This really must be something I need to hear right now as this is the second video I've watched on this topic in as many days.
While this one is shorter and more general, the first one I watched was specifically about writing. The takeaway, don't plan for the ideal. Make your plan realistic and realize that life, etc. happens.
Sure I may want to write every day, but given the fact I'm also running another business and trying to cook, clean, etc., is that really realistic?
The writing video I watched suggested printing out a blank calendar from Google, then blocking it in with all the tasks and commitments you have for the month so you can see, realistically, how much 'free' time you have for writing and marketing.
Since my schedule changes so much from week to week, I decided to do this for a week instead of a month.
WOW was I shocked. No wonder I have trouble finding time to write.
When I sat down and blocked my week out, I found I had all of eight hours 'free'. In an entire week!
Now, that doesn't seem so bad, right? I mean, sure eight hours isn't a lot. That's two chapters, minimum, right?
Wrong.
Eight hours is the total amount of 'free' time. That means marketing tasks have to be worked in there somewhere. And, that's not taking into consideration that life, as it always does, happens. Things will come up.
No matter how much I'd love it to be so, there is no way I'm getting that entire eight hours to dedicate to writing. At best, I'll get half that.
So this week, that's what I'm planning for. Four hours of writing and four hours of marketing/other life stuff that may come up.
Now, is this an ideal plan? Probably not, but it's not meant to be. What it's meant to do is help me (and you too, if you choose to try this method), from beating yourself up because you aren't meeting the lofty goals you've set for yourself.
Have you ever tried this method? Has it helped you? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think of this goal setting method.
