Using the 90/90/1 Rule to Tackle Big Writing Projects

90 minutes. 90 days. 1 project.

I’ve just finished reading The Everyday Hero Manifesto by Robin Sharma. I don’t love everything Sharma says. (I’ve already written about my takeaways from his 5am club - and why I won’t be routinely getting up at 5am anytime soon). What I do like are some of his super simple, actionable tactics for getting stuff done.

I have some big writing goals for the rest of the year, and I’ll be using Sharma’s 90/90/1 concept to smash them (I hope). The idea is simple. For the next 90 days, you spend the first 90 minutes of your working day on the 1 project that you really want to get done.

This really suits me as I try and run my life on a 12-Week Year anyway. And no that doesn’t mean you try and cram a year’s work into 12 weeks. It just means that you plan quarterly, not annually, with a clear set of goals (and usually one big project) to achieve each quarter.

This quarter is my transition from veteran blogger (for the last 16 years) to non-blogger (more details on that here, if you’re interested). It will involve lots of moving parts, such as getting new digital products up in my storefront, and creating a lot of content for Medium and Substack. That’s my 90/90/1 project for this quarter.

You could use the concept to start a blog, write a book, create an online course, get a podcast or YouTube channel off the ground, or anything else. Just decide what you want to focus on for the next 90 days, break it down, schedule those 90 minute slot, and go for it.

Some thoughts from others I’ve been enjoying this week

• Effective Outlining Techniques for Writers: Examples and Expert Resources by

  BadRedheadMedia, LLC

• The Book-Writing Toggle by

  Mary Carroll Moore

• Why you find sitting down to write hard, and how to make it easier by

  Alex Mathers

• Don’t label yourself or others by

  James Garside

• If Everybody Agrees With You, You Are Not Smart, You Are Late by

  Veronica Llorca-Smith

• Those Who Die With The Most Toys Are Still Dead by

  Kristi Keller

• How to compile your blog into a book by

  Russell Nohelty

What else I’ve been up to this week

Reading: The Everyday Hero Manifesto by Robin Sharma and The Blue Zones Kitchen (for healthy eating inspiration)

Watching: The Blue Zones documentary on Netflix (to complement the book)

Enjoying: Going for long walks in the sunshine

Not enjoying: Coming home rain-soaked because… British weather

My recent Medium posts

(Friend links, of course, so you can read for free):

• I Abandoned All Three of My Blogs Forever - Here’s how it’s going, one month on

• I’m Finally Letting You All Buy Me a Coffee - Technically it’s tea, because I’m weird and don’t drink coffee

• Money Can Buy Freedom, but Are There Other Ways to Get It?

• All The Habits I’m Putting in My New Habit Tracker

That’s all for this week. If you’re reading this online, feel free to subscribe to get future posts straight to your inbox.

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