Time is the Final Boss: How Writers Can Beat the Clock
Writers love to talk about productivity. Then they’ll spend hours crafting secondary world geology treatises, drawing up character reference sheets, and color-coding their manuscripts.
Here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud:
If you're serious about writing in newpub, you don’t need a new system. You need to stop wasting time.
Because your real opponent is not the algorithm, not the market; not even the zombie oldpub gatekeepers still shambling around like they run the show.
Time is the real final boss.
And if you don’t learn how to beat the clock, it will beat you.
Let’s go over some reframes and perspective shifts that can help you win.
1. Writing Is the Job. Everything Else Is Overhead.
In newpub, you're not just a writer, you’re a business owner. That means you are your own publicist, editor, project manager, and fulfillment department.
That’s the trade-off. Oldpub lets you hand off most of the scut work, but also grabs up 85 percent of your earnings and all of your creative control.
You want freedom? You earn it with discipline.
So here's the iron rule:
Do your writing first.
Your emails, social media, and campaign planning all take a backseat to the writing. Put words on the page every day before the world starts shouting for your attention.
Remember: You don’t run a business unless you’re making product or service. In newpub, the product is books, and the service is fun. Everything else is just noise unless you’ve got another novel in the pipeline.
2. Know the Difference Between Motion and Progress
Spending four hours redesigning your book’s series logo? That’s motion.
Outlining the next installment is progress.
Reading every post on 20BooksTo50K = motion.
Writing 1,000 words before breakfast = progress.
Make sense yet?
Then let me sum it up: If you’re “working on your writing career” but not producing fiction, you’re lying to yourself.
Yes, some of the motion is necessary. You do need to build your mailing list. You do need to format your books properly. But you don’t need to spend half a week picking the perfect stock image for your character’s concept art.
Ask yourself every hour:
“Is this activity getting me closer to finishing a publishable book?”
If not, stop and reset.
3. Make Time, Don’t Find It
Stop saying, “I’ll write when I find the time.”
You’ll never find it. Instead, you make time.
That might mean:
Getting up an hour earlier
Giving up Netflix after dinner
Writing during your lunch break instead of doomscrolling X.
Just as important—once you’ve made your time, you need to protect it. How?
Close your door
Turn off your phone
Unplug the internet.
If your kids can interrupt you every five minutes, you’re not writing; you’re just pretending to.
You don’t need six hours a day. Most of my books were written in 90-minute blocks. You’d be amazed what you can accomplish with focused sprints.
Tl; dr: If you're not carving out time with a sword and defending it like a knight on a bridge, you're not serious.
Related: The Biggest Self-Editing Mistakes Most Authors Miss (and How to Fix Them)
4. Respect the Stage You’re In
Some of you write full-time. Most of you don’t. And that’s fine. There’s no shame in having a day job, raising kids, or caring for your family.
But you have to be realistic about what stage you’re in.
If you’re running a campaign, treat it like you’re planning the D-Day invasion.
In drafting mode, don’t cram your calendar with podcast appearances.
And if you’re in burnout territory, rest. Don’t cram another how-to book hoping it’ll save you.
Every season has different demands. But there is one constant:
You must treat your time as sacred.
Even ten hours a week will move the needle if those hours are focused, deliberate, and defended.
5. Have a Plan. Stick to It. Ship the Book.
No plan, no progress.
By the same token, overplanning is just another way to procrastinate.
So set your goals. Break them down into weekly and daily targets. Draw up a daily schedule if you need to. Then hit them hard.
That doesn’t mean perfectly. Murphy’s Law is real. Aim for consistency.
And always keep in mind: Your job is not to dream. Your job is to finish.
If your current system leads to abandoned drafts, missed deadlines, or launch delays, it’s not a system; it’s an excuse.
Don’t fall into the trap of treating writing like a passion project that might someday work out. If you’re offering your work for sale to the public, then it’s work. Treat it accordingly, and it will pay off.
Final Word: Time Is a Moral Issue
Most productivity gurus frame time management as a technique to master.
They’re wrong.
Time is not just a resource. It’s a moral consideration.
What are you choosing to do with your finite hours on Earth?
Are you building works of art that will last, or are you drifting in a lazy river?
Newpub rewards those who show up, hit their deadlines, and deliver quality. That’s not flashy or exciting, but that’s how it is.
So master your time. Write your books, finish what you write, and never apologize for protecting the time you need to get the job done.
Learn to do that, and you’ll be the guy who finishes … and more importantly, ships.
This post was inspired by a question from a patron in our most recent AMA. To claim your seat on the Council of Kairos, help guide the growth of the realm, and get professional feedback on your project, join us on Patreon today.