Hi! I'm Marie
You have gifts to share with the world and my job is to help you get them out there.
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Button TextDo you ever dream of writing a book?
Maybe yours is half-done and you can’t seem to finish it. Or perhaps you’ve already written your first book, and it’s time to pen the next.
When you’re busy running a business, it can feel near impossible to find the time to get your book done.
Even worse is the guilt and pressure you feel knowing that a finished book means an instant boost to your credibility and the ability to serve a lot more people in your market.
In this video I’ll show you three simple tricks to help get your book done once and for all – especially if you’re too busy making money.
Inside tip: strategies one and three are what I used to finish my book while running a successful coaching practice and teaching five dance fitness classes a week. So yes, these strategies definitely work.
If nothing else, you’ll get the distinct pleasure of more of my singing (HA!).
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"I'll be rolling on a Q & A Tuesday! Rolling with you're A's and your Q's! I'm rolling on this Q & A Tuesday! We're get going right now! Q & A!!"
Q: Today's question comes from Crystal and Crystal writes: "Hi, Marie. I'm working on writing a book which will fulfill a serious void in the market. However, I find myself spending my days doing more immediate things. Social networking, answering emails, taking on new clients, etc. The half-finished book keeps getting pushed to the backburner even though I know it's the thing that's going to have the biggest impact on my career and be the most helpful for my audience. Any suggestions for putting the other stuff aside and getting the book done without losing momentum with my audience in the process?”
A: Great question, Crystal! Very, very important one and I know millions of people are in you situation right now. In fact, I was talking to a young lady this morning, someone here. Hello! Who completely relates to this question, here's what I mean. Most people have a book either in their head or it's half-finished, or it's done and it's sitting in a drawer collecting dust. So we're going to handle this once and for all, right now.
Here are three easy strategies to help you get that sucker done without losing any momentum in your business: Strategy number one, schedule it, girl! You may have heard me say this before and I will say it again. If it's not scheduled, it's not real. You need to schedule clear writing chunks in your calendar and treat it like a meeting where you don't answer emails or take any phone calls. You also need to be super hard-core about eliminating any distractions that can interrupt your writing time. So quit out of any applications that ding or beep like Skype and Tweetback, and Facebook, and bop, bop, bop,wop, wee, toop, toop; like that.
Now if I were you, would work on writing first thing in the morning. This way the rest of your workday is free to be with your clients and also continue building your audience.
Strategy number two, is to use the site called 750words.com. This site is awesome because it is a free online tool that helps you continue writing without stopping each and every day. You can even set it up to send you email reminders which is awesome to guilt you into finishing your book.
Number three is my favorite strategy of all! You need to pony up and pay somebody! Here's what I mean, if you find it hard to discipline yourself. You may need to actually outsource your discipline. Here's what I did, when I was in the middle of writing Make Every Man Want You, I was also teaching about five hip-hop classes a week. I was choreographing fitness DVDs and I was also keeping my coaching practice going. So I had a lot going on. So I can completely relate to what you're going through. I knew that the only way I was going to actually get the book done was to hire a book coach.
I needed someone whose only job was to ride my ass every single week to get her chapters, to review things that I was working on and make sure that the thing actually got done. Trust me if you're serious about getting your book done, it's the most powerful and fastest way to ensure that it actually happens. Before we wrap this up, I want to share a great quote with you from Mr. David Campbell who is the founder of Saks Fifth Avenue. By the way, it's a tweetable!
"Discipline is remembering what you want." David Campbell via @MarieForleo
Ooh, doesn't that one get you in the gut? Got me in the gut. Did it get you in the gut? Yes. If you find yourself distracted or checking email or doing client work when you should be writing, ask yourself, "Is what I'm doing right now getting me any closer to getting what I really want?" If not, you better stop and get back on track.
Crystal, that's what I got for you. Use all these strategies and you're going to have your book done and flying off the shelves in no time! Now, stop watching YouTube videos and get back to work, woman! Just kidding! You can watch me all day long. Now if you have your own strategies to get a book or any other passion project done, leave a comment below this video.
Let me know how you do it. If you like this video, like it, share it with your friends, share it all over the world. And, if you never want to miss another episode of MarieTV, come over to marieforleo.com. Get on the newsletter list and I'll be in your inbox each and every Tuesday. Isn't that nice? Thank you so much for watching and I will catch you next time.
In the comments below, I’d love to hear your tips and strategies to get a book, or any other passion project, done – especially when you’re busy running your business.
Give me as many specifics, stories and resources as you can.
Your experience or insight might be just what someone else needs to trigger a breakthrough.
Of course, if you found this useful, please share it with your friends in the social media interwebs.