Write your book! You have more time than you think

An episode of the The Write Mindset with T.C. BurrChange your mind. Write your book. podcast, hosted by T.C. Burr, titled "Write your book! You have more time than you think" was published on October 29, 2024 and runs 17 minutes.

October 29, 2024 ·17m · The Write Mindset with T.C. BurrChange your mind. Write your book.

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Summary

Yet Podcast Episode 34 Reasons not to write your book It's been said that 80% of Americans say they want to write a book, but only about 1% ever actually do. I'm no math major, but those stats lead me to believe that lots of would-be authors have stories to tell that never make it to seeing the light of day. I think it's time we change that. There are many reasons NOT to write your book, and in this mini-series, I'm going to focus on three that I believe are common among many writers. *Spoiler alert* - none of these reasons are good ones :) Reason #2 - (Perceived) Lack of Time When I tell people I'm writing a book, one of the most common responses I hear is "where do you find the time?" The truth is, you can't "find" time the way you might find a quarter on the sidewalk - you have to actually look for it! But if you look, I think you'll find that there's more of it there than you think. In her book 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, author and time management expert Laura Vanderkam points out that each of us has 168 hours in a given week. Even after you factor out 40 hours for work, and 56 hours for sleep (8 hours a night X 7 nights a week), that still leaves you with 72 hours. 72 hours! What are you doing with that time? A great exercise to help you make the most of your time is this: Break it down & itemize tasks. When it comes to your book, what are some super-small steps you can take in 15 minutes? In 5 minutes? Examples might be to write 100 words, work on character development, or research cover art. Write them down, along with estimated times to complete. Survey your schedule. Take a week or so to notice and write down the “hidden time” that you have. Write every minute down! Think of this like tracking your spending in order to create a budget. Once you’re armed with these two pieces of information, you’ll be able to more easily match up those 15 minute tasks with the 15 minute windows that naturally occur in your schedule. You’ll feel better about how you’re managing your time, and progress toward your book will really start to pick up. If you accomplish a 15 minute task each day for a month, that’s nearly 8 hours of working toward your book - almost a full work day! - that is likely passing by without notice currently. Mentioned in this episode: 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam Before Breakfast podcast About T.C. Burr After years of putting it off, I have started writing my debut novel—a story about friendship, and about growing up. It follows the lives of a group of young men as they navigate the world between two mountainous seasons of life, with all the twists, turns and trials that come with growing up. Through this podcast, I aim to highlight inspiring stories from fellow writers, entrepreneurs, and creatives, offering encouragement and practical advice for those pursuing their own creative and business ventures. A dream left on the shelf is one of life's greatest regrets. Today's a great day to get started. It's not that you haven't done it, it's just that you haven't done it yet. Review & Subscribe: If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review to help others discover it. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode! Connect: I'd love to connect! Send me a note at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠tcburr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@yetpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram and Threads for updates and inspiration.

Episode Description

Yet Podcast Episode 34

Reasons not to write your book

It's been said that 80% of Americans say they want to write a book, but only about 1% ever actually do.

I'm no math major, but those stats lead me to believe that lots of would-be authors have stories to tell that never make it to seeing the light of day.

I think it's time we change that.

There are many reasons NOT to write your book, and in this mini-series, I'm going to focus on three that I believe are common among many writers.

*Spoiler alert* - none of these reasons are good ones :)

Reason #2 - (Perceived) Lack of Time

When I tell people I'm writing a book, one of the most common responses I hear is "where do you find the time?"

The truth is, you can't "find" time the way you might find a quarter on the sidewalk - you have to actually look for it!

But if you look, I think you'll find that there's more of it there than you think.

In her book 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think, author and time management expert Laura Vanderkam points out that each of us has 168 hours in a given week. Even after you factor out 40 hours for work, and 56 hours for sleep (8 hours a night X 7 nights a week), that still leaves you with 72 hours.

72 hours!

What are you doing with that time?

A great exercise to help you make the most of your time is this:

Break it down & itemize tasks. When it comes to your book, what are some super-small steps you can take in 15 minutes? In 5 minutes? Examples might be to write 100 words, work on character development, or research cover art. Write them down, along with estimated times to complete.

Survey your schedule. Take a week or so to notice and write down the “hidden time” that you have. Write every minute down! Think of this like tracking your spending in order to create a budget.

Once you’re armed with these two pieces of information, you’ll be able to more easily match up those 15 minute tasks with the 15 minute windows that naturally occur in your schedule. You’ll feel better about how you’re managing your time, and progress toward your book will really start to pick up.

If you accomplish a 15 minute task each day for a month, that’s nearly 8 hours of working toward your book - almost a full work day! - that is likely passing by without notice currently.

Mentioned in this episode:

168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam

Before Breakfast podcast

About T.C. Burr

After years of putting it off, I have started writing my debut novel—a story about friendship, and about growing up. It follows the lives of a group of young men as they navigate the world between two mountainous seasons of life, with all the twists, turns and trials that come with growing up.

Through this podcast, I aim to highlight inspiring stories from fellow writers, entrepreneurs, and creatives, offering encouragement and practical advice for those pursuing their own creative and business ventures.

A dream left on the shelf is one of life's greatest regrets.

Today's a great day to get started.

It's not that you haven't done it, it's just that you haven't done it yet.

Review & Subscribe: If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review to help others discover it. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode!

Connect: I'd love to connect! Send me a note at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠tcburr.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and follow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠@yetpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram and Threads for updates and inspiration.