Here it is the beginning of April. Just 3 months into the new year. How are you doing on your writing goals for 2017?
I sort of fell flat on my face a few times, but my calendar/planner offers me the opportunity to jot down my goals for each day, week, month, etc... so I keep writing down my writing goals. Keeping them at the forefront of my day seems to keep me on track. Well...not exactly, but when I fall off the track, it brings me back.
It's okay to start and start again, as long as you don't give up. I hope you aren't waiting for the new year of 2018 to get back into your writing?
These following tips are helping me stay on track, hopefully they'll help you too. It you have others to add, please leave a comment to share with readers. Thanks in advance and good luck / break a leg!
Write Down Your Goals - that may seem silly to write down
your writing goals, but having
Share Your Goals - call it an accountability partner, or whatever you want, but let someone in on your plans. I've found that if you do get off track, that special someone may just ask how you're doing which is enough of a push to get you back to what you should be doing. It's always more fun to do things with a friend, so you can help them achieve their goals as well (whatever they may be - don't think you can only share your goals with other writers).
Check In - whether it be weekly, monthly, quarterly, or whatever works into your schedule you should check in with yourself. Ask those tough questions "am I putting in enough time and energy?" "am I where I wanted to be at this point?" "what should I be doing or what could I be doing differently?". If we set goals and we don't really think about them periodically, we are setting ourselves up for failure. You need some way of measuring your success.
Celebrate - if you think you need to wait until your novel is published or you make the top ten list before you can break out the bubbly and celebrate, you're taking lots of fun out of life. After all, didn't someone say "life isn't about the destination, it's about the ride?" Go ahead and celebrate whatever successes you've achieved along the way. I don't propose heading to Cancun for every 1,000 words, but treating yourself to a new pen, a glass of wine, or a pretty scarf every now and then can be a fun (yet inexpensive) way to stay motivated and enjoy the ride as much as the destination!
Now leave your comments, suggestions, and ideas - we would love to hear from you!
Hugs,
~Crystal
You can find Crystal riding unicorns, taking the ordinary and giving it a little extra (making it extraordinary), blogging and reviewing books, baby carriers, cloth diapers, and all sorts of other stuff here, and on her personal blog about turning life's lemons into lemonade!
3 comments:
Crystal--Yes, making my goals public helps keep me on track. I guess I need to start doing that again on a regular basis. (Perhaps that will be fodder for a new post?)
Oooh, I like your calendar, Crystal! I admit I'm not as far along on my writing goals as I want to be, but I'm working on them. I've actually been using a technique Margo suggested where you get a big Mason jar and each week (our family does it every Sunday) you write something positive that happened from the previous week. I started in January and the goal is to have a whole year of positive things that happened to you by the end of next year that you can reflect on. I find it helps me to focus on the good things in my life and I work hard to make sure I do something positive before the next Sunday roles around. I use large post-its and include both personal accomplishments and writing goals. :)
In my critique group we write down our goals and it does help me stay on track. I have a not-very-formal way of listing projects on my phone and computer that at least keep these projects organized. It's not perfect but it helps!
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