Publishing Ins and Outs and Shortcuts?

 If an aspiring writer of nonfiction wanted to get published, that person needs to read Alia Habib’s forthcoming book, "Take It From Me." She not only provides her own experienced agent’s perspective but those of many other professionals from the conception, dipping-the-toes essay articles through editing to pub day—the day the book is finally released to the public. From the outside, publishing looks daunting: so many manuscripts aren’t even read by editors and fewer are accepted. But if the writer wants to break through into the “real” publishing world, and not remain in self-publication, Habib provides the do’s and don't’s of submission, marketing, etc.

There are helpful summaries at the end of each chapter: key takeaways. So if the reader is re-reading, or trying to know which pitfalls to avoid in the next stage of launching a book, these are really helpful. Also, helpful because a few chapters can be too long.

The book itself is very readable, as if the author is in a conversation with you. Also, there are moments when the author pulls back the veil on the process for this book. But being in the publishing world and having shepherded many authors’ books onto bookstore shelves, there are plenty of anecdotes to back up her advice. And a few moments of vulnerability as well when describing the stumbles by the author when negotiating on her clients’ behalf. 

If I was interested in publishing (again), I would definitely refer to Habib’s book many times for guidance.

I’m appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.

Regenerative Performance, not Peak Performance

 Earlier this year at the Global Leadership Summit, James Hewitt, author of "Regenerative Performance," described how to avoid the trap of peak performance. Peak performance is not sustainable, because it's based on effort and optimism. Regenerative Performance, on the other hand, relies on cycles of effort. Anyone who has lifted weights knows rest periods and days off are important.

According to his reported statistics, 73% of people are disengaged, checked out, looking to bail out from their current jobs. 50% are burned out. 90% report that work-life balance, if there is such a thing, is getting worse. So how do we help people tame the push solely for peak performance?

We need to recognize that we have different cognitive "gears": low, medium and high. 

High gear is not multi-tasking. Multi-tasking entails a 40% drop in productivity. Instead we need to know when we're most productive. This was recently described in Daniel Pink's book "When." We might be an early chronotype: early bird, dawn patrol, etc. Or a late chronotype: night owl, red-eye, etc. Most of us don't pay attention to when we should be in high gear, our most focused and productive time.

Medium gear is used for routine tasks and unfortunately it's where we spend most of our time: in-person meetings, emails, videoconferences, etc. Tame the Inbox and the Meeting Schedule. How much has the email, agenda been thought through before we distribute and invite? How much do I/we need outside input? How much does this issue require real-time interaction, such as an in-person meeting or videoconference? What form of communication of the issue or recommendation is best for the recipient(s)?

Low gear is when we can coast, recover, imagine...nap! 45% are sleep-deprived leading to lower IQ, lower EQ and less physically and emotionally safe environments. When low gear time is allowed, burnout drops to 2%, a 96% reduction.

Some religious traditions encourage sabbaths and sabbaticals. Maybe there's a way to incorporate an accumulated hour of low gear "work" for every 7 hours.