Who Moved My Goals?

I’m learning that goal-setting is a trick business. Life has a way of adding new, urgent priorities. Procrastination, fueled by perfectionism and fear, doesn’t die easy.

If I’ve learned anything these past few years, is that to-lists only go so far.

This is because work has a way of expanding to the available time.

So I have a new strategy. I still make my list. But I also am setting time goals for how long I will spend each day on different projects.

If I don’t achieve everything on the list, that’s ok. Sometimes tasks take longer than you thought they would.

On those wonderful days I do achieve what I’d written down and there’s still time left, then I keep  working on that project, and get further than I planned.

I’ve been experimenting with this new plan for two weeks. The results have been astounding. I’ve gotten easily four times as much done as I thought I could.

Just be instituting the discipline of set hours of work. Duh.

What’s on tap for 2017? Here’s the plan:

1. Finish revising Raising Fear, #1 in the quartet
2. Edit Raising Fear
3. Publish Raising Fear
4. Revise Wanting Justice, #2 in the quartet
5. Blog weekly
6. Track my productivity and hold myself to a serious work schedule
7. Find critique partners

And just for grins…

8.Participate in NaNoWriMo. (This year I actually have an idea for it!)

So breaking this into quarters:

January-March

1. Finish revising Raising Fear, at least 3 hours per week
2. Figure out a way to track productivity and get started
3. Post 13 blog posts
4. Look for critique partners/participate in critique group
5. Schedule an editor
6. Look for book cover desinger for Raising Fear

April-June

1. Edit Raising Fear
2. Keep tracking productivity and make adjustments as needed
3. Post 13 blog posts
4. Look for critique partners/participate in critique group
5. Proofread Raising Fear
6. Design book cover for Raising Fear
7. Write marketing plan for Raising Fear

July-September

1. Publish Raising Fear
2. Market Raising Fear
3. Start revisions of Wanting Justice
4. Outline NaNo novel
5. Keep tracking productivity and make adjustments as needed
6. Post 13 blog posts
7. Look for critique partners/participate in critique group

October-December

1. Draft NaNo novel
2. Revise Wanting Justice
3. Promote Raising Fear
4. Keep tracking productivity and make adjustments as needed
5. Post 13 blog posts
6. Look for critique partners

Maybe this will be the year!

Happy New Year to all of you, and to your success!