I Wrote a Book Using These Concepts and Others
This past Sunday, I released my second book, UNFINISHED: A Guide to Dream, Complete and Repeat Your Life’s Work. The idea to write the book came out of a few conversations with friends who always had aspirations and ideas of personal creative projects, but never got to “Finished”. I would replay those conversations in my head and think of ways to help them craft a process to finish as well as ways to reward themselves along the way. I never set out to write a book speaking to a large audience. This was just my way of having those conversations in my head put on paper as if I were just talking directly to a friend.
I also thought that if I used the tools I talked about in the book to actually write the book, then that would prove they work.
Well. They worked.
After a year, I had a completed book. I wanted to share with you a few simple tools, structures and processes I used to get to “Finished.” These tools can be used for ANY project that has been swirling around in your head. This is just a snippet of what I cover in the book available on Amazon on Kindle and Paperback.
#1: I WORKED IN SECRET
I decided if I was going to write a book, I wouldn’t tell anyone that wasn’t a part of the process until I was done with the first draft. There were two main reasons I did this:
1. No one was waiting for it. I didn’t feel like I was letting someone down by not finishing the book. No deadlines. No release date. I could just write.
2. Studies have shown that those who tell people about their goals are more likely to quit before completion. Derek Sivers, the creator of CD Baby backs up this concept with his brilliant, but short TED Talk entitled: Keep your goals to yourself.
#2: I SCHEDULED MY WRITING TIMES
With two kids, a wife and a full-time job, the reality was that this book wasn’t going to happen if I didn’t take the time. I carved out two times a week where I could get away and work in two-hour blocks. I hate the term “making the time.” It paints the illusion that we can create a magical day with 26 hours in it. Instead, we have to take the time from something else. In my case, it was the times when I would normally just be watching TV. I sacrificed those times to complete something I felt passionate about. Every goal or project WILL COST YOU SOMETHING.
(On top of this schedule, I used a great process from the book The Clockwork Muse by Evictor Zerubavel to work through my book in sections.)
#3: I HAD ACCOUNTABILITY
Notice in the section where I talked about working in secret that I mentioned not letting anyone know who wasn’t a part of the process. A big part of my process is to have someone I have accountability towards. When nothing is at stake to finish our personal goals, we tend to not be as disciplined to complete them as we would a paying job. With this in my, I did that…
Sort of…
When I would get stuck in the book, I made an oath with a close friend that I would pay him a set amount of money if I didn’t finish a section within the week. I now had a weightier reason to complete my book. I made it an amount of money that would hurt if I lost it. This worked so well that I did this on multiple occasions.