“Six more, BARBARA DEE.”
My trainer sounds like both a boot camp sergeant and a kind hospice nurse. It’s the combo that works for me.
I’m pushing myself. I’m doing sets of life-giving exercises I could not imagine doing just a couple of months ago. It’s all about sets. Two of this, three of that. Repeat.
Breaking a large total number of reps into smaller, manageable sets makes these challenging workouts mentally easier to face—and to complete.
Finishing a small set gives a quick sense of accomplishment, boosting confidence (and dopamine), making it easier to start the next set. I never quit mid-set.
Rewind many years…
I’m working in a different office every day, helping small business owners and solopreneurs gain freedom. They can’t catch their breath because they’re drowning in desk clutter, incoming problem-projectiles, and mountains of to-dos—some important, some not.
It usually takes us 8–12 hours, but when I leave, everything is organized. Everything has a home, and everything is in its home. I take the contractor-size trash bag(s) out with me.
The client isn’t just breathing freely—they feel infinitely lighter.
The process was simple, but grueling. One decision after another, after another. One chunk at a time. Chunks are doable. Mountains are not.
Fast-forward to now.
I have a bossy boss. She is relentless in her pursuit of doing excellent work and keeping every client happy—two big challenges I’m tasked with meeting all day, every day.
Okay… yes. I’m my own boss.
I can only keep this up because, over decades of being self-employed, I’ve developed one habit that makes everything work: time blocks.
In a time-blocked calendar, every part of your workday has a designated purpose. You proactively decide how to use your most valuable asset—your time.
By giving ourselves permission to focus on one thing at a time, we tap into our brain’s natural ability to concentrate deeply. This focused attention improves the quality of our work and increases efficiency. We’re way less distracted.
This doesn’t mean your schedule is rigid—you can still adjust as needed.
The practice of time-blocking keeps me focused on what truly matters. I make progress on the goals I’ve already embraced.
Anyone would feel daunted if they confronted a goal like “I’m going to write a book and become a published author” as one giant, looming mountain.
And here’s an insider’s secret:
Books are not written as mountains. They are written as sets, chunks, and blocks.
A book is written one small, doable set at a time: a story captured, a paragraph drafted, a few pages revised. It’s written in chunks—one idea, one memory, one insight, one chapter—never all at once. And it’s written in time blocks that honor real life: 30 minutes here, two hours there, consistently protected and gently kept.
If you’ve been carrying a book inside you, maybe the question isn’t “Do I have what it takes? ”Maybe the better question is: What’s my next small set? What’s one chunk I could tackle this week? What time block could I claim—just for this?
That’s how momentum is born. That’s how confidence grows. And that’s how, one day, you look up and realize: you didn’t just start a book—you kept going. And now you’re holding it in your hand. There’s your name—the author.
Carpe Diem.
Do you like a visual approach? Here is a FREE TOOL.
Comments