Just put in the time

Make time for long-term projects, long before the deadline

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to just put in the time, even if
you don't know exactly what you will do in a

(00:23):
chunk of time devoted to a long term project. Making
space for that project frequently keeps your mind on that project,
and that increases the chances that you will keep making progress.
So I love writing books. Books also take a long
time to write. They are planned out long ahead of time,

(00:46):
and publication often happens about a year after the initial
manuscript is finished. But time keeps passing, and for most
long term projects it pays to start early. So lately
I have been making space on my calendar regularly for
two things. One is figuring out promotion strategies for my

(01:07):
next book, currently called Big Time, which will be out
in spring of twenty twenty six. I block out time
on my calendar to figure out who I'd like to
reach out to or what promotional materials I can create.
The second is to work on writing my next book,
currently called The Golden Hours, that won't be out until
twenty twenty seven, but I will need to write it eventually,

(01:30):
so I make some time on my calendar now to
think about ideas and what I might like to include.
There is nothing specific I need to do right now
for either of those long term projects. Lots of things
can change between now and when the deadlines will become
more urgent. But here's the thing. By continuing to carve

(01:51):
out time in my schedule for these projects, I keep
thinking about them. I know that a few times a
week I will be sitting down at my and making
notes about the golden hours, so my brain is primed
to come up with things I might like to include.
I see things and make notes to write about them
during my next session. I know that the longer I

(02:14):
spend thinking about the book and making notes for it,
the better it will be when it is finally done.
For longer projects, it really is best to just put
in the time over the long haul. This is truly
the crux of spending time on things that are important
but not urgent. There is nothing urgent about a book

(02:37):
that comes out in two and a half years, but
I want to do a good job on it, so
it is worth spending time now on it, and spending
time next week and so on. In time I will
come to see things that I couldn't at the beginning.
If you've got a long term project, I think it's
worth it for you to just put in the time two.

(03:01):
Are there other things you could be doing with that time. Absolutely,
But one of the best reasons to plan your weeks
before you are in them is so you can make
space for the things you have to do now and
make space for the unexpected and things you'd like to
do over the longer term. That way, the unexpected doesn't

(03:22):
derail the longer term priorities. Your week accounts for it all. Now.
You probably don't have to carve out a ton of
time because I don't have much specific yet on either
of these projects. These tend to be thirty minute chunks
a few times a week. When I'm really in the
writing phase of the next manuscript, I'll make much more
time for it. Right now, I'm just making sure I

(03:45):
keep touching the projects, looking at them, kicking the tires
a bit. Thirty minutes is enough time to keep things fresh,
so it's worth a try. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

(04:05):
our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a

(04:28):
production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia, please visit
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