Flip Your Cube

Living a Writerpreneur life can be overwhelming. Self-employed writers need to wear many hats. Of course, there’s the writing. That’s the core of our career. There’s also all the other actions that require attention: marketing, banking, goal setting, correspondence, reading, learning, and research. Plus there are those other important elements of family, recreation, and home life.

I used to stress “balance” in life. That each element got a little bit of time each day. I realized that’s not realistic. When a writing deadline looms, that takes precedent; when a family member needs attention, they take the lead. Instead of balance, I now strive for harmony. I think of life like a piece of music, where each part is one of the instrumental lines. Sometimes one instrument takes the solo, at others another. Underneath those solos is a strong foundation because each element of our lives gets to shine and when it’s not in the spotlight supports the others.

How do we find this harmony? I believe in a slow-play approach to marketing and career building. I’m going to be a writer for a long time so I don’t have to do everything all at once. There’s time to build my career a little at a time, by doing one thing a day. During my live Writerpreneur events, I give participants a small wood cube. When you look at a cube, there’s no way to see all its sides at once. We need to turn the cube over again and again to see all its facets. Our careers are the same. We can’t see all of the aspects of them at the same time. While I look at the big picture now and again, each day I focus on a small goal step and do one thing toward a positive outcome.

How do I decide what takes the solo? I turn the cube each day on my desk to remind myself. I prioritize my to-do list and break up my day into chunks. Today may be writing 1000 good words for a deadline. If it’s a marketing day I may do a little thing (like changing my email signature or adding material to my website) or something big (like developing a piece of a book release media campaign).

I’ve also learned to turn off my computer at a reasonable hour each day and spend time with my family, pets, and social pursuits. By not trying to do everything at once, by giving one thing priority and focus, harmony has entered my Writerpreneur life.

Have you flipped your cube today?