I admit: I’m a list-maker. No matter whether my plan for the
day reaches to five things or fifty, I feel like I’ve made progress just by
writing everything down.
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| Image: Money Saving Mom |
As you might expect, this organizational tendency extends to
my writing career. Before my first historical romance was published in 2011, I made a four-month
bucket list of goals and reported back on them every month. Four career
goals (ranging from corralling my TBR pile to a regular word count) and four
personal goals (for example, keep plants alive). Since then, my TBR pile has
grown and I’ve killed a cactus. Er. Nobody’s perfect.
At the end of the year, lots of people start thinking of
resolutions or goals for the coming year. As various family members gathered
for the holidays, I polled them on what they wanted most for 2014.
Mr. R’s goal for the new year: “to weigh no more at the end
of it than I do at the beginning of it.”
Brother R’s? “To survive.”
Little Miss R: “Coloring!”
Dad R: “To get a book published.”
Mom R: “Go to Israel. Maybe? Make two stained glass windows.
Stay solvent. Figure out new insurance.”
And for me? I got a 2014 planner last month, and I'm working on filling it in. My goal is to
make all my deadlines—and corral my TBR pile, and keep our plants alive.
Do you have a goal for yourself for 2014?
I just want me and my loved ones to make it through another year!
ReplyDeleteI love that graphic. I also love lists, though. I use them all the time. My goal is to spend more time in Princess Galen's playroom. That means she'll spend more time there too.
ReplyDeleteI used to keep lists and then I'd feel so bad when I didn't get to mark off everything on my list for the day, so I quit writing them.
ReplyDeleteMy goal is to finish Hero of a Highland Wolf's edits which are due Jan 2, so I mean, that is a really top of the New Year goal to finish~!
My daughter told me that I need to finish painting the living room. Are others supposed to tell you what your New Year's goals should be??? And I have several books I'm working on--but yes, I'm finishing the painting this year, and going to 4 conferences and taking 2 research trips--one to the wolf reserve and to visit a fan who has become a friend in Minnesota, and the other to Scotland with a Highland romance writer also--kilted men research. :)
I'm not so whoopee-good at keeping my resolutions but this year my list is to get all my writing deadlines met ahead of time. AND to lose weight (which is one of those things on my list that I'm not good at keeping).
ReplyDeleteSomething I hope I can accomplish and that would be more reading :)
ReplyDeleteTrying to not overwhelm.
ReplyDeleteLose weight. Read more. And get just a teeny tiny bit better at house keeping.
I think keeping houseplants alive would be a little more than I can manage.
ReplyDeleteNow that is my kind of to-do list in the picture. :) My goals are to survive, keep my houseplants alive, watch more Doctor Who, try to bake something without screwing it up.
ReplyDeleteI have lofty goals. :)
Cheryl--I think that is my brother's goal too! He and his wife are medical residents, and they're a wee bit overwhelmed. :)
ReplyDeleteShana--that sounds like a great plan for keeping the toys corralled. Let me know if Princess G goes for it; I might try the same with Little Miss R.
Terry, good luck with your edits! And ha, no, I don't think others are allowed to give you goals. Especially not if you already have so much on your plate. (Maybe your daughter can help paint? And if she does, send her here next.)
Carolyn, I think it's great to have a mix of personal and professional goals. (Note, I said "have" rather than "meet," because meeting goals is a lifelong WIP for me.) Good luck with both for 2014!
catslady, sounds like a great goal to me. :)
ReplyDeletekrazymama, "try not to overwhelm" is good advice for all of us, I think. Your other goals sound like a great balance of business and pleasure (so to speak). Best of luck!
Susanna, apparently it's too much for me too. There should be a special medal you get if you kill a cactus. "The Brown Thumb Award" or something like that.
Susan P--that sounds fun! :) Let us know how your baking goes. Do you have a recipe in mind to start with?
Trying to get a grip on finances. Also, to maybe get in good enough shape to wear some of the clothes I own! Also, to wear makeup whenever I go out. It is getting too scary to go out without it!
ReplyDeleteMy problem with lists is that I can never find them when I need them! I love the picture of the list, it sounds like one that I could actually accomplish, especially the reward of a nap, lol.
ReplyDelete