As soon as I decided to write my next book, my thoughts jumped to the “project”. I picked up a pen and started to break out the work. My initial list looked something like this.
- Outline
- Write
- Research
- Reorganize
- Write transitions
- Revise
- Edit
- Publish
But Why?
After doing what I usually do by jumping in to “get it done”, I decided to step back and reflect on the most important motivating factor for this project. Why.
Without “the why”, lots of other projects will crowd it out. My motivation will wane, I will use my writing time to develop my next big idea.
Why should I spend my precious time, my energy, and my money to hire key functional assistants, like editors?
So, I asked, “What is the purpose of this book?” Here are my reasons.
- I have done over 50 presentations and workshops to project professionals across the country. After every one, participants ask for more. They want to know where they can find out more about the topics, techniques, and tools I have given them.
The primary purpose of this project is to get my ideas and observations out of my head and organized so project professionals can use them to make personal change. This will make them more successful in every area of life.
- The second reason is to reach a wider audience than project managers so other business professionals can improve their communications and build strong working relationships.
- Another reason for writing this book is to build personal and professional credibility with the people I serve so I can serve even more professionals.
After getting really clear on why writing this book is so important to me, it suddenly became very easy for me to block out time to work on it AND to show up.
What’s your Why?
Whether you are writing a book, planning to climb Everest, or creating a new app to homeschool your kids, what is your Why? If your reasons are not important enough (to you), your project will never get finished. If, however, your project feeds your soul, you will get it finished.