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Audrey Hughey - The 90-Day Planning Revolution: Why Most Author Goals Fail Before They Start
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Audrey Hughey is a planner creator, author, and productivity expert who specializes in helping writers stay organized and achieve their publishing goals. After struggling to balance writing with raising toddlers, attending school, and freelance work, she created comprehensive author planners that have become essential tools for thousands of writers. Her planners are known for being ADHD-friendly and providing "monthly coaching" through structured goal-setting and review processes. Audrey combines principles from project management, entrepreneurship, and productivity science to create systems that help authors plan their entire year holistically—integrating writing goals with life commitments, energy cycles, and personal well-being.
In this episode:
- The crisis moment that led to creating author-specific planning tools during NaNoWriMo
- Why holistic planning (integrating life and writing) is more effective than isolated goal-setting
- The "brain dump" technique for overcoming overwhelm and functional freeze
- How to identify and work with your personal energy cycles and "fallow periods"
- Breaking large projects into achievable "pebbles" for consistent progress
- The 90-day commitment rule for testing new productivity systems
- Monthly review practices that function as affordable coaching alternatives
- Time blocking and realistic word count planning for busy authors
- Why authentic, meaningful goals matter more than borrowed aspirations
- Building cues, triggers, and habits that support consistent writing practice
Resources mentioned:
- The Author's Planner series
- Virtual writing retreats
- Monthly Writing Focus Planners
- Growth Day app
- Female Entrepreneurship Association
- Pomodoro Technique
Book recommendations:
- The Ritualist by Dakota Crowe
- Six Habits of Growth by Brendon Burchard
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
Connect with Audrey:
- Website: www.audreyhughey.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/thewriteservices
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/thewriteservices
- Sign Up to Audrey’s Newsletter: https://bit.ly/authorweekly
Connect with Teddy Smith:
- @teddyagsmith
- Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
- Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
- Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
- Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Chapters
1. Introduction & Meet Audrey Hughey (00:00:00)
2. Why Planning is Essential for Authors (00:01:08)
3. How to Stay on Track as an Author (00:02:18)
4. Audrey’s Personal Experience Managing Writing with Family (00:03:32)
5. The Creation of Her Author Planners (00:04:52)
6. Key Tools for Staying Organized as a Writer (00:06:29)
7. Breaking Down the Writing Process into Manageable Steps (00:08:26)
8. Planning for Both Fiction & Nonfiction Writers (00:11:20)
9. How to Set Realistic Writing Goals (00:12:54)
10. Time Management Tips for Authors (00:14:39)
11. The Importance of Consistency & Habit Building (00:17:29)
12. How to Break Down Big Projects (The Pebble Method) (00:20:09)
13. Marketing Your Book While Writing (00:21:39)
14. How Her Planners Help with Book Marketing & Sales (00:24:18)
15. Common Mistakes Authors Make When Planning (00:26:48)
16. The Role of Mindset & Motivation in Writing Success (00:29:28)
17. Recommended Productivity Tools for Writers (00:32:03)
18. Where to Find Audrey’s Planners (00:35:18)
19. Final Tips for Staying Consistent & Inspired (00:37:18)
136 episodes
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