Today’s episode is a fun look at some of the ways we’re trying to get more out of our schedules, writing plans, and tackling multiple projects at once. We dive into napping, multitasking, and much more!
Seth Wilks writes in: “Would it be better to release stories as they come out, doing the full edit cycle, or wait for several to be done, and release at the same time after editing? What are your thoughts?”
- Nick’s take: “The fact that you have a plan means that you’re already ahead of the game. More power to you!”
- Justin’s take: “It seems like you’d be better off writing the ‘full cycle,’ because you’ll be so much better at writing in general after you finish a complete book.”
- Kevin’s take: “I agree with Justin, but I love the idea of having a body of work ready to go.”
Further reading on this topic: Hugh Howey: The Liliana Nirvana Technique (write 5 books, release 4 all at once, and then release the next one a month later)
Bottom line: If you’re focused on writing the best possible books, it probably makes more sense to release one book at a time. But if you’re confident that your work is good, you’ll probably have more success launching them closer together.
Seth also asks: “What do you think is the best way to get lots of writing done while also doing other big projects?”
Nick’s take: “I ‘theme’ my days: Monday is for meetings, Tuesday is for weekly (small) projects, etc. Since I have a day job at a church, I have to build in my writing time around that schedule. While I try to write every single day, I have to ‘theme’ what type of writing I’m doing depending on the day of the week.”
Kevin’s take: “Figure out what your strengths are, and schedule around that. Do a lot of writing/work in advance, then ‘batch’ launch it or schedule it so that while it’s being published, you’re working on the rest of the projects.”
Justin’s take: “Multitasking. While you’re watching movies to get the ‘feel’ for what you’re working on, you can be writing or drawing. What I’ve found works the best is playing to my mood. I know I’m creative and undistracted in the morning, so that’s when I’m going to be the best.”
Also mentioned is this episode:
- Kevin Costner on Building His Career, Positive Self-Talk, and Making Dances with Wolves Happen
- How I Work On Several Projects At Once – Productivityist.com
- Writing Two Books At Once – Productivityist.com
- Sara Mednick – Take a Nap, Change Your Life (the science behind why we’re more productive/creative in the morning)
- Telltale Games (Justin Sloan’s job)
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