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:
- Finish revising Raising Fear, #1 in the quartet
- Edit Raising Fear
- Publish Raising Fear
- Revise Wanting Justice, #2 in the quartet
- Blog weekly
- Track my productivity and hold myself to a serious work schedule
- 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
- Finish revising Raising Fear, at least 3 hours per week
- Figure out a way to track productivity and get started
- Post 13 blog posts
- Look for critique partners/participate in critique group
- Schedule an editor
- Look for book cover desinger for Raising Fear
April-June
- Edit Raising Fear
- Keep tracking productivity and make adjustments as needed
- Post 13 blog posts
- Look for critique partners/participate in critique group
- Proofread Raising Fear
- Design book cover for Raising Fear
- Write marketing plan for Raising Fear
July-September
- Publish Raising Fear
- Market Raising Fear
- Start revisions of Wanting Justice
- Outline NaNo novel
- Keep tracking productivity and make adjustments as needed
- Post 13 blog posts
- Look for critique partners/participate in critique group
October-December
- Draft NaNo novel
- Revise Wanting Justice
- Promote Raising Fear
- Keep tracking productivity and make adjustments as needed
- Post 13 blog posts
- Look for critique partners
Maybe this will be the year!
Happy New Year to all of you, and to your success!