I learnt this technique from my friend and former client, Barry Demp (of
dempcoaching.com and
thequotablecoach.com).
It's a powerful one for making important, sometimes tough, decisions about what needs to change in your life.
Over the next six months – between now and mid-August – what do you want to:
START doing (e.g. "entering competitions" or "writing guest posts")
STOP doing (e.g. "low-level admin work in my business")
Do MORE of (e.g. "writing my novel" or
"marketing my books")
Do LESS of (e.g. "housework" or "editing")
Here are some ideas and further thoughts:
START doing:
This is a great category for thinking about stuff you're a little scared to begin on. For many writers, this involves putting work out there into the world.
You might want to:
- Start a blog
- Start guest
posting on other people's blogs
- Start entering competitions
- Start sending your novel's manuscript out to agents
I'd suggest that for everything you start doing, you look for (at least) one thing to stop doing. Time won't magically appear from nowhere (and don't assume that your downtime is unimportant).
STOP doing:
If there are commitments you no longer want, can you ditch them? You might feel
trapped – or indispensable – but look at it this way: if you were hospitalised or otherwise out of action, people would find a way to manage without you.
You might want to:
- Stop working with certain clients
- Stop offering VA services as well as writing-related ones
- Stop giving your time for free to a particular organisation or group
- Stop dealing with comment spam on your blog
Sometimes, all it takes is a quick email. I
often agonise over ending a particular commitment or agreement, only to do it ... and find that everything is absolutely fine.
Sometimes, you can stop dealing with something through a technological solution (e.g. Akismet is a great plugin for dealing with comment spam).
Do MORE of:
Maybe you're already doing something, but you'd like to give it a bigger place within your life. Maybe that's writing, or
something that will support your writing.
You might want to:
- Spend more time working on your novel
- Spend more time marketing your existing books
- Have more opportunities to meet with other writers
- Take on some additional clients for your freelancing work
Doing more usually means making more time (and making good use of the time you have): if that's a bit of a struggle for you, don't forget to download Time to
Write from your library of mini-ebooks:
Password: alinewsletter
Do LESS of:
Some activities can't be cut out of your life altogether, but you can take steps
to reduce how much time and attention they take up.
You might want to:
- Spend less time on social media
- Get distracted less during writing sessions
- Do fewer chores around the house
- Cut down your hours at your day job
Look for tools and people who can help. There are plenty of ways to block social media during certain times, for instance -- or you could simply switch off your internet connection. Other family members
might be able to help with chores, or if that's not practical, you could hire someone to come in and clean once a week.
What are your Start, Stop, More and Less? Write them down now, and make a note in your calendar to revisit them after a month, to see how you're getting on.
