010 You're Not Too Busy to Write Your Book
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[00:00:00] When I speak to would be authors about what stopped them writing their book, the number one reason that comes up again and again is this, I just don't have time to write it. I'm just too busy. Sometimes they haven't started writing, sometimes they've started but not finished, but it's the same reason, [00:00:15] I'm too busy.
Now, I get it. I have used that reason myself. I've got a lot of sympathy for that answer. But in this episode, I'm going to be controversial and tell you that the lack of time is not the thing that's stopping you writing a book. And also look at what really is. Let's discuss.
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Welcome to the Raw Leader.
My name is Simon Holley. And my [00:00:45] aim is to help you get your message out by helping you write, coach your lead with less stress, more clarity, and greater impact. Thank you for joining me today. And we are looking at why I'm pretty confident that being too busy is not the reason that you've not written that book you've wanted to write for ages.[00:01:00]
It's the reason we give ourselves and sometimes it's true I'll give you that but most of the time it is not and here's why well, I mean, let's take writing your book for example I mean, how long is it going to take you? Okay, let's break it down.
Well, the average nonfiction book is 20 to [00:01:15] 40, 000 words. I encourage authors to aim for 30, 000 words because people like shorter books these days, typically. So a good pace to write your first draft is around 250 words an hour. That's pretty average. So to write 30, 000 words, you're looking at [00:01:30] around 120 hours.
So if you're going to write it over about six months, which is a great time to write over, that's about five hours a week, basically less than 45 minutes a day. So when we say we don't have enough time to write a book, what we're saying is that we don't have five hours a week. to [00:01:45] spare a week or 45 minutes a day.
I would say unless your situation is extremely unusual, and it might be, I'll give you that. But unless it is, I would gently suggest that apart from a tiny percentage of people, everyone can find and does find [00:02:00] five hours a week to do something that they want to do. Just as an example, the average person in the UK spends one hour and 50 minutes on social media every day.
each day, not each week, but each day. That's the average. Some of us are spending a lot more. Another recent [00:02:15] survey showed that after sleep and rest, adults in the UK spend an average of three hours and 44 minutes each day on entertainment, socializing, and other free time activities. So to write a book, all you have to do is knock down 45 minutes a day of social media use or TV [00:02:30] watching and you would have the time.
You'd still be getting over two and a half hours of rest time, socializing, TV time, and you'd be getting your book written. So my friends, lack of time is the reason we tell ourselves to get ourselves off the hook. But it isn't the reason that we're [00:02:45] not writing the book. We want to write this book. We're desperate to write this book.
We've been talking about writing this book and thinking about it. But we use this excuse of a lack of time as a reason we're not doing it. I think for most of us, it just isn't true. We can keep telling ourselves [00:03:00] like that if we want to, but it just isn't true. I know it's controversial. You kind of knew this episode was going to be controversial, didn't you?
So what is the real reason? Well, in my work with authors, I've identified four key reasons that we actually don't write. the book that we want to [00:03:15] write. Number one, imposter syndrome. No one wants to read my book. Other books have been written before. The market's saturated. What right do I have to write a book?
People will think I'm arrogant if I write a book. My book won't sell. The reasons go on and on. I've heard them all multiple times, [00:03:30] but the root of it all is the same. Imposter syndrome. Merriam Webster's dictionary defines impostor syndrome as a persistent doubt concerning one's abilities or accomplishments accompanied by a fear of being exposed as a fraud despite evidence of one's ongoing [00:03:45] success.
We say it's because we don't have enough time, but the real reason is deeper. We feel like an imposter. If that rings true for you, you can download my free guide to dismantling imposter syndrome. You can get it at therawleader. com forward slash imposter. Get that thing [00:04:00] dismantled because it's stopping you writing your book.
Second reason is a lack of focus. One of the things that I do with authors is lead them through a process to identify what I call their raw message. It boils down to, who is this book aimed at? Who's the audience? Secondly, [00:04:15] what is the book going to achieve? What's going to help that audience achieve?
Where's it taking them from and where's it taking them to? Thirdly, how's it going to achieve that? What's the process you'll lead them through? And fourthly, What's it going to help them to avoid on that journey? Four components that are [00:04:30] critical to know before you start writing. And the reason I do that is I found so many authors lose their way midway through the book and then lose heart and stop writing.
So if you get a clear focus and then follow up with a clear outline, it removes a huge barrier to writing a [00:04:45] book. The third reason is lack of accountability.
One of the things that happens to many would be authors is that they've told their friends or their spouse or, or colleagues that they're gonna write a book and now deep down they are embarrassed because they're not making much progress. Progress. And they have these [00:05:00] awkward moments where people ask them, how's the book going?
They're trying to be encouraging. But for you, you're dying on the inside. Every time someone brings out, cause I haven't done anything in the last month. I did this with my first book. It was agony. I'd started the book, I told loads of people. And then every time someone mentioned the [00:05:15] book, I, I hadn't quite got as far as I wanted to.
And I just felt embarrassed. It was just so embarrassing. And that's the reality is that if you've not got this book, outside accountability, and you're struggling with writing a book. Every time you're thinking about writing a [00:05:30] book, you just feel awkward, you feel embarrassed, you've got these horrible feelings.
And of course, we're designed to avoid horrible feelings. And so you say that you're not writing because of lack of time. But it's really that the writing has been associated with all these horrible feelings deep down your psyche wants to avoid [00:05:45] those. I've been there. What you actually need though, is an objective person who can hold you to account and meets with you regularly to give you clear goals that you can agree and keep you moving.
It could be a friend, it could be another author, but someone who's going to help you make a plan [00:06:00] and help you fulfill that plan, help you hold yourself accountable to the plan that you've agreed. One of the authors I've been coaching message group this week say, I have, I've got an outline and I'm starting to write.
I can hardly believe I've got this far. I think he's been thinking about his book for about 10 [00:06:15] years. It's going to be such a fantastic book. It's going to help so many people. It's brilliant that it's now going to be written. So before we get to the last reason, maybe you've tried starting to write your book, and it's just not work for you, I am launching a new group coaching program [00:06:30] specifically designed to help people write their first book, you get to connect with others who are also writing their first book, learn as a group, help to build a mindset of an author.
help to get your raw message shaped, that you'll have accountability with me and together with the group for the whole [00:06:45] process. If you think that might help you, you can join the waiting list for that at the rawleader. com forward slash first book and I'll send you more information when it's available.
So the last reason the fourth reason that I've seen is feeling overwhelmed by the process. The thing that holds people back so [00:07:00] often is a lack of understanding and confidence in the publishing and the writing process. Basically feeling overwhelmed by it all. It's a bit of a maze to get your head around.
What are the options? How do you find a publisher? When it comes to self publishing, which is, in my opinion, is the best option for most authors today, it gets [00:07:15] worse. When I first self published, I watched a couple of YouTube videos and I was like, Oh, how can it be? Man, I love it. How hard can it be? Little did I know there are so many different routes and what looks simple on the YouTube channel has a minefield of complexity behind it.
Everything from what size should my book be [00:07:30] to how do I get it edited and formatted and get a cover created and upload it to Amazon online. The good news is that a lot of the information is available these days. You've just got to look, look for it. YouTube is a great resource. So there's never been a better time to publish your book.
Okay, so lack [00:07:45] of time isn't the real reason our book isn't getting written. We'd like to give that reason, but let's be honest, it's not the real reason. It's probably one of these other four. I hope that's been helpful. Don't forget you can download the imposter syndrome guide at therawleader. com forward slash imposter.
You can get on the wait list [00:08:00] forward slash first book. I hope this helps you to get your book written. I'll see you in another episode.
Yeah. [00:08:15] Yeah.
