finding focus within the chaos: should we pause everything to write a book?

Here’s the situation I’m in right now: I’m writing three books at the same time. Yep, three. And these aren’t just random ideas I picked up on a whim—these are the three books I’ve chosen after letting hundreds of other project ideas come and go for many years now. Even if two of them are nonfiction, it’s not an easy task. And they are three because I can’t wait any longer to write them. But here’s the thing: I want to give all of them the same level of attention and care. On top of that, there’s my full-time job, writing online, and, you know, life.

I read Deep Work by Cal Newport, and at first, I thought it would give me a clear path forward: focus on one thing, dive deep, and cut out distractions. It’s a great idea in theory, and I thought of pausing posting on social media and Substack for a few months, but I’m just stubborn. It’s not how things work for me. And what I really need is to find focus within the chaos.

So I wrote this post instead.

Lessons from Deep Work

This is not a promotion of Deep Work, but it’s the book that made me think about all these things. It taught me something crucial about attention and intention—it’s not just about isolating yourself with one project in a cabin in the woods (though that would be very nice, to be honest). It’s about finding pockets of deep focus in the midst of a full life. You know what I mean? Cool words, but the truth is that I realized that you can manage multiple projects, even big ones like writing three books, as long as you’re intentional with your time.

It’s not about locking yourself away for six months and emerging with a perfect manuscript, (that’s not feasible for me)—it’s about working smart with the time I have. You can be fully immersed in your book for a few hours, then switch to your other tasks without feeling scattered or guilty.

What about online writing vs. “real” writing?

Yeah, let’s talk about that. Let’s consider writing online for a second, because it’s something that sneaks in, I know–I live that every day—and suddenly you’re spending more time on it than your “real” writing. And that’s where I want to pause and rethink this idea of what “real” writing even is.

We fall into this trap of thinking that our book, our big project, is the only thing that matters, and everything else is just noise. But honestly, isn’t all writing real? I mean, love doing this and this is one of my favorite writing routines. Whether it’s an Instagram caption, a post here, or a scene in a novel, it’s all part of the same creative muscle.

With different nuances and purposes, I know. But try to follow me on this.

Writing online or any other kind of writing time that you spend not on a book shouldn’t become the reason why we stop working on our bigger projects, but it also shouldn’t be dismissed as lesser. In the end, it’s all words on the page, all part of your creative output. And we need that.

We all need a little focus shifting to work better, if you ask me. And that’s where I kinda disagree a little with Cal Newport. While he emphasizes the power of sustained, uninterrupted focus, I’ve found that switching gears occasionally helps keep my creativity alive and my sanity intact. It’s like giving your brain a break from one project, so when you come back, you’re seeing it with fresh eyes. Sometimes, stepping away to work on something else is exactly what you need to move forward—especially when you’re juggling multiple creative endeavors.

Again, we just have find balance in the chaos.

Finding Balance in the Chaos

So, what about balance? What about those of us trying to do it all? Managing multiple projects and still keeping a full-time job, writing online, and—you know—being a person with a life?

If you agree that it’s not about shutting the door to everything else; then it’s about creating intentional focus windows for each project. You can switch between projects and still make progress, but you have to give each thing its time.

When I’m writing a book, that’s my deep work for the day. When I’m done, I can shift to something else—without feeling like I’m losing momentum. And sometimes, switching between projects even sparks new ideas that make everything stronger.

And it’s all writing

At the end of the day, it’s about what works for you. Some people thrive with single focus, others need the variety to keep their creativity alive. For me, I’ve found that I can balance multiple projects, even if it takes a little extra planning and discipline. Writing online isn’t the enemy of book writing—it’s just another piece of the puzzle.

And then there’s even another piece to this puzzle: think of Atomic Habits by James Clear. It’s not just about deep work or multitasking, but about building small, consistent habits that compound over time. Clear’s philosophy of making incremental progress each day can really help when you’re trying to juggle multiple projects. By breaking it all down into manageable, daily habits it all gets less overwhelming. Instead of thinking you have to tackle everything at once, you just focus on the next step. It’s a reminder that every little bit of progress counts, and eventually, those small efforts lead to big results—whether it’s finishing a book or managing all the creative projects you’ve got on your plate.

Easier said than done, I know. But let’s where all this thinking will take me. And I’m curious—how do you handle it?

Do you pause everything to write your book, or do you juggle a bunch of projects like I do? Do you see a difference between your “real” writing and everything else? Let me know in the comments.