First – there has been a scam going around for the past two years or so where people impersonate someone from an author’s team, and try to get other authors to do various things in order to be featured in their podcasts/newsletters/etc. I don’t know whether to be flattered or not but someone has claimed to be from a Laura Vanderkam operation (or talking about 168 Hours) and is sending scam emails about that. If you get something like that, please know it is not from me. There is no big team here – anyone hearing from me is going to hear from me! You can always reach out directly to me to check.
In the meantime, I’m doing what I can to prep for a busy season. I have a lot of travel in the next six weeks or so (some work, some fun), plus recording the audio book for Big Time. I’m trying to book as many podcasts and interviews for the book as I can in March, to get ahead of April (which could be busier!). But given the travel, everything has to fit into more narrow slots. And, oh yeah, I’m writing the second book in my 2-book deal, which is due in October. So I’m currently doing a lot of interviews and time log analysis for that.
I’ve been through this before, though, so I am prepared for it. There was a time right before 168 Hours came out when I was literally running to the post office in order to get a book in the mail to someone before going to another interview and I was like, huh, I wonder if it will always be like this. And the answer is, well, around book launches yes. If they are going well. You want people to be interested in the book!
When I know I’m going into a busy season, I become even more reliant on my weekly planning. I don’t need to know everything over the next 2 months, but I do need to have a good sense of what is going on during the next 2 weeks. I also try to lock things in earlier (when I know exactly what is going on, and know that time will be available) vs. later when I don’t know what might be happening.
I make sure to recognize open time too. I get antsy about when I’ll be able to create my own content (podcast scripts, newsletters, etc.) but time on planes is great for that, or time in hotel rooms when I don’t have family members around in the evening or early morning. I make sure to make space for running, which helps reduce stress. It turns out I can run at night on the treadmill, so I’m planning to do a lot of that!
How do you prepare for a busy season?
I decide upfront what things im going let go of during the season and what things I need to hold sacred (bedtime = keep, decluttering projects and reading can be paused, exercise but at a lower level, etc).
@Brooke – totally. I am not signing up for any races this spring, but I will still run a few times a week. it keeps me sane!
As you say, I think advance planning is key. I just returned from a one-day trip to rural PA, where I gave a lecture at a small college. I knew in December that I would miss one day of all my classes, so I had a plan in place for each class, some of which could be executed at the last minute. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to do anything on the trip other than edit the lecture, so I didn’t worry about emails, etc., for such a short time away.
Spending a little money (or having it spent on one’s behalf) can also lighten the load. Re: the above situation, I made some decisions to make my life easier (Ubering rather than driving to the airport, which made only a $30-40 difference for the sponsor) and buying part of my lunch and some coffee out the day after getting back (which is rare for me).
This trip was the culmination of a busy season of writing a new talk on top of normal responsibilities. Life administration was pushed off and has piled up a bit, but I am devoting basically a full day to whittling down that pile.
@SHH – it is true that the life administration can stack up during a busy season. I’ve been trying to just keep a list and chip away at it too – so nobody falls too far behind.