent. But here's the thing. By continuing to carve

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<v Speaker 1>out time in my schedule for these projects, I keep

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<v Speaker 1>thinking about them. I know that a few times a

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<v Speaker 1>week I will be sitting down at my and making

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<v Speaker 1>notes about the golden hours, so my brain is primed

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<v Speaker 1>to come up with things I might like to include.

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<v Speaker 1>I see things and make notes to write about them

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<v Speaker 1>during my next session. I know that the longer I

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<v Speaker 1>spend thinking about the book and making notes for it,

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<v Speaker 1>the better it will be when it is finally done.

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<v Speaker 1>For longer projects, it really is best to just put

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<v Speaker 1>in the time over the long haul. This is truly

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<v Speaker 1>the crux of spending time on things that are important

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<v Speaker 1>but not urgent. There is nothing urgent about a book

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<v Speaker 1>that comes out in two and a half years, but

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<v Speaker 1>I want to do a good job on it, so

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<v Speaker 1>it is worth spending time now on it, and spending

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<v Speaker 1>time next week and so on. In time I will

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<v Speaker 1>come to see things that I couldn't at the beginning.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've got a long term project, I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>worth it for you to just put in the time two.

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<v Speaker 1>Are there other things you could be doing with that time. Absolutely,

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<v Speaker 1>But one of the best reasons to plan your weeks

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<v Speaker 1>before you are in them is so you can make

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<v Speaker 1>space for the things you have to do now and

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<v Speaker 1>make space for the unexpected and things you'd like to

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<v Speaker 1>do over the longer term. That way, the unexpected doesn't

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<v Speaker 1>derail the longer term priorities. Your week accounts for it all. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>You probably don't have to carve out a ton of

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<v Speaker 1>time because I don't have much specific yet on either

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<v Speaker 1>of these projects. These tend to be thirty minute chunks

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<v Speaker 1>a few times a week. When I'm really in the

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<v Speaker 1>writing phase of the next manuscript, I'll make much more

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<v Speaker 1>time for it. Right now, I'm just making sure I

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<v Speaker 1>keep touching the projects, looking at them, kicking the tires

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<v Speaker 1>a bit. Thirty minutes is enough time to keep things fresh,

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<v Speaker 1>so it's worth a try. In the meantime, this is Laura.

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<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

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<v Speaker 1>our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've

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<v Speaker 1>got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at

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<v Speaker 1>Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit

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<v Speaker 1>the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to

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<v Speaker 1>your favorite shows.