| y"> | | | | Let's say you want to publish your book in a year |
| "My job is an endless series of deadlines, I am | | | | (Not impossible - some writers can finish a book in |
| constantly putting out fires" You've probably | | | | a couple of months or less). Twelve months from |
| heard talk like that a time or two. You may sound | | | | now, write, "First printing of (Title) delivered" You |
| like that yourself on occasion. | | | | have the goal, the published book, and you have |
| Are you a planner or a "firefighter"? Of course | | | | the time, twelve months. Now carve up the goal. |
| you know that real firefighters plan more than | | | | 2. Take small steps toward big results. |
| most of us do - to be ready to save lives and | | | | What needs to happen before the book is |
| property when the emergency occurs. Not so for | | | | published? Make a list. Just brainstorm with |
| those of us who just play it by ear and hope that | | | | yourself or a friend on all the things you know or |
| everything will turn out okay. | | | | think have to be done. Write them down, as you |
| If you want to be a failure, then don't bother to | | | | think of them - in no particular order. Then put |
| plan; avoid any phrase, document, or discussion | | | | them in the order in which you believe they need |
| with the word "plan" in it. You see, planning is only | | | | to be done. For instance, proof reading will need |
| a habit of the really successful, so if you want to | | | | to be completed before the final printing; getting |
| steer clear of that lot, no planning is the | | | | the book copyrighted will come after editing, and |
| guaranteed modus operandi. | | | | so on. Find out what time it will take for each |
| A major reason we don't plan is that we have to | | | | step and allocate that in the plan. |
| deal with the future, and the future forces us to | | | | Of course the major task is writing the book and |
| ask questions about what might or could be - as | | | | you should put a target number of words or |
| opposed to what was and what is. Because the | | | | pages to be completed each month, each week - |
| future is unclear, many believe that planning for it | | | | or even each day, if you can commit to more |
| is little more than guessing about the unknown. | | | | than one day a week. |
| Life's greatest challenge is making a plan for what | | | | 3. Ask for help |
| we would love to do at some time in the future. | | | | Plans change for all kinds of reasons. A resource |
| We know we need a plan. But we don't know | | | | you thought you had may not be available any |
| how to get started. Here's a way you might try: | | | | more, or you have personal or business problems |
| 1. Plan backwards. | | | | that you didn't expect. These things will inevitably |
| Start with the desired outcome or result. Take a | | | | throw you off balance, but keep your goal firmly |
| period of time, say a year. Take a goal, and | | | | in front of you and you will maintain focus. Ask |
| divide the year by the goal to end up with | | | | those who have been there on the same journey |
| segments of the goal. So you have twelve | | | | or project for help. Get on the Internet for tips |
| months to achieve the goal. You break the goal | | | | on writing, planning, goal achieving, etc. There are |
| down into segments of "next steps", and you | | | | so many resources out there available to us that |
| break the year into months or weeks. Allocate a | | | | there is no excuse today to not have a plan to |
| period of time for completion of each step, | | | | reach your goal and fulfill your dream. |
| working backwards from the final step. | | | | |