Adjusting Your Schedule When Life Changes (Homestead + Author Update) | Podcast Ep. 164Dan Kenner shares episode 164 (recorded Friday, February 20, 2026) about staying productive as an author when life changes force schedule adjustments. He explains a recent break in posting, his desire to keep the podcast going, and his ongoing interest in interviews. He gives homestead updates, including an unusually warm, muddy winter in Idaho affecting animal care; the kids enjoying spring-like weather but missing sledding; and animals doing well overall. He describes taking over afternoon hand-milking of their cow Lucy to help streamline evenings and get to bed earlier, including the learning curve and physical strain, along with updates on muddy pigs, water issues in the pig pen, and replacing the battery in the chickens’ automatic coop door after months of manual opening/closing. He notes recent archery competitions and a shift toward a busier homestead season. On the author side, he’s continuing to write (about 1,000 words on weekdays), working to get ahead on short stories for his Ream subscription, and planning to return to finishing book six of the Hidden Heritage Series. He mentions improved website purchasing options (dankenner.com or dankennerbooks.com), growing local word-of-mouth readership, and positive feedback comparing his Libber Chronicles to Ranger’s Apprentice. He also uninstalled Instagram and TikTok due to distraction and stress. The main topic focuses on flexibility: adjusting sleep and work routines, breaking tasks into smaller time blocks as work stress increases, accepting slower progress, and maintaining a consistent connection to writing rather than stopping entirely. He encourages listeners to trust their instincts, shift writing times as needed, avoid turning creativity into only checkboxes, reevaluate regularly, and share their own strategies and feedback.00:00 Welcome Back Episode 16400:50 Podcast Hiatus Update02:18 Homestead Winter Weirdness04:09 Learning To Milk Lucy07:20 Mud Pigs And Butcher Plans09:04 Chicken Door Fix10:50 Archery And Seasonal Pace11:13 Author Progress And Ream12:08 Website Wins And Reader Praise14:19 Quitting Social Media Apps15:34 Flex Your Schedule19:31 Two Choices When Life Changes21:00 Find The Writing Magic22:51 Trust Your Gut And Reevaluate24:39 Wrap Up And Listener Call