Ask the Author: David Finkel
Answered Questions (3)
David Finkel
The Freedom Formula: How to Succeed In Business Without Sacrificing Your Family, Health, or Life, was me putting to book format what a decade of struggling and experimentation of these ideas in my own business and personal life post kids.
I didn’t start out with a refined design for the Freedom Formula.
Initially, it was just me groping in the dark, experimenting with my time, team, and company, struggling to find a better way to scale my company without sacrificing everything else.
As I started to enjoy small successes, I shared the ideas with other business leaders who participated in our coaching programs.
Over time I tried out cutting material; teaching it in new ways; adding new analogies; creating new tools...
When I settled on a consistent methodology for how to get yourself and your team to consistently focus your best time and attention on your highest value activities in the face of a flood of emails and app feeds, that's when i began working on the book.
That was about 2 years ago.
It was the hardest book I ever wrote because for the first time, I wanted to write a book NOT just for the business owner or CEO, but for any manager, leader, or executive in a small or large company.
This was a stretch for me and seeing the ideas we knew worked for small and midcap companies work in large multibillion dollar enterprise was really satisfying for me.
I didn’t start out with a refined design for the Freedom Formula.
Initially, it was just me groping in the dark, experimenting with my time, team, and company, struggling to find a better way to scale my company without sacrificing everything else.
As I started to enjoy small successes, I shared the ideas with other business leaders who participated in our coaching programs.
Over time I tried out cutting material; teaching it in new ways; adding new analogies; creating new tools...
When I settled on a consistent methodology for how to get yourself and your team to consistently focus your best time and attention on your highest value activities in the face of a flood of emails and app feeds, that's when i began working on the book.
That was about 2 years ago.
It was the hardest book I ever wrote because for the first time, I wanted to write a book NOT just for the business owner or CEO, but for any manager, leader, or executive in a small or large company.
This was a stretch for me and seeing the ideas we knew worked for small and midcap companies work in large multibillion dollar enterprise was really satisfying for me.
David Finkel
Three suggestions:
1. Read "The War of Art" (Pressfield) and make the decision to "turn pro". This means you write when you've set a time to write -- no matter what. (When i'm working on a new book i set 2 days a week to do 1,500 words each day, no matter what. Then i edit like crazy later.)
2. Don't worry if your first book isn't "perfect"; don't fear what other people will say or how they'll judge... just get that first one done. The rest come much easier when you FINISH that first one. I cringe at times with how poorly written my first book (self published back in 1998) was. But I'm proud that i got myself to do it. Here i am, 11 books later, and i'm getting better and better with each book i write.
3. If you're doing non-fiction, consider working through your ideas through teaching or blogging. I always teach on a subject of a new book for a year or more, write numerous articles on the subject matter, and use that as a starting point for the book. I get to see audience reaction to my ideas and struggle with the language for a bit first to find my final version.
1. Read "The War of Art" (Pressfield) and make the decision to "turn pro". This means you write when you've set a time to write -- no matter what. (When i'm working on a new book i set 2 days a week to do 1,500 words each day, no matter what. Then i edit like crazy later.)
2. Don't worry if your first book isn't "perfect"; don't fear what other people will say or how they'll judge... just get that first one done. The rest come much easier when you FINISH that first one. I cringe at times with how poorly written my first book (self published back in 1998) was. But I'm proud that i got myself to do it. Here i am, 11 books later, and i'm getting better and better with each book i write.
3. If you're doing non-fiction, consider working through your ideas through teaching or blogging. I always teach on a subject of a new book for a year or more, write numerous articles on the subject matter, and use that as a starting point for the book. I get to see audience reaction to my ideas and struggle with the language for a bit first to find my final version.
David Finkel
I just sit my butt down and do the work. I write -- junk if that's all that comes -- then I edit later.
Steve Pressfield's "The War of Art" was a great inspiration to me on this. He nailed it in words what i had been doing for years when i write -- I make the decision to write, even when I'm stuck or don't "feel" like it.
I may later have to toss what I wrote in a tough day at my keyboard, but i get my 1,500 words done on my writing days.
Steve Pressfield's "The War of Art" was a great inspiration to me on this. He nailed it in words what i had been doing for years when i write -- I make the decision to write, even when I'm stuck or don't "feel" like it.
I may later have to toss what I wrote in a tough day at my keyboard, but i get my 1,500 words done on my writing days.
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