5 Tips for Getting Your Book Written and Off Your To-Do List

June had worked hard to fine-tune the subject of her book. She had an outline ready to go but she hadn’t written a word of her book. After a month, she reached out and asked, “How can I get this done?”

Here’s my advice to business owners who are struggling to get their book completed…

Break It Down
Start by choosing the date you want to have the book completed by. Then count the remaining days and divide that number by how many pages you want to write.

If you want the first draft completed in two months and you plan for your book to be 150 pages, that’s 75 pages a month. That might sound difficult, but it’s only 2-3 pages of content a day.

Start Anywhere
If you’ve already outlined your upcoming book, then don’t feel like you have to start your writing session with chapter one. Begin writing the chapter that catches your eye, even if it’s in the middle of your book.

This tip helped June start work on chapter 7 of her book. It was a topic she was already familiar with and she knew what her main points would be. She was surprised when she quickly finished chapter 7 and was looking forward to writing more.

Get an Accountability Partner
Connect with someone who will hold you accountable to your goal word count. Commit to texting or messaging your partner every day with your word count. It is hard to let another person down.

Your accountability partner could be another digital business owner, a business coach, a good friend, or even a family member. Just make sure the person you choose to text is supportive of your efforts and that they will not give you a free pass if you slack off.

Create Writing Appointments
You keep putting “write my book” on your to-do list but it never seems to get done. You’re constantly shuffling that task from one list to the next. If this is a problem for you, create a writing appointment on your calendar.

Treat this writing session like you would a doctor’s appointment. You wouldn’t show up late or decide to skip it at the last minute. If you work from home and your environment is too distracting to focus on your work, consider switching locations. It might be that you feel more focused and inspired at your local library or inside a coffee shop.

Turn It into a Game
Another way to encourage yourself to keep writing on your book is to turn it into a game. One writer gives herself a gold star on the calendar for each day she writes. She hates the thought of breaking her streak so she makes sure to write at least a few paragraphs each day.

You can also give yourself rewards after you reach a milestone. Maybe after you finish that chapter, you can take a walk around the neighborhood. Perhaps when you’ve shown up for 10 writing sessions in a row, you get to go see a movie at your local theater.

The important thing with turning your writing into a game is to give yourself a reward you want. If you pick something you don’t care about, you won’t work as hard and you may still find yourself avoiding your sessions.

Writing a book is like going to the gym. It’s hard to do at first but once you adjust to the routine, it can quickly become your favorite part of the day!