Distractions And Focus / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-May-2026

There are a lot of distractions keeping you from achieving your goals.  Social media.  The news (is 24/7 news media really necessary?).  Politics.  Global events.  The stock market.  Funny videos/reels.  Online browsing, looking for deals.

You name it, it can distract you.

That is, if you let it.

I recently read a blog post (geared toward writers) about distractions and "how the world is right now" blah, blah, blah . . . 

Again, let me repeat: IF YOU LET IT.

What separates those who achieve their goals and those who do not is getting things done?  Finishing that novel.  Building that website.  Setting up that newsletter.  Submitting that proposal to whatever gatekeeper you name.  Finishing something, whatever that may be.

The phrase "how the world is right now" threw me for a loop because it all comes down to perspective.  Sadly, for many, their world revolves on who is sitting in the White House.  If "their person" is in there and "their people" are in Congress, then life is peachy.  If not, then it's all gone to hell.

For me, I don't like discussing politics (even with my wife, we don't like to discuss it, and we hold the same values and voted for the same) and don't like discussing politics with people who also hold our same values.  There are other things to talk about.  Family.  Dreams.  You name it.

Keep an eye on what is distracting you.  If it is demanding more and more of your time (there is a certain game on my phone that does that, and I am more purposeful on what time I devote to it) then you might ask yourself, "What's important to me?"

Is it your dream?

Or the distraction?

To Each Their Own / Happenings In The Outhouse 05-Dec-2025

There are times when people (usually authors) say or do things that make me shake my head.

Over a month ago, I came across a social media post by a local author.  This author stated that they had been chipping away at their next book (this author only has one book self-published) while starting school full-time to finish their bachelor's degree, volunteering at their church, being a parent to four younger children, and running a campground.  This author also wrote a weekly column for an area newspaper.  Quite busy, I get it.  Been there, got the T-shirt.

Then, this is the part that made me shake my head: this author had a conversation with one of their professors and, based on said conversation, decided to try the traditional route for publishing rather than self-publishing on the next book.

Pause . . . 

No, I did not comment.  Nor did I select an appropriate reaction to their post.  I just . . . moved on, all the while shaking my head in bewilderment.

To each their own.  If it works, I wish them the best of luck.

Deep down, I know this person will spend years regretting their choice.

Busy Vs. Productive / Happenings In The Outhouse 10-Oct-2025

"I'm busy!"

"Boy, am I productive!"

Both of these words seem to be used interchangeably, but truly mean something completely different.  Let me give you an example: you want to clean out the garage before winter.  Okay, seems reasonable.  You have a general timeframe, and you know what the task looks like.  To prepare for it, you want to line up a dumpster and have a plan for disposal of the larger items (i.e. city dump, etc.).  Busy in this sense may be knowing who to call for the dumpster.  Productive is actually making the call.  Now that the dumpster is there, you go out on a Saturday morning and start cleaning it out.  Productive.  If you let the dumpster sit in your driveway for weeks on end without filling it up but are planning on doing it soon, that would be the busy department.

Get the picture?

Let's take the creative types out there.  Because this is something I'm familiar with, let's take writers.  Writers are, by and large, finicky.  We let the little things bother us or bog us down so that our creative juices don't flow like we want.  We wait for just the right moment, just the right amount of creative fairy dust to land on our brains and fingers, and in just the right place before we even begin to write.

If you, as a writer, read all kinds of books on writing but never put pen to page, or type any words onto either a virtual or physical page, you are just acting busy.  Not productive.  You need to get words down.  Any amount will do.  And then . . . finish.

Set a goal.

Do it consistently.

Produce something.

Realistic View Of Business / Happenings In The Outhouse 01-Aug-2025

A few days ago, someone on social media (this person calls himself a "6-fig entrepreneur" which means this "entrepreneur" states he makes over $100K a year which is a flat out lie for a variety of reasons) posted this photo below, along with a statement about everyone getting comfortable doing what's easy, rather than what is difficult, and how he has achieved so much:

First, I want to point out how incredibly inaccurate this photo is when compared to reality.  No job, unless you are salaried (and this is for a single year, not over the course of a decade or more), stays completely 100% stagnant month after month.  And even then, there are increases (and other incentives) over the years and decades.  Also, for $2500 a month comes out to $625 a week (given a 4-week month).  Divide that by 40 hours is $15.62 or so an hour.  And so many jobs now offer that as a minimum wage.  Minimum!  When I was in high school, I made a fraction of that an hour for my grocery store job.  And if you wanted to make more money, apply toward a higher paying position or job.  You may have to work two or three jobs to provide for yourself and your family too, or even have a side hustle to bring in some money.  But the top line is highly inaccurate and should be angling upward and to the right.

Second, the bottom half of the photo is equally as inaccurate, if not more.  No business can sustain a growth trajectory of "up and to the right" all the time.  All business goes in cycles, even small businesses.  I work for a multi-billion-dollar company and its sales growth looks like a roller coaster over the months, years, and decades.

I hire a gentleman to mow my lawn.  That is his business.  A side hustle turn full-time gig.  He used to work a full-time job years ago and mowed lawns on the side, but the growth in his business over the years has earned him the freedom to do it full-time.  I can only speculate, but if one was to review his financials and chart it on a graph, he has a HUGE spike in the summer months for cash flow and a much less one during the rest of the year.  Now, this guy also has other side gigs in his business, from snow removal to vehicle detailing, to keep cash flowing during the "off" season, but the bulk of his business is during the summer when he mows lawns.

I am all for thinking positively and motivating yourself to better your life.  Why do you think I get up at the butt crack of dawn and write EVERY SINGLE DAY?  If you were to chart the cash flow for my writing business, it goes in cycles, much like a roller coaster too.  But I'm not going to lie, to call myself a "6-fig author" just to try impress others who don't give a rip about me.  Who am I trying to prove?  No one.  Also, I'm not going to boast about how much money I'm making.  Seriously, it's none of your goddamned business.

When it comes to business and money, keep it to yourself.  Seriously.  Keep.  It.  To.  Yourself.  Celebrate the wins quietly and, if you have to, only with your very closest loved ones.  Again, only if you have to.  Most of the time, I do not.  Whatever you do, don't boast online about what HUGE business you're doing when it's a complete lie.

What Is Your Hesitancy? / Happenings In The Outhouse 27-June-2025

What is holding you back?

What is keeping you from doing what you want to do (or what you're supposed to do)?

What is holding you back from succeeding beyond your wildest dreams?

Is it time?  Money?  Other commitments?

Maybe what's holding you back is . . . you?

Now get out of your way and accomplish something!

Rules For A Reason / Happenings In The Outhouse 21-March-2025

Everyone loves rules, right?

Oh, you don't?

Well, you're gonna like these.

Or are you . . . ?

In 1964, science fiction author Robert Heinlein wrote an essay in a collection titled Of Worlds Beyond.  At the very end of the essay, almost as an afterthought, he stated his five basic rules of writing.  Keep in mind, he was talking about fiction, and speculative fiction to boot, but this can be used for all writing.

These simple rules are:

1) Write

2) Finish what you're writing

3) Do not rewrite except to editorial review

4) Put your story out on the market

5) Keep it on the market until it's sold

Sounds simple, right?  Not so fast, Sparky.  When you peel back the onion, you'd be amazed at how many people can't do even the most simple of these rules.

In the upcoming weeks, I will dive deeper into each of these rules, how they shaped my own life, and how you can use them to shape your future.

Also, you may think this is only for writers.  Wrong!  These rules can be put in place for any hobby that you want to take to the next level.

Podcast Fasting Revisited Again / Happenings In The Outhouse 17-Jan-2025

I have done this before, either cut down on the number of podcasts I listen to or pause listening to them altogether.

Well, I'm at it again, pausing them in its entirety and revisiting the list that I do have and possibly cutting them down.  Are there new ones to add?  Possibly not.  Are there ones to cut?  Possibly.

I looked at my podcast list and discovered I had not listed to a podcast since the end of October.

Why is this?

A number of reasons, truth be told.  I have some changes at my full-time job which is causing me to focus more of my energy on learning new work processes.  Also, I am listening to more audiobooks, so my listening is not completely going away.

Last year, I focused a lot on learning new writing techniques and writing short stories.  Now, I am writing a new novel (in a new series).  It is a cozy mystery series and I am around 6,500 words into it.  I am having a blast writing it.  I have a short story that I am using as the basis for it, but for now I am keeping the details under wraps.

Battling Complacency / Happenings In The Outhouse 02-Aug-2024

It's easy to stay in one spot, be it career or job position or hobbies or place of residence or . . . well, just about anything at this point.

But what if . . . 

Now, I'm not saying that everyone should quit their job, abandon their hobbies, and move away.  But if you are given an opportunity to do something different, even for a little while, what's stopping you?

Best Time To Prepare / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-July-2024

There is an adage that says (I'm paraphrasing here): when is the best time to prepare?  Let's take retirement saving for example or career advancement.  Answer: five years ago (or some time in the distant past).  When is the second best time?  Today.

Obviously, no one has a time machine to go back, to give yourself financial or career advice years ago, knowing how it all ends up.  But preparing for whatever change is taking place, the best time is now.  Not tomorrow.  Not next week or month or year.  Now.

If you do not, then you'll look back five years from now and wish that you had done something different.

How is the world changing?  What can you do to study now that will pay dividends down the road?

Control Your Calendar / Happenings In The Outhouse 10-May-2024

It is important to get control of your calendar.

Everyone is getting pulled in different directions, and with the advent of technology it seems like our time and attention is getting pulled even more.

It pays dividends to focus on one item at a time without distractions.  If you're doing your taxes, I wouldn't suggest watching a movie at the same time as well as washing dishes and playing your meals for the next week.  Even if you do one thing for an hour and take a small break, that's fine as long as you're doing just one thing at a time.

Also, multi-tasking and doing it well is a myth.  Trust me, there is research to back it up.  I won't link to any studies here.  If you don't believe me, look for yourself.

Learn what is important to you and put those things on your calendar.  Because if you don't control your time, someone else will.

The Toxic Mix of Politics And Entertainment Creators / Happenings In The Outhouse 01-March-2024

I wrote this post over six years ago, and I can still remember the circumstances that led to it.

And I will repeat this again, because someone very publicly came out recently and trashed someone.  All because this person had a letter by their name.  Yes, it boils down to politics and whether or not the person in question has an R or a D by their name.

I don't give a pass to anyone.  Period.  No one is perfect.

Now, I would LOVE to state here who I am speaking about--and I apologize for being so cryptic--but I will not.  In rare instances have I done this, and I'm not starting now.

Bottom line: do not mix politics if you are in the entertainment business.  Unless it is the clear focus of the content you are creating, please stop.  It alienates others on one side of the political aisle.

The person is question is a big name author, with a series of books that he can't seem to finish after several years and two HBO series in the same world.  This person completely demonized someone and completely ignored another, all because they have an R by their name.  He gives a complete pass to those with a D by their name.

Yes, I am talking about Republicans and Democrats.

Do not give anyone a pass.  If you demonize one side without criticizing the other, you are being a complete hypocrite.

Stop doing that.  Seriously, stop it.

There, rant over . . .

Freedom To Let Your Creative Mind Flow / Happenings In The Outhouse 23-Feb-2024

I had an interesting conversation with my youngest daughter last week.  She's in speech competition and was in the process of writing her creative speech.  But she kept hitting a roadblock and didn't know how to finish it.  She reached out to a few others for help, but in fact got more roadblocks.  An English teacher told her to use some formulaic path to writing the story, and this only frustrated her more.

Once I heard her out, I told her to throw away all of the advice she had given.  Her eyes grew wide, then I told her to brainstorm as many ideas as she could.

"The first few ideas will be easy but you won't want to use them," I said.  "By the time you get eight, ten, twelve ideas down, that's where the great ideas will be.  The ones that will spark the direction your story will go."

When seeking advice from others, please be aware that not all advice is good.  In fact, no offense to the others, but they aren't a creative like my daughter and myself.  I knew how to speak the language of a creative.

When you feel stuck on a project, sit alone and just brainstorm.  Let your mind go.  Let it be free.  You will be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Now, on a side note, there is nothing wrong with the advice regarding formulas to writing.  There are a variety of methods, but I knew for her it would just confuse her.  So I kept it simple.  And guess what?  She finished it!

The Time For Your Craft / Happenings In The Outhouse 12-Jan-2024

I set my alarm at 6am every morning.  Well, not on the weekends, but during the week I do.

But I still write, no matter the day of the week.

We all feel like we're running a rat race these days, not knowing which way is up.  But if you are serious about your craft--whatever that craft is; in my case it's writing so that's what I'll use--you will make the time for it.  Even if you don't feel like it, carve out the time.  Even a few minutes here and there is good, although if you're serious, you'll want to set aside the time.

Reminder to Buy / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-Sept-2023

My annual gym membership came to an end for another year a few weeks ago.  I received no reminder, no head's up that "hey, do you want to renew?"

Nothing.

This would've been a great opportunity to reach out and let me know about any new deals or even a simple reminder that my membership was coming to a close.

How does this apply to your art, to your creations?

You need to remind people that you're still creating, still working on your craft.  Whenever you have something new, tell people.

Podcast Fast To The Next Level / Happenings In The Outhouse 25-Aug-2023

I have noted on this blog that I have trimmed down my podcast feed from time to time.  Well, now it's time to do so again.

This time, however, I need to take it to the next level.

In my individual podcast episode feed, there are over 500 episodes from a variety of podcasts.  About 45 or so podcasts, while there may be another 10 that I will pull individual podcasts out of, depending on the subject matter or who is being interviewed.  And one podcast has over 200 saved episodes that I just haven't gotten around to listening to.

What's important to me?

Although the subject matter may be important to me, the growing list of podcasts allows me to do one thing that erodes my time: procrastination.  Yup, the dreaded P word.  Many people do not ever realize their dream because of procrastination.

As of this posting, I have whittled the podcasts down to the low-20's.

I'm still waiting to pull the trigger on the one with over 200.  Do I go back and remove the oldest episodes?  Or remove it altogether?

Time will tell . . . 

Handling Negativity / Happenings In The Outhouse 10-March-2023

I read a blog post the other day and came across this saying:

How true this is, for some people to always come up with problems to potential solutions.

I run into this daily at my day job, when there are possible solutions and all the feedback one can give them is negative in nature.

What are your first thoughts when a solution is presented to you?  In what light do you see it?  Do you see the possibilities or all the ways it can fail?

Stupid Questions and Brain Farts / Happenings In The Outhouse 03-March-2023

"Can I ask you a stupid question?"

For me, the stupidest question is the one that's never asked.  I've held this notion for as far back as I can remember.  I've had numerous people come up to me, asking if they could ask a stupid question.  I always respond back in kind, repeating my mantra of what the stupidest question is.

99 times out of 100, the question is actually quite profound and I tell them so.  The look of shock makes me chuckle.

But what about the 1 time?  The 1 time out of 100 when the question is, what one would consider, stupid?  I keep that to myself.  I never tell them that the question could be considered stupid.  It could just be a brain fart--when you know the answer, but can't quite remember.  And just because I may feel it is stupid doesn't mean it is.  Ask it anyway.

Be brave to ask questions.  I maybe don't do it enough myself.  My method of learning is to sit back and let the knowledge soak into me like a water into a sponge.

So go ahead and ask your questions.

Just because you may think they're stupid doesn't mean someone else isn't wondering the same and is afraid to ask.

Companionship Advantage / Happenings In The Outhouse 09-Dec-2022

They say two heads are better than one.

But what if you are a solo artist/author?

Many artists do, indeed, work alone.  But if you can have a companion (i.e. spouse) who supports what you are doing, more than better.  I could be wrong on this, but I do believe that is how Dean Koontz got his start, that his wife worked full-time so he could write.  She gave him a five-year deadline to become a published author.  If he did, then they'd be set.  As you can see, he has accomplished that and much, much more.  There are other stories of supportive spouses from authors like Stephen King too.

My late wife was always supportive of my writing--not quite sure why, to be brutally honest.  In our twenty-two and a half years of marriage, she heard a lot about it and knew I was writing, but never broke into the bestselling list.

My girlfriend is just as supportive and even loves to do her own schoolwork (she's an RN working on her BSN degree) while I write.  When she leaves for work early in the morning, I'm always up with her, plugging away on my computer.

Other authors do not seem to have this type of relationship.  J. K. Rowling and J. D. Salinger are just two authors I can name who got published without a companion by their side supporting them.

Does it help?  I sure think so.

Mind Your Own Bobber / Happenings In The Outhouse 21-Oct-2022

Do you know someone who concerns themselves with things/events either beyond their control or something that truly isn't their business?  I'm sure we all have.  Or we might be that someone.

If you have ever been fishing, you might notice some who use a bobber on their line like this:

If one is more focused on another person's bobber than their own, they may lose out on opportunities.  In other words, the fish may get away if you aren't paying attention.

So . . . mind your own bobber.

Blending Creation And Consumption / Happenings In The Outhouse 19-August-2022

With so much vying for our attention, one may wonder how much should one dedicate to their craft vs. consuming entertainment.

I love reading and I love watching movies as well as my favorite TV series.  Streaming services have put much of this right at the tip of my fingers, and my Kindle makes it so easy to read any book at any time.

But with my writing, it's difficult to balance my time to write with wanting to watch some of the new shows coming out, like Stranger Things, The Sandman series, the new Rings of Power series on Amazon, and other movies/shows that have piqued my interest.

For greater success, it is better to create content than consume it.  Even famous authors have said their reading time has dwindled the more successful they become (a problem I wish I had).

It feels good to take a small break from creating.  Even God rested after creating the universe.  It is a lesson for us all, to take time to rest.

But don't rest too much.  Balancing rest and creating is something that isn't easy, and sometimes changes depending on the circumstances.