Are you following on Instagram @productiveharmony? I post content and tips on a daily basis. Spread the word! Please share and like. The pre-sale is coming this week. It's an opportunity to support my author journey and get some fun perks along the way.

Join the pre-sale and become a participant in the process. Get early access to chapters, help shape the book cover, and even plan the virtual and IRL launch parties. Love to hear your ideas.

The last two weeks have been tough. It started out as most weeks do and then I came down with a nasty head cold. It disrupted my usual routine of early morning workouts and that's hard. I'm used to waking up early, eating and doing something physical. It energizes me for the day. Not exercising as intensely this past week reminded me of how much that exercise makes a difference. At the end of every triathlon season through November and December, I kick back and don't workout as hard. A reset. I still get up and do something most days, but not as intensely. I got into a habit of coming home and "meditating". Truth be told, it's probably more of a fifteen minute nap, but meditating sounds better. As I have ramped up my activity, I don't feel like I need that nap. Exercise is energizing.

I hit a milestone today - my 400th Peloton ride! Through Covid winters, I did a lot of Peloton bike riding, not so much these days and definitely not in the summer. It's been 5 years and I've done a lot more riding than that. I was, sort of, surprised it was "only" 400, but also glad it's not a clothing rack.

Where's the book?

As for the book, things are not progressing. Not what you expected? It's not writer's block. I finished an early first draft. I have the chapters written and a number of them still need work before they go to the next editor, but a big part of writing a book is marketing the book! This is the part they don't tell you about. When you dream of becoming an author, you don't think, "ooh, can't wait to market the book!" The reality is - for it to be successful, you have to market it. Success doesn't happen on it's own. You have to do the work, to be in the right place, at the right time.

Over the last six weeks, marketing has been the focus. I ramped up my Insta account @productiveharmony, posting once a day and probably need to do more than that. Trying to share more about the book on LinkedIn too. I've also done a few podcasts about the book. That's been fun. Links coming soon...

The challenge has been energy management. I'm running a business, still wondering where stuff is after we moved two months ago, and starting to ramp up my training. I've been doing this for years, decades now, but I still struggle. I'm not perfect. Doing stuff, like marketing takes a lot more energy than the day to day and even writing the book, but it's necessary. This is where balance doesn't work and you need to find harmony. Some days one activity has to take priority over the other. All things are not equal as balance implies. You can't neglect things, but you have to maximize your energy focusing on each task appropriately.

To manage my energy and make sure the marketing gets enough attention I setup my posts each weekend. This is a prime example of using energy to it's fullest advantage. On the weekend I can focus on the book and marketing. When I am tired after a long day of work to have to create a post is tough, but having them staged makes it easy and utilizes a lot less energy. This helps in two ways. I prioritize the marketing task when I have the right energy and each day, I reduce decision fatigue by having the posts ready to go.

Reducing decision fatigue is a key aspect of the Productive Harmony Framework. Ever wonder why Steve Jobs and others wear the same clothes every day? Each day I generally eat the same breakfast and lunch. Meal prep on Sunday? Wonder why? These things reduce decision fatigue. Join the pre-sale and get a sample chapter that takes a deep dive into the topic.