The Importance of Routine

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

These days are different. During two days this past week, I shoveled snow—not what you would expect but welcome to spring in Colorado. With the worldwide pandemic and lock down, I've had to use my online skills to figure out how to get food and renew prescriptions without going inside the stores. It took some some time but I've managed to work out these details. It's just one indicator of how our world is changing. Instead of going to my doctor's office for an appointment, I had a session with him online through an app on my phone. Everyone is learning new ways to get things done in our ever- changing world.

With businesses closed, I've been thinking about the importance of routine. Do you have a daily routine? If not, I encourage you to use this time to develop one. For example, as an acquisitions editor at Morgan James a key part of my regular routine is to work with authors, answer emails, return phone calls, negotiate contracts. While much of the world has been disrupted, I continue doing this work. Yesterday I had a phone session with an author and her literary agent. Today I will have a couple more of these sessions with authors. It's been a part of my routine and is something that I continue doing.

As a part of my daily routine, here's a running list of some of my activities—and they are not in any particular order or preference:

• learn new ways of doing things.
• read books and write reviews
• listen to books and write reviews
• continue to post on social media
• write these articles for the Writing Life
• write every day on my current writing projects
• answer emails and knock on new doors of possibilities

These items are just a few of my regular routines—which are mostly the same as last month and the month before that.  My encouragement to you is to establish a routine and stick with it even with our ever-changing world. Even if you are isolated and stuck inside, you can get up, get dressed and still accomplish a great deal at home. Yes I've had some events cancelled and postponed. I've had to cancel some airline trips and delay other projects. But I've also had authors sign their contracts and move their books forward into production with Morgan James. Also in recent weeks, I've completed writing projects and started new ones. 

In these different times, I encourage you to have a routine. If your business has changed or shut down for now, look to diversity your income stream. Do you have a topic that you can teach? Then create an online course and I have a simple product with a risk-free money back guarantee called the Simple Membership System. Also look at affiliate income possibilities. If yo don't know what I'm talking about then get this free Ebook I've created. Do you have an email list? If not, create one and get this inexpensive ebook called the List Building Tycoon to start an email list.

Long after this different period, books will continue to be published. Magazines will need writers for articles and online publications will need your writing. Radio shows and podcasts continue to need guests with relevant topics. These needs continue and you can fill them with a writer—if you are continuing your routine.

Are you continuing your routines or starting new ones? Let me know in the comments below.

 Tweetable:

While our world is changing, learn the importance of routine from this prolific editor and author. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

How Do You Handle Different?

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

I suspect I'm like most of you. I am not real keen on change. I love my routines and patterns. Through the years I've worked hard at things like consistency and persistence.

Yet our world has changed with the worldwide pandemic, the isolation and sheltering in place. It is all completely outside of our control but also things each of us can control. I've watched others shun the “order” and gather on the beach or in groups.  I have had some events cancelled. Others have been moved online. Last night I taught a local writers group instead of being in a home, we were on zoom. The technology worked well and we enjoyed the interaction and fellowship—even if it was a very different way for us to connect.

The good news is that long after this temporary situation has passed, books continue to be made and sold. I've continued working with new authors through my work at Morgan James to get their submissions processed and books contracted and published. In fact, our book sales are up from everything I hear from our publishing leadership.

I continue to write on books which will be published in the days ahead. I've got a couple of my books under contract with deadlines. These deadlines keep me focused on these manuscripts and moving them forward toward completion. My encouragement to you is that the work must continue and you are a key part of that writing since there are stories to be written that only you can write.

I encourage you during this time to:

1. Continue writing. Whether you make notes in a journal or write books or write ______.  I encourage you to seize the day and continue writing—whether you publish it or not.  I have a sense of urgency about the time we have and the need to seize it.

2. Keep creating book proposals. Even if you self-publish, you need a book proposal. Why? Because the proposal is your blueprint and business plan about your target market and how you will reach that market with your book. I know it takes lots of time and energy to put together a complete book proposal. From my experience the time will be well-spent and is encouraged.

3. Keep finding places for your work to be published. You have to be working at new connections, new pitches and new relationships to succeed. If your books aren't reaching people, can you take part of that information and repurpose it as a magazine article or an online article? There are many possibilities and yes it takes work but you can do it and find places to publish.

4. Keep trying new things, new ways to consume books and new publications. You have to take action to pursue these things but don't get discouraged and keep trying new possibilities.

Why? The world needs your words. As I've written before your stories and your words can change lives—but not if it is only in your head. So get it out of your head and on paper then out to the world.

Yes our world is different with this worldwide pandemic. Your actions and how you handle it, will be key. What steps are you taking? Let me know in the comments below.

Tweetable:

When the world is different how do you handle it? Get ideas from this prolific editor and author. (ClickToTweet)