1 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning. 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:16,240 Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's 3 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,759 Speaker 1: tip is that with a short push, you might be 4 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: able to finish a project that has been lingering on 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: your to do list. Give yourself thirty days and see 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: what you can do. It won't be perfect, but it 7 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: just might be done. And done is a good place 8 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: to be. This episode is first airing in late October. 9 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:45,400 Speaker 1: The upcoming month of November will bring many things, but 10 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: one of them is what people call National Novel Writing Month. 11 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: During this challenge, thousands of people will attempt to write 12 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: a fifty thousand word novel during the thirty days of November. 13 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: Some time listeners know that I am a big fan 14 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:06,039 Speaker 1: of this concept. One of the things that trips writers 15 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: up when they attempt to write that novel that they 16 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:11,119 Speaker 1: have been thinking about for years is that they want 17 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: to produce good writing, and most first drafts are terrible. 18 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: Good writing comes from thoughtful editing. The good news here 19 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: is that it is much easier to turn something into 20 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:30,840 Speaker 1: something better than to turn nothing into something. A challenge 21 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: like National Novel Writing Month forces you to write quickly 22 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: without second guessing yourself, you get out of your own head, 23 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: write a story, and then once it exists, you can 24 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: turn it into something that you would actually like to read. Now, 25 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,000 Speaker 1: maybe you don't want to write a novel, but maybe 26 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: there is some other big project in your life that 27 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: you'd like to undertake. Maybe you have started this project 28 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,440 Speaker 1: several times, You've got bits and pieces of it here 29 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,360 Speaker 1: and there. It could be many things, like writing a 30 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: new curriculum for your school or for the training program 31 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:11,919 Speaker 1: you run at work. It might be revamping your employee 32 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 1: evaluation system or creating a class for your house of worship. 33 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: Maybe you want to finish the application for a grant 34 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 1: or clean out your basement. I am sure there is 35 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: something you have been telling yourself for a long time 36 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: that you really should do. So here's an idea. Why 37 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 1: not adopt the spirit of National Novel Writing Month and 38 00:02:36,919 --> 00:02:41,639 Speaker 1: commit to finishing your project in thirty days. You've got 39 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: a few days now to map out a plan before 40 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:49,480 Speaker 1: the month starts. There are thirty days in November. If 41 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: you skip Sundays and Thanksgiving, you're looking at more like 42 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: twenty five days. What would you need to do on 43 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: each of those twenty five to thirty days in order 44 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: to get to done. If you are creating a four 45 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,280 Speaker 1: week course, let's say maybe you spend five days on 46 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: each module, and then five days making it more coherent. 47 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: Maybe you count that you've got twenty five boxes in 48 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: the basement and you look at one each day and 49 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: spend the last five days sweeping things out or vacuuming, 50 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: or maybe repainting the walls. But whatever it is, break 51 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: your project down into twenty five to thirty chunks, just 52 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: like National Novel Writing Month participants do. They pledge to 53 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,480 Speaker 1: write sixteen hundred and sixty seven to two thousand words 54 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: a day. I know this takes about two hours for me, 55 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,520 Speaker 1: but maybe it takes some other amount of time for 56 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: other people. Whatever your intermediate steps, figure out how much 57 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: time they'll take, and then figure out when in your 58 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:58,440 Speaker 1: schedule you can block in this time, figure out back 59 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: up slots for the first slots get taken away from you. 60 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: But then picture yourself on December first, with a complete 61 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: version of your project. That's pretty motivating. Thirty days is 62 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: enough time to do a lot, but it is a 63 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,679 Speaker 1: short enough time that we can see the finish line. 64 00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: Really picture yourself enjoying your accomplishment and then get started, 65 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 1: keep going. That's all there is to it. In thirty days, 66 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,120 Speaker 1: you just might be done with something big, or if 67 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: you don't start, you won't be. But thirty days are 68 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:47,159 Speaker 1: going to pass no matter what you do, Won't It 69 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: be nice to be on the other side feeling proud 70 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 1: of what you've done. In the meantime, This is Laura. 71 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the moss of 72 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've 73 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at 74 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a 75 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit 76 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 77 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.