You're considering book coaching for your project but you're not sure if you're ready yet or even how you'd know if you were.

There are a few factors to consider (some of them might surprise you!). We're going to take them one-by-one in a 3-part series, beginning with time.

Time

Ask yourself:

Can I honestly commit time to this project right now?

Note that I did not ask you if you have a massive abundance of unencumbered free time that you might consider filling with writing a book between bites of bonbons and lounging by the pool. If that's your life, I am thrilled for you— pass the bonbons! But that's wasn't the question for a reason.

You don't need massive amounts of free time. You also don't need a cabin in the woods, a vintage Remington typewriter, a penchant for whiskey, or Gertrude Stein to come back from the beyond.

But you do need some time.

And, equally important, a willingness to spend it writing your book.

Writing a book is a lot like training for a marathon. The issue with a marathon isn't whether you can carve out half a day some Saturday six months from now for the race, right? It's whether you can carve out time for a few short training runs every. single. week. as well as commit every Sunday morning to a long training run for the next six months to get to that race day. Whether you're willing to give up drinking coffee over the Sunday edition of the New York Times for awhile, or yet another brunch with friends, or crashing onto your couch after a long day at work, and go for a run instead. It's not for everyone. I get that.

Same for writing a book.

Look at your life and the ways you spend your time. What is obligatory? What is optional? What is non-negotiable? Ask yourself where this book project fits in.

What are you willing to give up? Let go of? Shuffle around? Where and when will the writing happen?

I once heard Jennie Nash, founder of Author Accelerator and author of several books, share that she wrote her novels when her daughters were young by letting go of a "perfect house"— that she actively and consciously chose to (literally!) let the dishes and the laundry and the dust pile up in favor of getting her writing in instead.

I’m working with a writer right now who has a very demanding career and large number of family obligations and writes for the two hours each Sunday her young daughter is in dance class. That's all the time she can give her book each week, but she very rarely misses a deadline because she is committed to that time. She also gave up listening to anything on her commute so that she could think about her book, which allows that two hours of writing time to be very generative.

To be clear: there is no "perfect" time to write a book.

Our to-do lists operate like gases, not solids— always expanding to fill the space available. Don't sell yourself short or get caught up in ideal timing (that ideal time is unlikely to ever perfectly materialize).

But it's important to be honest with yourself about what right now looks like in your life. What your days and weeks look like and how willing and able you are to commit some part of them to this book.

Don't set yourself up for failure or frustration by investing in coaching if you simply can't do it right now. Finish that other project, get settled in the new job, finish the master's degree, get your senior off to college...whatever (no judgment!)...and then come back.

If you have taken a long hard look at your schedule and this book has nudged aside your need for clean baseboards or music on your commute, if you've determined that you can and will find the necessary time stuffed willy-nilly between the couch cushions, then stay tuned for the next installment, because you my friend may be ready for coaching!

Work with me!