Morgan MacDonald : Hello. We’re doing a car Scope today. I’m NOT driving. I’m sitting in the parking a lot. But if YOU want to talk about the real secret to … Thanks! Welcome as you’re joining… making time for your writing, or ANYTHING important in your life, then stick around That’s what we’re talking about…. Hey guys! Come on in. Tell me what your name is, and where you’re from.
Jessica Booth : ( https://twitter.com/FolktaleJess ) : Hi
Morgan MacDonald : … Jessica (@societyofmossandlace ). Cool.
Joann Krall ( https://twitter.com/JoannKrall ) : Hi from Boston.
Morgan MacDonald : … Hi Joann from Boston… Hey guys! Welcome. Come on in.
Jessica Booth : ( https://twitter.com/FolktaleJess ) I'm Jessica from Illinois
Morgan MacDonald : … Jessica, from Illinois. Nice. …Thanks for the hearts guys… I see Kesha join the room. Welcome. So yes, I am in the car. I am actually outside my Tae Kwon Do studio. If you are new to me, I do Tae Kwon Do. I’m an orange belt [laughter], which is one step about white belt, which means I don’t fall over when I try to kick. So we are making progress. I am trying to prioritize exercise and being healthy in life. So this is the best time for me to come.
If you’re new, go ahead and type “new” in the box, so I can make sure to say, “Hi” to you. Several of you ARE new. Who else is in here? Who snuck in?… Miguel just joined, [and] Ronnie and Anita…
RonnieWrote ( https://twitter.com/Ronniewrote ) : Hi Veronica from Arizona! Just got in your email list.
Morgan MacDonald : … Veronica. Hi from Arizona… You just got on my email list? Thanks! I hope you reply… I send an email asking you about your biggest writing problems. So reply to that, because I REALLY DO want to know.
MIguel Rubbio ( https://twitter.com/migg300 ) : Hey Morgan.
Morgan MacDonald : … Hey Miguel. Welcome… Okay guys. I’ve got thirteen minutes before class starts [laughter] , and I should really probably stretch so that I don’t hurt myself. I’m going to Tae Kwon Do, for those of you who’ve just joined. I’m an orange belt. It’s pretty awesome [laughter].
Okay. So we’re talking about how you really make time for writing OR the most important thing in your life, really. I get this question a lot – especially from my “mom” friends – because I have three small kids [who are] five, three and almost one. [Then I also] run a business, and wrote a book …Thanks for the hearts guys… and so a lot of people are like, “How in the world do you make time to write books, and run [your] business?”, And now I’m doing Tae Kwon Do. “So how do you do this?”
[First off, let’s do a] quick intro. …Thanks you guys for the hearts… If you like what we’re talking about, tap on the screen to give hearts. If you love to talk about writing, and inspiration and motivation, hit the little “Peri Dude” down there in the corner [to] change the “plus” sign to a “check”. That will you notifications [which] let you know when I’m live, and then you can catch the replays later. If you know someone who wants to make more time for writing in their life, swipe and share. You can share on Periscope, or Twitter or Facebook. And you can find all of the notes and replays and transcripts [at] http://www.paperravenbooks.com/periscope [which is] where I run my business and blog.. Thanks guys. I’m feeling good. This [Scope] is going to be a good one [laughter]… Thank you Miguel for sharing. I appreciate it.
I am Morgan Gist MacDonald. I’m a writing coach, an editor, and author. I help you write your book, from vague idea, to first draft, to finished manuscript. And I really believe that books can not only change your business or platform, but really and truly change your life.
Ron Estrada (https://twitter.com/RonEstrada ) : Hey.
Morgan MacDonald : …Hey Ron! Welcome to the room. You’re sneaking away from lunch. I know it’s a little bit late in your neck of the woods [laughter].Great Scope this morning, by the way…. So yes. How do you make TIME for things like writing? So I’ve got a few practical suggestions. I like practical suggestions, and I want to get REAL with you, because it’s NOT EASY to make time for writing.
I know that life is busy. But here’s, kind of, the reality check that I want to give first. We have a tendency – I don’t know if it’s a modern culture thing, or what – to pack our schedules COMPLETELY FULL. It’s like no matter what day, or week, or season it is, the day is FULL [laughter]. Even if we have a Saturday that’s clear we end up filling it with who-knows-what? [Then] by the end of the day we’re like, “Man, where did that day go? I have no idea what I did with my day.” So we need to RECOGNIZE that we have this tendency. I don’t know why we do it, but it’s a persistent, pervasive problem, so that we pack our days FULL, and [then] don’t know what to do next.
So when we’re talking about making time for things – and it seems like every new habit that you want to acquire, or every goal that you want to pursue, involves an investment of time. So when you are already packed full, how do you invest more time? Okay. So let’s get real. These are [some ways] that I think about creating more time in my day.
Number one is : outsourcing. I don’t DO everything in my life. You know that phrase, “How does she do it all?”. I don’t [laughter]. I don’t do it all. There are several major ways in which I outsource in my life, and [it] has made [things] CONSIDERABLY better. Yes, it’s an investment of money, but I can MAKE money. You know? We can make money in lots of different pursuits, but we can’t make more time …Thanks you guys for the hearts. I really appreciate that. [It’s] like [a] steady stream [where] I’m like, “Okay. We’re getting momentum. We’re going to make this work, [and] it’s going to be good.”
So yes. Let me give you some examples. I have a nanny who works for us four full days a week, and then on some Fridays when I have worked myself too full during the week [laughter]
Ron Estrada (https://twitter.com/RonEstrada ) : It's a heart war.
Morgan MacDonald : … It's a heart war… That’s the kind of war I like [laughter]… So bringing her on [nearly] full-time – [like] four days with the option of five days – has made my life considerably better. And when I brought her on I didn’t JUST ask her to watch the kids, [but also] asked her to do the laundry and clean, [and so] that’s a LOT of help [laughter]. She helps out with the kids, does all of the laundry, changes the sheets, cleans the whole house, sweeps and mops, and I feel like I’m getting an AMAZING deal, because she’s like part of our family. So if you’re a mom – I had to let go of a lot of “mom guilt” to be able to embrace someone who helps out so much in our home.
But there are OTHER ways you can outsource too. Is there a CHORE, or something that you really hate doing that drains your energy at a particularly pivotal part of the day? Like maybe dinner just drains your energy…
Tracy Borgmeyer ( https://twitter.com/tracyborgmeyer ) : Oh, “mom guilt”.
Morgan MacDonald : … Tracy says, “Oh, mom guilt.”… We KNOW that… Maybe you would like to write at NIGHT, but by the time you get through with dinner, and – if you have kids, getting everyone to bed – you don’t have the energy that you would need to write. Okay. So THINK about that. Is there ANYTHING that you can, in some way, outsource or have handled for you, that would help you maintain that energy through the evening. I mean, maybe you could do more prepared foods for dinner, so you’re not making the dinner from scratch. Maybe you could make BATCHES of dinner so that you have leftovers every other night. That’s what WE do. I make slow-cooker meals every other day.
So that’s NOT EXACTLY outsourcing, but there’s nothing wrong with driving by the grocery store and picking up a pre-paid meal. Who cares? My profession is not chef [laughter]. That is not how I make money. Someone else is much better at making food than I am.
Jessica Booth : ( https://twitter.com/FolktaleJess ) : Freeze ahead stuff! Yeah.
Morgan MacDonald : … Freeze ahead stuff… Yeah. Exactly…So there are different ways that you can problem-solve particular areas of your day. Maybe you just have a laundromat [where] you drop off and pick up laundry, [and] they actually wash and fold for you. Why not? I mean, think about the different ways that you WASTE energy on this other stuff, and then you don’t have energy at the end of the day to write, That’s what I would challenge you to think about, “Is there anything you can outsource?”
Then number two [is to] IGNORE [laughter] …
Jessica Booth : ( https://twitter.com/FolktaleJess ) : Time management – a constant struggle for me.
Morgan MacDonald : .. Jessica says, “Time management [is] a constant struggle for me.”… Yes. Usually time manages US, and that is the problem. We have to, kind of, turn it around and establish our priorities. So if you don’t feel like you can outsource something, can you IGNORE it [laughter]? I definitely do this. I only handle MAIL once a week, because it’s not super important. I mean, yeah I bring it in and throw the junk in the trash immediately. But then the other stuff just sits in the pile until Friday afternoon, and that’s when I handle my mail. Because it’s [just] bills and stuff that aren’t due for 30 days.
MIguel Rubbio ( https://twitter.com/migg300 ) : I'm a good cook but I don't even have time to cook sometimes!
Morgan MacDonald : Miguel says, “I'm a good cook but I don't even have time to cook sometimes.”… I feel you Miguel [laughter] … And so are there little things that you have become ATTACHED to that you FEEL like you have to organize, but you don’t really HAVE to organize? LIke my sister-in-law. She freaks out if the trash is not taken out every day… Okay. You can take out the trash every day if you want, but don’t make it a RULE that in order to be happy you have to take out the trash, or whatever. Because if you think about all of the LITTLE things that add up, that you think you HAVE to have…
RonnieWrote ( https://twitter.com/Ronniewrote ) : Yes periscope is now taking up all my time, lol!
Morgan MacDonald : … [laughter] Yeah, Periscope has taken all of my time too, Ronnie [laughter] .. in order to feel happy, or calm, or peaceful, see if there’s anything that you can just knock out. Just say, “Actually, I don’t need that to be done in order to be peaceful.” There are SOME things, right? [For example] just out of habit I make my bed every day. I don’t know, my husband is like, “Why are you making the bed?” [and] I’m lie, “I don’t know. It’s just what I do.” That’s not something that stresses me out.
Ron Estrada (https://twitter.com/RonEstrada ) : Must Scope!
Morgan MacDonald : … [laughter] Must Scope…But if there are certain, almost like, OCD [type] idiosyncrasies that you are HOLDING ON to… I love that you guys are just like chatting away. Yáll go to town [laughter]. It’s awesome… Maybe you can let go of some of your OCD. Maybe you don’t HAVE to be OCD. If you weren’t running around the house, picking and cleaning up every last little thing, and organizing the toys, and whatever, maybe you would have an extra 25 minutes to write! Just a thought [laughter].
Then the third thing is : sacrifice. So we’ve talked about outsourcing and ignoring, and now we are going to talk about sacrificing. Because this is really what it comes down to. This is where they, kind of, all boil down. We ultimately have to sacrifice something else in order to make time for writing, or whatever is important in our lives. I usually go through SEASONS of sacrifice. When I’m in a “season of writing”, as I call it – because I’m not trying to write every single day for the whole year. I don’t think that’s reasonable for normal people with real lives [laughter]. I have seasons of writing where I’ll try to write three to five hours a week for two to three months. That’s enough to either put out a BOOK, or something EQUIVALENT to a book.
So right now I’m actually working on a COURSE. So I’m in “course writing season”. I just came into this full-force, and so starting last week I started getting up at 4:30 in the morning. I’m sacrificing sleep. It, kind of, sucks, but I know it’s [merely] for this season. So I didn’t want to sacrifice any part of my BUSINESS day, and I didn’t want to sacrifice Tae Kwon Do – obviously, [as] here I am in my Tae Kwon Do studio parking lot [laughter]. So I’m getting up at 4:30 in the morning, and really trying to spend between 30 and 40 minutes working on the course, because it’s not all writing. Some of it is doing slides and things like that. But I know that I want it finished by the end of November. So this is a SEASON, and I’m okay with that because there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. So it, kind of, sucks, but sometimes there’s a season where you sacrifice something.
MIguel Rubbio ( https://twitter.com/migg300 ) : Morgan [I’ve] opened a new Twitter account so i can use my real name!
Morgan MacDonald : … MIguel says, “Morgan [I’ve] opened a new Twitter account, so I can use my real name!”… Oh, you’ve opened up a new Twitter account. Okay. Find me on Twitter. Send me a tweet or something :
@morgangmac ( https://twitter.com/morgangmac ). I want to follow your new Twitter account.
So that’s it guys. It’s really something for you to think about. If you know that you want to make more time for writing, or something ELSE that’s important in your life, really, sort of, lay out your day. If there’s a time and a day where you would LIKE to write, but you don’t have the energy, is there something you can OUTSOURCE, or IGNORE, or something that you can SACRIFICE? I feel like I’ve already sacrificed tv [laughter] – [as] I hardly watch any tv – but maybe you sacrifice one of your tv shows instead of sleep. Or maybe you sacrifice Periscope. That would be very sad [laughter].
Jessica Booth : ( https://twitter.com/FolktaleJess ) : Yes my nighttime writing is rubbish.
Morgan MacDonald : … Your nighttime writing is rubbish… ME too!
Tracy Borgmeyer ( https://twitter.com/tracyborgmeyer ) : Volunteer work… I think I need to let go of that for sure.
Morgan MacDonald : … “Volunteer work… I think I need to let go of that for sure.”…Tracy, There’s a reason why I’m not in that mom’s group anymore [laughter], because I just don’t have time for mom’s group activities. I just don’t. Cut. Nix [laughter]…
Jessica Booth : ( https://twitter.com/FolktaleJess ) : I'm better in the day
Morgan MacDonald : …Yeah. I agree. I write better in the morning than the evenings too. So those are good things to know about yourself also, [like] when are you most productive? Because sometimes … [irrelevant comment] … we try to create time in a portion of the day when it’s NOT most productive for us. So actually, I can get more done in 30 minutes first thing in the morning….
Jessica Booth : ( https://twitter.com/FolktaleJess ) : Got to run! Great to catch you live!
Morgan MacDonald : …Yeah. Thanks, Jessica, for being here…
Kay-Zee ( https://twitter.com/kenzelsfire ) : Writing is like losing weight. You'll do it when ur ready no one can do it 4 u.
Morgan MacDonald : … “writing is like losing weight….”… Ugh! I missed that comment. Post again if you can.. For me, getting 30 minutes of writing in first thing in the morning is not the equivalent of getting a FULL HOUR in the evening. I’m pretty much TWICE as productive in the morning
Tracy Borgmeyer ( https://twitter.com/tracyborgmeyer ) : Although I'm glad you were in the moms group!
Morgan MacDonald : … Tracy says, “I’m glad you were in the mom’s group.”… Me too. That’s how we met.
Kay-Zee ( https://twitter.com/kenzelsfire ) : [You’re] connection is breaking up.
Morgan MacDonald : .. Kenzel says my connection is breaking up. .. Okay. Alrighty guys. That’s my message for you. It is now 1:00 pm. I’m going to go run in and do some hitting and kicking and fun Tae Kwon Do things [laughter]
MIguel Rubbio ( https://twitter.com/migg300 ) : This phone [likes] to make its own words
Morgan MacDonald : … Yeah, Miguel. Auto-correct is a beast. It’s true…. So I hope you guys have a fantastic day, and I will see you soon. Think about outsourcing, ignoring your little OCD tendencies, and think about sacrificing something, for just a SEASON of writing. Alrighty guys. Catch you later. Thank you. Bye.
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