WHY CAN''''T GET ANYTHING DONE

Why Can’t I Get Anything Done?
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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos





Also by B VanYoos:

The Onyalum Series

Onyalum Retribution
Trial of Gesh
Red Star Conspiracy





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WHY CA’T I GET AYTHIG DOE?

A Practical Guide to Pursuing Your Dreams


B VanYoos





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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos


WHY CA’T I GET AYTHIG DOE?
A Practical Guide to Pursuing Your Dreams
Second Edition

Copyright © 2008 by NB VanYoos

All rights reserved. The Adobe PDF version of this eBook is, and shall always be, free of
charge to the reading public. This free version is for informational and entertainment
purposes only and may not be separated into pieces apart from the whole.

For more information about the author or to download the latest version of this eBook:


www.nbvanyoos.com





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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos

Thanks to the U.S. Army and everyone I worked with in the high-tech fields for helping me
learn to prioritize and manage time.





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Table of Contents

PART I: MAKING DREAMS REALITY 7
F
OREWORD
7
I
F
I

O
NLY
H
AD
T
IME
9
W
HAT
S
HOULD
I

D
O
F
IRST
? 12
I

C

AN
’
T
R
EMEMBER
E
VERYTHING
! 17
G
REAT
,

I’
M
D
ONE
.

N
OW
W
HAT
? 22
T
HE
P
ROCESS
24
W
HY

D
O
I

H
AVE TO
D
EPEND ON
O
THERS
? 26
PART II: MAKING REALITY DREAMS 30
F
OREWORD
30
T
HE
P
ROOF IS IN THE
P
UDDING
! 31
T
O
S
ELF
-P
UBLISH OR
N
OT

T
O
S
ELF
-P
UBLISH
,

T
HAT IS THE
Q
UESTION
? 36
E
B
OOKS AND
K
INDLE
™,
IS THIS STUFF FOR REAL
? 40
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 43






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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos
Part I: Making Dreams Reality


Foreword

It would be easy for anyone reading this book to ask why they would need another
informational book about time management. Truth is you don’t. But that is not what this
book is about. Although it contains basic processes for time and task management, this
book is about pursuing and completing your dreams.
As an author, stock trader, parent, and teacher, I understand the demands placed upon
people in our modern-age society. Unfortunately, these demands tend to ensure we never
pursue our dreams. We are all looking for the twenty-five hour day to squeeze in those
extra things you may call a hobby, another career, or simply pleasure.
You see, this book is about dreams. I believe few of us woke up one day and said “I
dream about being a teacher,” or computer programmer, or soldier, or whatever. We may
enjoy our careers, but deep down, many of us wish to pursue other dreams that we were
often told were impractical or unrealistic. Maybe they are, but you will never know if you
never pursue them.
Now, I am not advocating quitting your job, moving to Paris, and becoming the next
Van Gogh. However, you can keep your current position and still try to be the next Van
Gogh. If it is your passion, then you must pursue it or you will have a heavy heart filled
with the sad question “What would have happened if I had …?”
If this doesn’t describe you, then stop right here, put the book down and move on to
something else. But if you have always felt you have something more to offer the world
than your current job or existence provides, then this book is for you.
I do not profess I have all the answers, but I have some, and they may prove useful for
you. I have spent my life working towards my dream of being an author, and I have had
some limited success in that field. Oh, for sure, I would love to be the next Frank Herbert or

Arthur C. Clarke, but I have learned to set my expectations lower and let my work speak for
itself.
My background knowledge comes from careers in the military, the high-tech industry,
and educational field. All of these required rigorous process and time management to
complete the mission, the project, or the lesson plan on time with the highest quality.
In the Army, I learned to focus to get one thing accomplished. In the high-tech industry,
I learned how to multi-task, prioritize, and manage tasks so the overall project was
“Creativity is a drug I cannot live without.”

– Cecil B. DeMille





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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos
completed on time and on budget. In the educational field, I learned how to manage
multiple classes, create lessons plans ahead of time, or on-the-fly, while maintaining the
quality essential to ensuring no children are left behind.
This book encapsulates this essential knowledge in a direct effort to help you pursue and
achieve your dreams. It is an easy, quick read with real-world tools you can put to use right
away. In no time, you won’t be asking why you can’t get anything done, you’ll be asking
“Why didn’t I do this earlier?” As always, the first step is yours. Do you want to pursue
your dreams?

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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos
If I Only Had Time


Does the title of this chapter sound familiar? It does to me! I have said it and hear others
say it all the time. Time is one of the easiest things to run out of. In fact, it is a life
guarantee you will eventually run out of time, unless of course you have found the fountain
of youth. Fantasies aside, this quote sums it up nicely.
As soon as we are born, the allotted time we have been given pours through the
proverbial hour-glass, and all too soon, it will run out. Okay, perhaps this is a bit
melodramatic, but you get the point. We have very little time in our lives to accomplish the
things we want.
Some people want money and fame and spend their lives pursuing those goals to the
exemption of everything else. Others may want to achieve more modest goals: have a
family, own a home, and support those with a stable job. If they have time, they’ll travel,
have fun, pursue a hobby, and maybe save something for retirement.
These people usually achieve those primary goals and are relatively happy with how
they spent their time. For others, there is something missing, something that nags at you
while driving down the road, standing in the shower, or watching a movie. These are the
people with a hidden passion—a passion to express themselves, unleash their creativity, or
change their lives in fun and imaginative ways.
These are the people who this book is written for. The problem, of course, is they don’t
pursue their passion because they never have the time. Well, here is the first secret I will
impart: YOU WILL EVER HAVE THE TIME! Between your job, taking care of a
house, car, and family, you will never have the time to pursue your passions. Sorry, but that

is a cold, hard fact.
All right, before you get frustrated and throw your computer against the wall, let me
explain this secret. The reason you will never have the time is because all of those other
things, that we call life, will fill every waking hour, and some of our sleeping ones. My
wife bemoans how often she dreams about doing tax returns in her sleep. Yikes!
Okay, now you’re thinking “Duh, tell me something I don’t know!” You are right, this is
common sense. Here is a typical week’s worth of tasks for a typical parent:

 Grocery shopping
 Laundry
 Mow lawn
 Clean house
 Cook meals (or take out)
“Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is
made of.”

– Benjamin Franklin





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 Get gas in car
 Quality time with children (sports, movies, etc.)
 Feed pets

Now, add to this a forty to sixty hours a week job, and it is no wonder you will never
have time to pursue your passion.
At this point, you are probably wondering “What must I give up to pursue my passion?”
Or maybe “How can I better manage my time to fit in my passion?” Well, you are on the
right track, but really, we are just going to add a new task to your list instead of deleting
any of those you already have.
I know it sounds stupid, but bear with me while I explain. The basic problem, as stated
earlier, is that all these demands will fill whatever time you have. Okay, then how about
you add a new demand to the list? If all those listed must be accomplished each week, then
why not add your passion to the list and ensure it, too, is completed each week?
If everything on the list will fill all your time, then simply add your passion to the list.
Then it, too, will fill your time. Simple, right? Well not exactly, but it isn’t as hard as you
might imagine. Let’s look at this in terms of other life events.
Let’s say you have family coming in next week from out of town. You wouldn’t blow
them off because you have all that other stuff to do, would you? Of course not, they are
scheduled to arrive, so you make sure you are ready to receive them.
Another example? You have a dentist’s appointment next week for your teeth cleaning.
If everything takes all your time, when are going to go to the dentist? When you have an
appointment you’ll go. That’s my point! We constantly make room in our busy schedules
for things that we consider important like, family or health. So that leads to the ultimate
question: is pursuing your passion important?
I’m not asking what your children, parents, or spouse might say, I am asking you, is
pursuing your dreams important? Well, like all good self-help books, eventually the self
must get involved. That means you must answer my question, because if your answer is
yes, then you can schedule an appointment every week to pursue your dreams. You will
make the time, not wait for it! Because as we have already stated, you will never have the
time!
All right, let’s get down to some nuts and bolts and see how this works. Since I wrote the
book, I’ll use myself as an example. When I finally decided to pursue my passion to be an
author, I was in the middle of graduate school getting my teaching certificate. I was

working full-time as a student teacher at a local school and going to graduate classes at
night. Oh yeah, and I had a spouse, house, pets, cars, etc.
I decided I wanted to write, and that this was something very important in my life. As
important as all those other things I had to do. So I scheduled two hours each Saturday
morning to write. Between eight and ten AM, I was scheduled to be in my office writing.
Anything else that needed to be done that week would have to be done some other time,
because I was out writing.
I informed the spouse and cleared the calendar during that time slot. I am very fortunate
to have a very understanding wife who would never impede the pursuit of my dreams, as
long as I am still taking care of those other things. Things worked quite well if I kept my
appointment each Saturday morning. Eighteen months after I started this new schedule, I





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published my first book, a four hundred page science fiction adventure called Onyalum
Retribution. Sorry, cheap plug, but hey, it’s my book!
If you are a would-be writer, you are probably wondering how you can schedule such a
creative process. Easy! Once I set the time aside, I kept my appointment religiously whether
I could write that day or not. If the words were not pouring forth, then I spent the time
working on something else related to the book. If you want to be an author, there is plenty
to do besides the actual writing. For example: editing.
If I couldn’t come up with new writing, I spent my scheduled time editing the previous
stuff I had written. Trust me, the editing takes nearly as long as the writing. If you feel you
cannot just sit down and write, then perhaps you are not as passionate as you think. If you

have writer’s block, then you need another book to solve that problem. I don’t really have
those problems, so I won’t address them in this book. If you have the passion, you will
make it happen.
If you are pursuing some other passion, scheduling your time will be different than mine.
For example, if you want to be a painter, then maybe you want to schedule weekly time in a
class, or at an art studio, or in your garage, or in the mountains. Either way, you find the
appointment that makes the most sense for your needs.
My wife can’t pursue her passion early in the mornings because she is a night person. If
that is you, then perhaps you will schedule an appointment in the evenings after dinner, or
Sunday night before starting the week all over again. Regardless, you must schedule a
weekly appointment to pursue your passion and then keep it. Religiously … like going to
church … really!
So the next secret is: SCHEDULE A WEEKLY APPOITMET. Again, if it is
important to you, then it must be done. Once it is scheduled, you must keep the
appointment no matter what other life task demands your attention. Obviously, if the house
is burning, maybe you could postpone your passion until next week.
That leads us into the next area in this book: prioritization. Scheduling the time is only
part of the equation. You must use that time effectively, and that is what the rest of this
book tries to impart: methods and processes to manage your time and accomplish your
dreams. But first, you must create the time to make it happen.





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What Should I Do First?

I quote Albert Einstein because he is one of my favorite historical persons. Not because of
his achievements, although they are great, but because he was as simple a human as they
come. He embodies everything I am talking about. He pursued his dreams while working as
a clerk in the patent office. He had a family, job, and all the trappings of life, but look what
he achieved! Talk about passion.
The quote above is intended to warn you away from the pitfall of reading book after
book about your specific passion. However, if your passion is researching history, then by
all means, read! Too often, and I speak from experience within the writing industry, we are
inundated with book after book that will tell us how we can pursue our specific passion.
Don’t take this to mean don’t read up on your subject area, but be aware, if all you are
doing is reading, then you have fallen into the lazy habits of thinking Einstein was talking
about. Another analogy would be the Royal Bank of Scotland commercials: “Less talk,
more action.” That’s what you must keep in the back of your mind, less reading, more
doing. Okay, off the soap box.
Where to start is a great question, but one that has an answer. You must state a goal. No,
I don’t mean something like “I will become a painter.” I mean something tangible like “I
will paint a landscape of Pikes Peak.” For me, it was “I will publish
Onyalum Retribution.”
At that point, did I know everything this goal would entail? Heck no! I just knew it was
what I wanted to accomplish.
You will be a painter, but only after you have actually painted. Many people call
themselves authors, but have no completed material to demonstrate that fact. An artist is
only defined by their art. Therefore, you must define a product that will help you define
yourself and your dream.
For would-be writers, that product may be a novel, article, short story, poem, or other
medium in which writing produces the end result. Don’t fall in love with your dream until
you practice the skills that make it possible. From the outside, becoming a creative artist is
appealing, but from the inside, it takes a lot of work.
Don’t run off scared just yet, first we must talk about how we might grapple with the

mechanics of getting your new passion off the ground. You must understand the area of
your passion. I don’t mean be an expert—that comes with time, but you should know some
of the basics.
Using the painter analogy again, there are some basic concepts that one must have a
rudimentary understanding of before they paint the next Van Gogh. For example:

“Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into
lazy habits of thinking.”


– Albert Einstein





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 What types of paints exist?
 What types of techniques exist?
 What medium can you paint on?
 How do you construct a painting?
 Where can you showcase your work?
 What can you charge for original work?

For a writer, the list might be:

 Where can I publish?

 What tool do I use to create my work?
 What kinds of writing are there?
 What writing careers exist?
 Who will pay for my writing?

Once you have these basics understood, you can begin to break your goal into smaller
components that you will diligently work on during your weekly appointment. Of course, all
of this assumes you already have some basic skills in your area. If not, the first thing you
should do is take some classes. So for you, your goal might be something like “I will learn
to paint with acrylics.”
If you are truly lacking the basic skills, then you should seek out classes either online,
through your local community college, or through professional organizations. Once you
have the basic skills, then come on back and we can discuss how to put those skills to work.
I will continue to use “I will paint a landscape of Pikes Peak.” For those who do not
know what this is, it is a famous fourteen thousand foot peak overlooking the eastern plains
of Colorado in Colorado Springs. It is a gorgeous landscape photographed to death, but not
often painted.
So you have set the product or goal and need to know what steps are required to
accomplish it. The following lists some steps that come to mind, however not in any
specific order, that comes later:

 Take some photos of the Peak during different times of day, different seasons,
and/or different angles.
 Determine medium for painting.
 Study other landscapes.
 Purchase materials.
 Make various sketches of Pikes Peak.
 Make final sketch on medium.
 Paint landscape.

This process is called Task Decomposition. You are defining tasks based on a stated
goal. There is no science to this, just brain dump based on what you do know. Over time,
this process becomes easier as you become more of an expert in your chosen area.
Corporations use this method when defining a product they wish to create and market.
Since you are now doing the same thing, it makes sense to approach it the same way.





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Now you ‘artist’ types don’t get too ruffled by this comment. You need to understand
that all products, art, writing, woodwork, etc, are just products that we all hope to market to
someone who will appreciate it. You are not selling out, as it were, you are simply making
sure your product reaches your customers.
The task decomposition process is freeform. Simply imagine all the things you must do
to make your goal come to life. You will constantly be monitoring and modifying your list,
so don’t worry if it seems incomplete to start with.
Once you have your list, you must order it based on a logical sequence. Using our
example, I might re-order the list as follows:

 Determine medium for painting.
 Purchase materials.
 Take some photos of the Peak during different times of day, different seasons,
and/or different angles.
 Make various sketches of Pikes Peak.
 Study other landscapes.

 Make final sketch on medium.
 Paint landscape.

Often, there is a specific sequence. For example, it would not make sense to paint before
I have purchased supplies. I probably wouldn’t plan on writing my novel until I have a
computer to write with. You get the point.
Still, other tasks may not have any specific sequence, so this is where you must decide
what should be done first. Again, I default to the basic tenet: you must produce something.
It would be great to spend a lot of time studying other landscapes and dreaming about your
masterpiece before you start the process, but I warn you, that is the way of the lazy thinker
.
This is why I placed it near the end so that you would have accomplished a great deal
before you dream of that masterpiece. By having that task near the end, it can become a
motivator. Then, you can take that motivation to begin your masterpiece.
Ok, you have your list, and it is ordered. Now you need to grab a calendar and begin to
estimate how much time each item will take. We are going to create deadlines for each of
the items on your list. If you are saying “Hey, how do I know how long it will take?” You
would be asking a fabulous question. You may not know how long it will take, but I bet you
can estimate some pretty good guesses. The next time around, you can use the results from
this painting to refine future estimates.
Now remember, you only have the scheduled appointments each week to work with, so
your estimates should be based on that. Let’s assume we are starting on January 1
st
and will
work only two hours each week, then we might estimate the following deadlines for each of
the items in our list:
Table 1: Item List and Deadlines

Determine medium 7-Jan 2 hrs
Purchase materials 14-Jan 2 hrs

Take photos of the Peak 7-Feb 6 hrs
Make various sketches 7-Mar 8 hrs
Study other landscapes 14-Mar 2 hrs





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Make final sketch 14-Apr 8 hrs
Paint landscape 14-June 16 hrs

I placed the hours each deadline afforded the task to illustrate the relationship between
the amount of time to accomplish and its due date. Now this is your task list you will use to
complete your goal. Notice that in our example, the would-be painter would have a
completed landscape in around six months, if they stick to their schedule and make all their
scheduled appointments.
I realize this seems like a long time, but keep in mind, you will purse your passion for
the rest of your life. If the person is thirty-five and completes one painting every six
months, they would complete a total of seventy paintings assuming they lived to at least
seventy years old.
Obviously, as you become a master, the amount of time will decrease, so don’t get
discouraged early on. Unfortunately, many get discouraged and give it up. Hey, we are
talking only two hours a week, so this is pretty good work!
Think you can follow this process? Great, let’s continue to refine it after we talk about
something which is very important to achieving your goal. In the last chapter, I mentioned
prioritization, and now I would like to elaborate.

When our lives get really busy, we prioritize all the time. For example, when we are
sick, we generally set getting well as the highest priority item. We do this by taking a sick
day. If you are expecting a baby within the next week, you probably would postpone that
trip out of town until after the baby has come.
I mention this because we all mentally prioritize, we just don’t do it formally. When
trying to achieve your goals, you must formally prioritize to ensure you accomplish
something.
I once worked with a manager who told me that all my tasks were the highest priority if
we were to get the project done on time. Well, that sounded good in theory, but never
worked in practice. I had another manager who said “I would rather be really good at one
thing than mediocre at lots of things.”
The second manager hit the nail on the head. Accomplishments come to those who focus
their efforts. In our example, we really had simple tasks to achieve a simple goal. There was
very little prioritization required. However, if you are a very creative person, you will likely
have a lot of ideas that you want to pursue. This is great, and I want you to keep those
dreams alive. However, you must not be distracted by your ideas. You must stay focused on
that one thing you want to do really well.
One of the people in my writing group has so many great ideas, we can’t wait to see
them come to fruition. However, when I first met her, she listed all her ideas and stated,
quite matter of fact, that each of them was in various stages of construction. When I asked
when they would be done, she honestly couldn’t give me a timeline for any of them. It was
clear she needed to focus on only one thing until it was done. She has since focused her
efforts on one thing and hopefully will have it completed soon.
As of this writing, I myself, have no less than the following items on my to-do list:

 Five more books in Onyalum series
 Three books for another series
 One solo book

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 Six screenplays
 One non-fiction book
 One children’s book

That is a lot to accomplish in one lifetime, and I am sure that I will have even more as
my life goes on. But the important thing is this: I have published two novels, this non-
fiction book, and completed one short story all within three years. How do I get it all done?
I prioritize.
Look, the one solo book I listed is dying to get out, but I cannot work on it until I have
completed the first three books in the Onyalum series. Book one and two are completed and
the third is a quarter done as of this writing. I focus and set my priorities to ensure I am
good at one thing. This is how real professionals get things done.
I certainly don’t want to squash your creativity, but it is an important rule you must
follow if you are to achieve your dreams. So, the third secret is: FOCUS O OLY OE
GOAL. Sure, go ahead and put those other great ideas on your task list, but make sure they
are listed after your current goal.
This means you should make sure the first goal you set is the one you are the most
passionate about. Your other goals can wait if they are really good ideas. Heck, my
Onyalum series was conceived ten years before I started working on it. If it is good, it will
wait.
All right, let’s summarize what we have learned in this chapter. Define a tangible goal,
break it down into real tasks, order the tasks in a logical sequence, estimate a deadline for
each task, and work on each task until you have met your deadline. Voila, you have a new

painting, or novel, or hotrod, or piece of furniture, or whatever your passion is.





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I Can’t Remember Everything!

With the intense focus on memory these days, you would think we would have solved the
problem. Unfortunately, the truth is we haven’t. People’s memories vary as much as their
fingerprints. For example, I have a remarkable ability to remember faces and the places I
saw them, even if I did not meet the person. However, I am a self-confessed poor learner of
names. Try that as a teacher when you need to learn over a hundred new students each year
while remembering all your past students. Whew!
My wife is far better at remembering names of people. However, she cannot always
remember a face, especially if she did not meet them. Part of this difference is based on
how we learn. In education, we talk a lot about the learning style of students. For example, I
am actually a really strong auditory learner, although I obviously use vision quite well.
Other people learn from doing, we call them kinesthetic learners. Whatever your
predominant learning style will determine how you organize your memory.
However, there is one thing many of us have in common. We have trouble when
confronted with the multitude of tasks we are faced with in our life, jobs, or passions. When
working at a Northwest tech company, I remember at one point my task list had no less than
one hundred and thirty tasks. Think I could remember all of those tasks, their priorities, and
their deadlines? Yeah right!
This leads us to another secret, WRITE EVERYTHIG DOW. Thankfully, we have

tools at our disposal to assist us in remembering all our tasks and deadlines. For many, a
day planner is a great way to organize your calendar and tasks. I used one for years and still
use it for certain activities. Others use various calendaring tools available on their
computer. I myself have used Microsoft Outlook calendar for years. In fact, if you are
advanced enough, you can even manage your tasks with Outlook. I like it because it has
notifications. Try and get your day planner to do that!
Still others may use databases or spreadsheets to organize their tasks and their time. For
me, I use several tools depending on what I need it for. But for task management, I still
prefer the basic spreadsheet. The rest of this chapter is dedicated to using a spreadsheet for
managing your tasks.
I use Microsoft Excel to create my task lists, but you can use any basic spreadsheet
program to accomplish the same thing. If you downloaded this book off my website
(
), then you will have also had access to my sample spreadsheet
to follow along with this chapter. If not, you can create your own using whatever program
you have available.
“The palest ink is better than the best memory.”

– Chinese Proverb





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Now one of the reasons I like a spreadsheet is the various abilities to easily manipulate
the data while viewing all of it in a single window. Most of the other tools mentioned don’t

have that same power. If you are using this to manage your dreams, then this enhanced
functionality will be very beneficial. Here is a list of things I can easily do with Excel:

 Sort the data by any field
 Change view based on specific value of field
 Maintain column headers while scrolling through data
 Copy and paste tasks
 Format data for date-time, money, etc.
 Count, add, multiply, etc.

Needless to say, it is a powerful product and serves my needs quite well. Other products
will likely have the same type of functionality.
Before we start adding our data, we must define what data we wish to store. I will list the
data fields I have been using, but you can easily modify them to match your specific area.
For my publishing task list, I have defined the following fields represented in the
spreadsheet as columns:

 Book
 Area
 Task
 Status
 Target
 Comments

It is rare I ever need more than this, and in fact, I could use less. However, this suits my
needs. Since I have multiple books on my list, the first field, Book, indicates which book
the task belongs to. If you are an artist, then this might indicate which piece of art. The
Area is defined as either: Writing, Editing, or Publishing, and allows me to further
categorize my tasks. Obviously, yours will be different.
The Task is just that, a description of what needs to be done. The Status is defined as

either ot Started, Inprogress, or Done. The Target is the deadline date, and finally, the
Comments are specific information for the task. For example, if my task is to send a book
to a reviewer, then my comments might hold the contact information for that reviewer.
Having this information is both critical while I am actively working off this list and is
even more important when I need to go back and check historical information, like what
reviewer to send the new book to. So in essence, this becomes a record of what you have to
do, what you are doing, and what you have done. Simple, yet powerful!
Great, once you have defined your fields, you can create those column headers in your
spreadsheet. Your spreadsheet table header would look something like the following:

Book Area Task Status Target Comments







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Now, being diligent to the new process you have just learned, you have already
scheduled your weekly appointment and defined your first goal. I have also defined my
goal to publish book three in the Onyalum Series.
I want to move on to the next step in the process, Task Decomposition. For my book, I
come up with the following tasks:

 Write first draft
 Locate publisher

 Complete first edit pass
 Complete second edit pass
 Create proof copies for proof readers
 Proof read book
 Acquire proof reader feedback
 Make final edits
 Contact publisher
 Send final copy to publisher
 Make final edits based on publisher feedback

Now I take each task and place them in my spreadsheet filling in the first, second, third
and fourth fields as appropriate. I have abbreviated the tasks in the example since I have
limited space. In your spreadsheet, you can be more verbose by widening your columns:

Table 2: Initial Task List Spreadsheet

Book Area Task Status Target Comments
Three Writing First draft ot Started
Three Publishing Find publisher ot Started
Three Editing First edit pass ot Started
Three Editing Second edit pass ot Started
Three Editing Proof copies ot Started
Three Editing Proof read ot Started
Three Editing Proof feedback ot Started
Three Editing Final edits ot Started
Three Publishing Contact publisher ot Started
Three Publishing Send to publisher ot Started
Three Editing Publisher feedback ot Started

Now I have my data stored, so my brain is much lighter, but I still need to estimate

deadlines for every task. You’ll note that I listed mine in a fairly logical order, but if you
have not, then go ahead and wait to let your spreadsheet do it for you later.
Go through your list and add a due date or deadline in the Target field for each task.
Mine looks like the following:

Table 3: Task List Spreadsheet with Deadlines

Book Area Task Status Target Comments
Three Writing First draft ot Started 6/1/08
Three Publishing Find publisher ot Started 7/1/08





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Book Area Task Status Target Comments
Three Editing First edit pass ot Started 6/1/08
Three Editing Second edit pass ot Started 9/1/08
Three Editing Proof copies ot Started 9/21/08
Three Editing Proof read ot Started 10/21/08
Three Editing Proof feedback ot Started 11/1/08
Three Editing Final edits ot Started 12/1/08
Three Publishing Contact publisher ot Started 12/1/08
Three Publishing Send to publisher ot Started 1/1/09
Three Editing Publisher feedback ot Started 2/1/09

Now, I have a complete list that I can work on during my weekly appointments.
However, I first want the spreadsheet to re-order the data based on the Target date each is
due. The sort command for Excel requires you to highlight your entire table, and then select
Data | Sort. It will prompt you for which field to sort on and whether it should sort
ascending (smallest to largest) or descending (largest to smallest). Select the Target field
and order ascending.
When done, it should be ordered according to Target from the earliest date to the latest
date. Here is what mine looks like after the sort:

Table 4: Sorted Task List Spreadsheet

Book Area Task Status Target Comments
Three Writing First draft ot Started 6/1/08
Three Editing First edit pass ot Started 6/1/08
Three Publishing Find publisher ot Started 7/1/08
Three Editing Second edit pass ot Started 9/1/08
Three Editing Proof copies ot Started 9/21/08
Three Editing Proof read ot Started 10/21/08
Three Editing Proof feedback ot Started 11/1/08
Three Editing Final edits ot Started 12/1/08
Three Publishing Contact publisher ot Started 12/1/08
Three Publishing Send to publisher ot Started 1/1/09
Three Editing Publisher feedback ot Started 2/1/09

At this point, you are ready to focus your efforts on the earliest items in your list.
However, if your list is like mine, you may want to break these tasks down into even
smaller tasks. For example, my first draft could be broken down into smaller tasks like,
outline, chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, etc. Again, I would follow the same
process and enter each task into my list, making sure I sorted each time around.
When I keep my scheduled appointment each week, I open this file, look at the first item

on the list, and begin working on it. Once I begin a task, I change the Status field to
Inprogress. Having done so, I must now re-order my list based on this field. This ensures I
keep the things I have started at the top of the list.
In Excel, once I have sorted my data, I do not need to highlight everything again, I
simply make sure I select one cell within the table and do Data | Sort again. This time I
change the first field to Status ascending, and then the second sort field to Target
ascending. Now anytime I want to sort, I don’t need to highlight or change anything, I just
select one cell and do Data | Sort again. It remembers your previous sort.





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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos
Okay, with this sorting, my completed tasks are listed first, my current working tasks are
next, and finally those I haven’t started are last. Within each of those categories, the data is
further sorted by the deadline of the specific task. You can certainly sort more, or change
your sort to fit your needs. The key thing is, use this list to direct your weekly efforts.
As far as the other features I mentioned, I will let you experiment as you see fit, but one
useful feature I’ll mention is the Data | Filter option. If you select your table’s header row
and switch this to Autofilter, you will be able to select specific values for a specific field
and hide all the other data. For example, if I did this to my list above and wanted to see only
the writing tasks, I would click on the arrow at the top of the table for the Area field and
select Writing. All other rows would disappear except for those tasks that are categorized as
writing tasks. Pretty useful, especially after your list gets long.
You will spend a little time each week looking at this list, refining it as new tasks
become known, updating the Status and Deadlines fields as appropriate, and using it to

look up past tasks if you want to begin a new project. Copy and paste is a very fast way to
speed up the process the next go around.
In this chapter, we discussed how to formalize the process using a spreadsheet to store
all your assigned tasks. We talked about what features you can use to manage your tasks,
and what changes you should make to your tasks as you complete them. Stick to this each
week, and soon you’ll have completed your first goal. Then what? Read on.





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Great, I’m Done. Now What?

In the preceding chapters, I have given you a process, which, when followed, will ensure
you get things done. Thus, I have solved the problem inherent in the title of this book.
However, I also promised you I would discuss how to accomplish your dreams.
So great, you finished your painting, your novel, your hotrod, or whatever, so now what
do you do? Well, there is no easy answer, but the basic problem is this: You want to show it
to the world. More specifically, you want to show it to people who will appreciate it as
much as you do. For that, you may want to sell it, perform it, display it, or compete with it
to see how you match up with the rest of the field.
Before you do that, let’s pat ourselves on the back for actually completing something!
Hey, that’s the hard part. That’s what you wanted to do all along. From here on out, it is
gravy.
All right, back patting aside, you want to take your creation to the next level. Well, this
is why I quoted Napoleon at the beginning of the chapter, because the truth is, perseverance

is the one thing all successful people have in common. They refuse to accept no for an
answer and they keep on trying regardless of what the critics say. And, oh yes, you will
have critics, even from people who know you.
Forget the dream that everyone will love your work; it simply won’t be the case. I write
science fiction, and I can speak from experience, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. But I didn’t
write for everyone, I wrote for myself and those people who will enjoy what I have to offer.
The problem is, how do I find them?
I have no great prescription here, but I do have some ideas that you can use to help jump
start your journey into the next phase of achieving your dreams.
First, you must do research and track down what outlets cater to your fans. This could be
retail outlets, the Internet, clubs or guilds, events, competitions, or local shows. It will be
different depending on the passion you pursue.
For example, if I completed that painting of Pikes Peak, I can choose to sell it, or enter it
into a competition. First however, I must find what venues will support either of those two
things. If it is a competition, then I probably want to look into the local art scene. I might
talk with someone in the art department of a local college or university.
If I want to sell it, then I’ll need to track down where in my area new artists can sell their
work. Or I might decide to take it to a flea market and try selling it myself. Again, it all
depends on my goals and who I want to reach.
For me, I sell my books online and enter competitions to try and win accolades that
might bring more people to my writing. I try to get real reviewers to review my work so
“Victory belongs to the most persevering.”

– Napoleon Bonaparte





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that people will take it seriously before deciding to invest in it. Until you are established in
the trade, you are an unknown quantity. Accept it and have the patience to become known.
Either way, you must get it out there or no one will ever realize you created the next Van
Gogh. One possible venue that I use is a club or organization that supports budding artists.
Through them, you can meet others trying to do what you have done, and locate great leads
to further your work. This will also give you an opportunity to get feedback from your
peers. This criticism is important because you will probably never be successful without
some constructive criticism. It is a sad fact, but no matter how great we think our work is, it
can always use improvement.
But hey, it will improve the more you do it. So don’t give up, don’t be daunted, keep
plugging away and PERSEVERE. It may take a lifetime, or it may not even happen, but at
least you will have tried, and that is more than most people can say about their lives.





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© Copyright 2007-2008, NB VanYoos
The Process

Okay, you slogged through this book, and I shared with you my pearls of wisdom and
defined a basic process you can follow to get things done. Here, I have summarized that
process so that you can follow it religiously and achieve your dreams. In this format, it will
be easier than referencing back to the earlier chapters. I list the secret and outline the steps

it entails.

YOU’LL EVER HAVE THE TIME
 If pursuing your passion is not important to
you, then you will never find the time.
Decide
if it is an important part of your
life.

SCHEDULE A WEEKLY APPOITMET
 Schedule a weekly appointment to pursue
your passion.
 Keep your appointment religiously and
work only on your passion.

FOCUS O OLY OE GOAL
 Choose one goal you are truly passionate
about and make sure the goal produces
something tangible.
 Decompose
your goal into tasks necessary
to achieve that goal.
 Sort
your tasks into a logical order.
 Estimate
deadlines for each task based on
how much time you will spend each week.
WRITE EVERYTHIG DOW
 Enter your tasks into a spreadsheet or other
calendaring or task management tool.

 Read
through your task list every week and
update the tasks as you start them and
finish them.
 Refine
your task list as new tasks become
known or old tasks become obsolete.
 Maintain
an up to date task list every week.
PERSEVERE
 Perfect your craft and accolades will come
with time.
“ever discourage anyone…who continually makes progress, no matter
how slow.”

– Plato





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 Do it because you want to, not because of
what it might do for you.
 Be
your own worst critic, then others won’t
seem so bad.

 Remember
, if you never try, you’ll never
know!