I know what you’re thinking. It’s May! Why is she talking about planning the year? I’m a big believer that it’s never too late and you’re never too young or old to start a dream. Therefore, it’s not too late to start planning your year. It’ll be painless. I promise. 😉
Last year I blogged about my goals as a means to make myself accountable. What an eye-opening experience! I learned a lot about myself, my limitations, and my strengths.
This year I added CayWriters to my business plan along with deciding to self-publish all my future works. Two very big changes to my personal and professional life. 2014 is turning into a juggling act, and I’m not much of a juggler.
What I am however, is a multi-tasker whether I want to be or not. When you’re a wife, mother and writer, and have a full-time job it’s an automatic title. 🙂
Part of the business plan includes an annual calendar with monthly tasks to accomplish my goals. Let’s say I’m over ambitious. 🙂 Now, there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you:
- Prioritize the tasks/projects that move your forward
- Readjust your schedule without beating yourself up or feeling like a failure
If you’re not a planner, I urge you to find something that works for you even if it’s one sheet of paper stuck on your office wall or bathroom mirror. Here are three great reasons why:
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
BE MORE FLEXIBLE
Life happens and being flexible is important, however if you don’t have a plan you can overload yourself or not have the confidence that you can fit a new project into your schedule because you don’t know what you have on your plate already. Been there. Done that.
KNOW WHERE YOU’RE HEADING
Even if you’re not a planner, you probably still have an idea of things you want to accomplish for the year. It’s harder to get there if you don’t write them down to remind yourself and know what’s needed to get those goals accomplished.
KNOW WHERE YOU’VE BEEN
A plan can either (1) show you what you’ve achieved and boost your confidence or (2) act as a kick in the pants to get you back on track. Tweet this If you know where you’ve been, you know what you need to move forward.
Writing a plan can seem scary and intimidating, but at the end of the day it’s as simple as:
- Decide what you want
- Write it down
- Game plan to get it done
- Work at it everyday
What about you? How do you plan your year?
This is a motivating (kick in the pants) post, Elke. The photo you posted of the target reminded me of a documentary on happiness I listened to the other day. One of the people interviewed was Gretchen Rubin who wrote The Happiness Project: You can’t reach your goals if you don’t have a target was her message.
Self publishing is a real juggling act. It takes a lot of energy, discipline and a good plan. 🙂
I read your short story The Sacrifice. You write very well. The story was very tight and had an interesting twist at the end. Family violence is such a sad subject. I really enjoyed your story .
I’m glad it motivated you, Carol! Gretchen Rubin writes create stuff about finding happiness every day.
Self publishing is as rewarding as it is challenging.
The story left me emotional drained, but was definitely worth it. Family violence is a sad subject indeed, and another element that made it so emotional to write.