The Importance of Consistent Execution (aka… palm smack!)

I’m going to come clean at the outset of this post. This is not a lecture. I am not going to tell you why consistent execution matters, why you should do it, or how you should begin. No, this is more of a confession. I mentioned in my last post 3 Ways that I am Preparing for My 2023 Writing Year that I was reading the 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington as part of my improvement and mindset goals for 2023. Call me crazy, but I had this sneaking suspicion that I was going to find maybe just a few gems of wisdom that I could apply to my writing, and more importantly to the business of my writing, for the new year.

I am four chapters in now, and my forehead has never been so sore from all the palm-smacking.

Picture, if you will, Veronica sitting altruistically in her living room, favourite blanket on her lap, the cuddliest dog you’ve ever met snuggled warmly into her side and snoring like it was going out of fashion. Open on her Kindle is The 12 Week Year, and she calmly begins taking in the sage advice of Moran and Lennington with perhaps a touch of self-righteousness. And then she gets no further than page 3…

Aaaaand…. crap. Palm smack.

“Execution is the single greatest market differentiator. Great companies and successful individuals execute better than their competition. The barrier standing between you and the life you are capable of living is a lack of consistent execution.”

Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington

That’s what I read. And the reason it got to me is because… well, to be honest, I’ve been struggling with being consistent lately. And by lately I mean a really long dang time. The phrase, “Shoot, I didn’t get to write today; oh well, I’ll do it tomorrow,” has become a pretty consistent one in my lexicon. Ironic, isn’t it? Consistent implementation of “putting it off” has produced a much slower pace of writing than I want.

If you’ve checked out my blog lately, you may have seen that I’ve done some reflection for my 2023. This is because, more and more, I feel like I am capable of doing more. Of writing more. It’s something I enjoy so much, yet it has not taken top priority in my life. There are reasons for that, but right now I can’t think of a good one. That’s not to say I don’t write. I do. Of course I do. I released a book last year. I released one the year before it. I am writing, just not as much as I want to.

Here is where I make my confession. Writing has always been important to me. But until the last few years, I haven’t been thinking of it as a business. It was just something I did that I was sorta kinda good at, and I was lucky enough to make a living off of. More and more, I’ve become increasingly aware that writers are entrepreneurs, and over the last few years, I’ve written about this on my blog as I’ve come up the learning curve of getting into the business of writing.

Recently, I’ve enjoyed watching YouTuber Bernadette Banner, who is a dress historian and social media influencer in this niche genre. I find her content so engaging, humorous and informative, and find myself re-watching her videos sometimes just because I enjoy them that much. Well, I recently watched one where she vlogs about “A Week in the Life.” That one was so eye opening for me, because she’s talking about sitting down to write her video scripts, she’s spending time capturing the footage and imagery she’s using on her YouTube Channel and her Instagram Feed. She’s talking about her brand collaborations and her process for planning out new videos. Her videos are filmed piecemeal over the course of several weeks, which takes a special kind of commitment to persevere and tie them all together and actually finish a video… much less do this consistently. Her days end late sometimes because of the work she is putting in.

Here it comes again… palm smack! This is what it takes to run a business. And so, when it comes to my own writing, I can do better at being consistent. I mean, the end product is my collection of books. No one sees the work that goes into producing them. But as the 12 Week Year points out, consistent execution is what is going to keep my little writing business moving forward.

My little forehead smack moment may have been realized with chagrin, but it’s one that’s reminded me of what I need to do.

And so, 2023, you’re going to see one heck of a consistent Veronica, I promise!