Writing your business book can sometimes feel less like creating a masterpiece and more like repeatedly negotiating with your diary, your inbox, and your own attention span. The downside to documenting a project like this publicly is that you start to feel an obligation to make it look like everything is progressing beautifully.
As though every week should end with some profound breakthrough, a beautifully colour-coded outline, and a smug LinkedIn post about momentum.
The reality of writing your business book is rather less glamorous.
If you’re new to this series, I’m documenting my journey of writing my own business book. If you’re joining this slightly chaotic journey midway through, you can read Week 1, where I talked about the challenge of finding time to write a business book. Which, frankly, is a ridiculous idea when you consider everything else I have going on.
For the record, this wasn’t my idea. My business mentor suggested it. She got this suspiciously thoughtful expression after poking at me with some awkward questions. Then she sat there looking pleased with herself whilst I added another item to my already alarming to-do list.
Anyway…
Finding Time To Write Your Business Book
One of the first things I discussed when I embarked on this project was the importance of making time to write your business book. Contrary to what I thought when I first started out running my own business, there isn’t a magical point where all your client work is finished, the house is tidy, the inbox is empty, and you finally get to do the thing you’ve been putting off.
Nor is there a point where you suddenly acquire a fully functioning attention span and several gloriously uninterrupted hours in your diary.
You have to deliberately create them.
Block them out, and then guard that time like a dragon sitting on a golden egg.
Even then, that plan doesn’t always work.
Especially when the calendar and weather system decide to team up and drop a bank holiday and a heatwave at exactly the same time. Which, let’s face it, is like that dragon’s golden egg in and of itself!
I even took some time off.
I know.
I was as surprised as you are.
The Reality Of Writing A Business Book
So when it comes to this week’s progress update, I regret to inform you that the official status of my business book is: Sweet fuck all.
Now, before anyone panics, this is actually a fairly normal part of any large project.
I wish I could tell you that because I help people write business books for a living, I’ve somehow unlocked a secret level where everything runs smoothly.
I haven’t.
Every business has seasons.
There are weeks when everything feels effortless. You’re gliding along, leads arrive, and clients say yes. Projects move forward. You feel vaguely competent.
Then there are weeks where client work quite rightly takes priority over everything.
And that’s exactly what happened this week.
The commitment I’ve made to my clients matters. They’ve trusted me with their businesses. Being blunt, their money pays my bills.
Don’t Let Your Book Slip Into The Background
The danger comes when a project like your business book quietly slips into the background whilst life is life-ing.
One missed week becomes two. Two becomes six. Before you know it, six months have rolled by, and you’re still talking about writing a book rather than actually writing one.
That’s the bit I wanted to avoid.
Taking some well-earned time off and having a compressed week because of the bank holiday meant I had less time available than usual. But whilst I didn’t make any meaningful progress on the manuscript itself, I did do one important thing.
I protected the next block of time.
There’s already a two-hour writing session sitting in my diary next week. I’ll treat it exactly the same way I’d treat a client meeting or any other important appointment.
Because we can make more money, and we can find more clients.
As small business owners, we’re really good at creating more opportunities.
But time is the one thing none of us get any more of.
Need Help Writing Your Business Book?
If you’ve got a business book idea sitting in a half-finished notebook, a voice note, or a Google Doc that’s gathering digital dust, you’re not alone.
Sometimes the hardest part isn’t writing the book.
It’s creating the space, structure, and momentum to keep going.
If you’d like to chat about your book idea, your audience, or whether a business book makes sense for your business, you’re welcome to book a call. I’m not good at doing the hard sell, but I am good at telling you whether there’s a book in there worth building.
In conclusion…
So the sit-rep update for this week is:
Words written: bugger all.
Commitment to the project: still intact.
And that’s all I have for you this week.
No grand revelation or brag of ‘rah-rah-look-how-great-I-am’. Just the reality of trying to build something worthwhile whilst simultaneously running three businesses and being a semi-functioning human being.
Which, in business and in life, is often the bit that matters most.