These are the words of Matt Jardine, Balboa Press author of “The Hardest Path”. Matt answered the call to write his book and self-publish with Balboa Press. For more information on Matt, check out his website, Facebook Page and Twitter. Download the Balboa Press free publishing guide to receive more information.
Make Time to Tell Your Story
We all have a story to tell, a book straining to get out, yet many are still living with their metaphorical ‘best song’ still trapped inside. If you are anything like me, the idea of writing a book while juggling myriad day-to-day activities is overwhelming.
Children to feed, shopping, partners to please, food to prepare, clothes to wash, cleaning to do, work deadlines to make. It is almost out of the question to add something else to your to-do-list. But I tell you, from experience, it can be done, and I’m going to show you how.
Deep Work
Allow me to borrow the title of Cal Newport’s book ‘Deep Work,’ and the overarching theme contained within to show how we might juggle our lives and writing our masterpiece.
Deep work is the type characterized by one hundred percent commitment, focus and undistracted attention. Its undiluted essence allows the worker to tap deep and often latent, natural mental and human resources that lead to insightful, inspired and high-level results. Deep work is not necessarily lengthy- arguably it is impossible to maintain this level of deep concentration for too long. However, it is this short, consistent and committed effort that’ll allow us to start, middle and finish our book project.
Let’s see how this might work amidst our hectic lives. With this new tactic of deep work, we don’t need to find hours upon hours of extra time that, realistically, we’ll never uncover.
Instead, we need to communicate to our families and loved ones the importance of the book project we are desperate to fulfill. We ask for their blessing to honor a sensible schedule (I suggest 3 one hour sessions a week as a minimum).
Dedication Pays Off
Ask to be wholly and entirely left alone to work your craft for these limited hours. In return, you agree, in the other hours, to fully commit on their needs in a display of mutual give and take- breathing in and breathing out, the essence of a healthy life.
In time you will become accomplished in the art of deep work, and you will reap its rewards. Not only will you watch your word count pile up into sentences, paragraphs, chapters and finished books. You will also observe the awards of your careful attention sowed upon others in your life.
They will welcome the undistracted attention, the undiluted love, and deeply felt communication. And who knows, inspired by you- a new shining beacon of mindful focus and deep work- one of your loved ones may come to you one day for your blessing and help in writing their own story, book, and a symphony of syllables.
Balboa Press authors who’d like to share a 350-600 word experience related to the self-publishing of their books are invited to do so through the submission form on the Guidelines page. We may not be able to use every story, but we will read and consider them. Balboa Press reserves the right to edit stories for content, grammar, and punctuation accuracy; as well as for space
This is so wonderful Matt. It deeply touched my soul. As an author and mother of two, “the idea of writing a book while juggling myriad day-to-day activities is overwhelming” as you accurately describe. And even though I have a published book (in which this very topic is included), there is certainly more works within that are desperate to come out. Writing is like breathing for me–I can’t not do it! However, taking care of the children and the domestic tasks takes a fair chunk of my time and energy. Your outline of ‘Deep Work’ is going to really help me. What great, practical advice. I’ll be checking out your book too. Thanks for sharing. From one writer to another–keep writing and smiling–hopefully both at the same time!