Self-Publishing Authors: You Only Have So Much Space & Time
It's time to figure out when to keep something and when to cut it.
I like to start things.
I like to start things a lot.
And what happens is the typical thing. I do too much, get burned out, and fail at everything.
And oddly enough, this happens to many writers and self-publishing authors. And so today, I thought I would share this behind-the-scenes look at what I have been working on and some things I will cut out.
I want to do it all like that spoiled little girl from Willy Wonka.
***Read to the tune of I Want It All from Willy Wonka***
I want to write books.
I want to write articles.
I want to make short videos and post them all over the internet.
Alright, now that I got that out of my system, I wanted to be honest. I do want to start lots of different projects. I want to see myself succeed in all the things. But, I really can’t do it.
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We have to work within our realities.
What I have learned is that I can’t have it all. Not across all the things anyway. But I can have it all with my one true love.
Books, articles, and emails.
If I can really focus on these things, then I will be in good shape. I don’t need to do YouTube/Instagram/TikTok videos. I also don’t need to be creating daily podcasts (maybe a podcast altogether with my current reality).
The reality at my house is this:
A family
A cat, two dogs, and a dozen chickens.
A day job
A home church
And trying to get a home build moving along.
Typing all of this blow my mind. That is a lot going on. And I have the audacity to think that I can act like a full-time creator and do a bunch of projects at once.
What a fool.
Refocus: Shelve the things to shelve, focus on the good ones.
Well, now that I am coming off of vacation, I am ready to get myself back on track.
Cut List
Yet, with all the things going on, I have to cut some things out. And so, here I am cutting a few things to get where I want to be.
Videos. Yes, atomic videos can be done rather easily. But I don’t have the time to always be ready to get online and create videos.
Podcast. The Minimalist Author Podcast has to go for now. The platform I was using won’t let me record from my phone, so its getting cut at this time.
Social Media. I am cutting a lot of my social media work outside of Substack Notes. I’m still posting my articles on Facebook and LinkedIn, but I said goodbye to X recently.
Focus List
So, those are the things out the window. But, I don’t want to leave a negative note, so here are a few things I am really going to focus on:
Substack: The Minimalist Author two times a week. And Self-Publishing Daily five days a week. Plus, Coffee with Jesus once a week.
Medium: I continue to write five days a week on Medium. Some of these are repurposed from Substack, but for the most part, this is one of my favorite platforms (after Subtack of course).
Books: I am finishing up book six of twelve for my 12 Books in 12 Months Challenge. It should be out by the end of the month. And then I will have six months left.
Alright, that is all I have for the positives. I am basically doubling down on these things.
Final Thoughts on Space and Time
I’m not sure why I am so stuck on the Willy Wonka, but I thought I would leave you with one of the few things that have stuck with me for all of my life. Pure Imagination. For some reason, it reminds me of space, time, and reality.
Maybe, I am just a bit odd lately.
My name is J.R. Heimbigner, and I am a #1 Bestselling Author on Amazon with 14 self-published books. I have two things I want to share with you:
A short book to help you use your Substack posts to write books.
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Also, this post may contain sales or affiliate links, so I might get a little kickback if you purchase anything. Thank you in advance!
Exactly. That’s why I made myself my own Simple Planning Journal. It has helped me publish two books. Learn and start Substack and post on Medium in the past month.
We do have to watch our time. I asked God to show me what to cut and what to add.
Since Substack allows me to upload a .wav podcast, I did it!!! My first one. I have a bunch saved from podcasting in 2018. I’m not sure but maybe you can podcast directly? I have to look into that.
Great article. Thanks.
We can get distracted by the shiny things. It’s critical that we understand our Why, be comfortable with capacity, give ourselves grace, and give focus that moves us toward our mission.