A Goal of Time Commitment

It's time to (officially) begin my first phase of goal-setting.

We all know that in order to get things done, we have to make goals for ourselves and be accountable for those goals.  But you have to set goals that work.  Goals that are reachable, doable, and realistic.

Just Do It
I have some issues with completing projects around my house.  I have empty picture frames, unfinishes crafts, un-opened bottles of artists' paint.  In order for me to finish up some of these projects that really mean a lot to me, I have to set goals along the way and stay accountable.

Challenging and Specific
My writing goal for the next month is to write at least 30 minutes a day.  Almost any form of writing gets my grey matter juices pumping, so my 30 minutes a day could include journal writing, blogging, free-writing, or brainstorming story lines.  30 minutes a day is a bit challenging, but that's a positive characteristic because it is also specific and measurable. 

It's important for a goal to be challenging, because you cannot accomplish much without sweating over it a lease a little bit.

Derived from Desire
This goal also comes from an instrinsic desire of mine.  Not a goal recommended by someone else...   something I've always wanted. 

Simply: to write more.

Well, here I go, Self.  Now's my chance.  Drop and give me 30.

Writing 30 minutes is not just something I want to do because I love writing, but it's also in the interest of improving my writing and tapping into my creativity more often during the day.  It's also like taking that many steps each day towards my larger vision of writing a full-length novel.

Non-conflicting
Even though it is challenging, writing 30 minutes a day is not so lofty that it's going to compete with other goals.  30 minutes still leaves me time to exercise and write my freelance articles every day.  It just means I have to discipline my time a little better to make sure that I get 30 minutes of creative writing a day.

Staying Accountable
I'm tracking this goal for the next month to see how I do, and I'll report at the end of November.  I keep a simple calendar hanging on my wall above my computer monitor, that is both dry-erase capable and magnetic.  I place a magnet on each day that I complete my writing goal.

You, dear blogging cosmos, are my accountability coach.

Rewards
So, sure, I can be a bit reward-driven.  It's in the nature of the living.  We get rewarded for something, and our desire and ability to continue doing it increases.

My reward is two-fold: an equal-and-opposite reward, and an indulgent reward.

For every 30 minutes I write each day, I will grant myself 30 minutes to read.  Just to sit, anywhere I want, and read any book I want, for 30 in-interrupted minutes.

30 minutes writing = 30 minutes reading

And at the end of month, if I meet my goal at least 90% of the time, a trip to one of my favorite places: the book store!

My "Absolute Yes" List

To work from home as a writer, I need to find ways to discpline myself and prioritize my day.  Another recommendation I took from my webinar a couple of weeks ago is to make an Absolute Yes List.  The goal here is to prioritize my time so that I don't get distracted.

Huh, distracted?  Who needs help with that?

Right.

There are 5 basic things every day that I give myself permission to say yes to.  All the other stuff needs to go to the bottom of the pile.

1. ME TIME
Saying yes to Me Time means that I have my own permission to exercise, to shower and get ready for the day, and to get enough sleep at night.

2. MY FAITH
I am a very religious person and it's important enough to me that I set aside time every day to pray and study.  I also volunteer at my church as a leader for the young women in our neighborhood, which requires some time commitments throughout the week.

3. FAMILY
Some things I always say yes to - and some people - are my family.  My husband, his family, and our even our extended families are a major part of our lives.  When family stuff comes up, I step up.  I also try to make time each day to just be with my husband.

4. WRITING
Yes, work is a big part of my day.  When you work from home as a writer, the line between work and social networking is a little... shall we say, fuzzy.  Building my writing platform is important to me as well as continuing to earn cash by writing marketing articles.

5. HOME
I've always wanted to be a home-maker.  To me, this includes occasional cleaning, decorating, keeping food handy around the house, keeping our clothes as wearable as possible, and running errands.

All of these things can still be a lot to juggle, but I think it helps to have them listed.  That way I know to stick to my priorities and take care of them first.  Facebook and itunes and shopping and TV have to wait.

Now that I work from home, it does take a lot more discipline than I'm used to, but life is all about being a work in progress, right?  Work is challenging in different ways for me now.

Making time to write

Finally.  My very own site for blogging, poetizing, drafting, book reviewing, and even some journaling.  It's time to get started.

INTRO
First things: I'm Samantha.  I'm 27, I'm married with no kids, and I graduated from Brigham Young University in Utah with a Bachelor's degree in English.  I've been a creative writer for as long as I can remember. 

I started writing pretty long stories in about 3rd grade, including a 50-page fantasy (hand-written, wide-ruled notebook style.  Remember those?) that some of my classmates read and liked.  This was, again, in 3rd grade. 

Despite my obvious penchant for the written word, I have yet to be published.  One of my primary goals in starting this blog is to work toward the publishment of my first full-length novel. 

Being that this is a personal blog, I will occasionally take the liberty of making up words.  My husband frequently tells me that I must be one of the few people on this earth allowed to do so because I am, afterall, a legit expert in English creative writing.

GOAL SETTING
I would like to start out this blog by doing a free-write recommended by Rochelle Melander, a writing coach, during a Writers Digest seminar.  Actually, I've already begun the free-write.  This blog post is it. 

I am doing a 20 minute free-write in which I imagine my best possible self that I hope to become in about, say... 5 years.  Writing goals are included in this vision, as well as every other aspect of my future self.  I guess writers have great need of giving themselves an occasional self-esteem boost. 

Go figure.  We're an insecure lot.

GETTING PUBLISHED
So my 5-years-from-now self looks like this:  I want to keep writing faithfully enough that I eventually produce a full-length novel.  I want it to be published, and I want it to be great.  That is, I want to be proud of it, but I also want it to be successful.  I know it's a very lofty and somewhat chance-controlled goal to admit that I want to be a best-seller, but remember, this is my BEST POSSIBLE scenario.  Why not reach for the ultimate?  It's no secret that I'm terribly and incurably jealous of J. K. Rowling.

PERSONAL LIFE
Moving on to more personal goals, I'd say that I hope in 5 years time I'll have a kid, maybe two.  I grew up in a society that encourages having lots of children, and I have always wanted to have my own rambunctious rabble of trouble-makers and creative geniuses (they'll get both traits from me).

I also want to continue to be a runner and avid outdoors fanatic.  My fitness repertoire includes several half marathons, the Ragnar Relay race in Utah called the Wasatch Back, and many mountain trails in Utah.  Tennis, basketball, badminton, ping pong, track, mountain biking, and yoga also make up my list of physical hobbies.  There are several physical feats I have yet to master and in 5 years I hope to have done so.  One thing I plan on completing is a full marathon - no personal goal time, just to do it without stopping and hopefully without puking.

There are other areas I could talk about, but I think that's a fairly substantial overview for now of who I am.  That's also about 20 minutes so I am now wrapping up this free write.