Authors Must Act On To-Do Lists

 

 

With so much organizational technology, so many bestselling self-help books, and lots of time management resources at our disposal, we still have a ton of authors who procrastinate, forget to do things, or truly manage their days poorly. This is unacceptable if writers are serious about wanting their books to be bought, read, talked about, and given recognition. 

Authors fail to gain readership because they simply do not market enough. Plain and simple. There is no mystery to this. Books don’t sell themselves. Authors can’t just hope and pray for discovery, the way seven people merely wish to get rescued from Gilligan’s Island. 

So, regardless of what marketing approach you take, you need to make a list, check it twice, and make a point of executing your plan. But if you refuse to set goals, map out a strategy, and construct daily lists of tasks to be performed, you will wake up tomorrow a day older and no closer to your dreams. 

Not sure where to get some advice about how to punch through a to-do list, allocate your time efficiently, and be more productive? 

Try searching these resources: 

* Time-Tracking Apps

* Alarms On Phones

* Self-Help Books

* Time Management YouTube Videos

* Social Media Backs

* Informative Blogs

* Instructional Podcasts

* Inspiring Seminars

* Resourceful Webinars

* Motivational Coaches

* Organizational Therapists 

Folks, the solution is too simple to believe. Make a list. Do those things. Sleep. Wake up and repeat the process. This is a basic life skill. You are your own boss. You set the agenda. It is in your hands  

Just try:

* Pen and paper

* Your phone’s notes section

* Post-its

* Calendars

* An accountability buddy

* Anything and everything

Just do it. Now. Tomorrow. Every day.  

The thing about to-do lists is they push us. We never find enough time in the day to finish what is on our list. The more we accomplish the more likely we will add to our list some new things that we want to accomplish. That’s ok. Setting some goals leads to setting new or bigger ones. That is how we get stuff done.  

Most of us spend time fearing and ignoring our list, whether it is written down or in our head. We avoid what we have to do by tending to secondary things or areas that leave us at a deficit, some escapist, addictive behavior that puts us further in a hole. We then make excuses, to others and ourselves as to why we didn’t accomplish anything. Or worse, we stop shifting blame because we simply stopped thinking about what should be done.   

Look, it is up to you. I don’t care if you don’t enjoy marketing. Either you do it or outsource it -- or do both. But not doing anything is simply a plan to achieve nothing.  

Need PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.