goal groups, to-dos, and shaking it out

In a bout of spontaneity at the start of the week, I started a goal group. What is that? Well, it’s a work in progress and I am certain there are folks out there who can better define and organize such a group, but here’s what I did: I asked my ‘friends’ on Facebook who’d like to join in on one week of goal-sharing and goal-cheering.

The plan was to bring together a handful of friendly folks who would express an individual goal for the week, comment on ups and downs throughout the day in a private FB message group, and motivate one another in the process. It may sound silly but it’s been widely expressed that when you say a goal out loud, there’s an accountability factor that kicks in that may prevent you from flopping.

The group that formed this week took on everything from completing taxes to getting up from the desk every few hours for a healthy stretch (my own personal goal) to writing-related goals such as writing daily poems or submitting new work. Anything and everything counted, and our group grew to include six people in total with random messages throughout the day. For my part, it was a lovely thing to wake up to notes from my fellow goal-setters. There was an accountability factor there, as I didn’t want to disappoint and I knew I had an active audience awaiting my results for the day.

For this initial goal group experiment, we set out to share for one week only. But, who knows? Maybe this will spark future groups and ideas for motivating one another in formal and informal ways. I felt the impact of the group and it’s always a good thing when I can say I checked off some to-dos from my list. This was a fun way to do so!

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free ‘Focus’ and 55 happiness tips

I recently came upon Marthe Hagen’s blog post, “55 gentle ways to take care of yourself when you’re busy busy busy,” and simply had to share the link. Oh, sure, we all know we’re supposed to take care of our health and happiness at all times. De-stress. Breathe deep. Eat right. But knowing what’s good for you and actually putting it into practice aren’t always so easy.

I know darn well I would be best served with an extra hour or so of sleep each night. I remind myself this every day, particularly when my mid-morning and mid-afternoon slump smack me in the face and send me to naptime. But do I add more time to my night sleep schedule? No. Why? Oh so many reasons (excuses).  

So when I came upon Marthe’s list of 55 gentle ways to treat myself better, I took that as a sign there are at least one or two very simple, very reasonable things I can do to lighten my load, physically and mentally.

Many of these I’m actually already doing—which gave me permission for a small pat on the back. But there are plenty of things I hadn’t thought of or have yet to incorporate into my life. My ultimate goal? To someday follow the suggestion to take the weekend off. Completely off. From email, phone calls, little to-dos…. I know this would mean rearranging the Mon-Fri task list, but I suspect the benefits would greatly outweigh any short-term adjustments in my work habits. So, someday. Maybe sooner than I think.

 

Have a look at Marthe’s blog post and be sure to take advantage of the free book download of Leo Babauta’s Focus! I did—and have added it to my to-be-read immediately pile. 

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Me First: Downsizing as an Upgrade

i·ron·ic   /īˈränik/

Adjective: Happening in the opposite way to what is expected, thus typically causing wry amusement.


I’m in the process of editing a project on the topic of literary citizenship. In the past (and scheduled in the future again), one of my most requested guest talks touches on this very subject. It’s one I personally admire, and something I aim to live by, as well. How, exactly, can we put a little more of ourselves into the lit community, to not only grow from creatively and with zest, but more so to sustain and foster the community around us…. etc… etc… 

So, yes, I am working on this project I adore and feel so good about.

Meanwhile, and perhaps ironically, something has to give.

I go through this phase usually once, if not twice, each year. I come to a place and time where I feel like I might possibly be stretching myself too thin in some areas. Why? 

Confession: I am a hoarder when it comes to taking advantage of opportunities. I have such a hard time passing up even the most miniscule of opportunities that appeals to me. These are not necessarily gratuitous in fortune, or in praise, but they appeal to me. Whether adding a new review gig to my plate or a speaking engagement that’s so close down the road that it can’t possibly take much of my time and, oh, wouldn’t that just be a nice thing to do, and how great it is to encourage emerging writers and, okay, so the pay is barely existent, if there at all, but just imagine those gracious faces when they think about their writing dreams and… and… and… Sigh. I hoard opportunities.  

I enjoy working in the community. I enjoy reviewing books. When able to do so, I will help out another writer, whether that’s nudging a bit of promo/marketing his/her way or responding to emails from those just starting out.

Yet I have a few personal mantras that thankfully keep me in check:

Strive for balance.

Ensure quality of life.

Save yourself before you try to save others.

And it has come to that time, once again, where it’s downsizing season in this writer’s office.

So, how exactly do I go about keeping balance? How do I measure my commitments and weed down the to-do list?

There is nothing scientific to the process, but I do call on my love of spreadsheets to aid in the decision-making. I review what I have done in the past year (for my own writing, for journals and freelance publications, for workshops and other activities within the community—locally and more broadly). I list off the time needed to accomplish ‘external’ commitments, as well as assign any monetary or side-benefits that result from such contracts. Then, I more and more closely look at how, if at all, these ‘jobs’ distract from my own creative work. Because, really, at the end of the day, a writer needs to have written something. A writer writes, yes? And if the writing suffers from a lack of time or focus, no amount of community outreach will make up for that.

Not that long ago, writer pal Joe Ponepinto wrote a blog post about writing for pay, or, rather, that writers should be paid. I agree. But, admittedly, I do take on some projects that pay in ways other than cash. I take on projects that push me, move me, or otherwise propel me forward. But, yes, I seek the paying projects, too.

Yet when I tally my year’s activities and seek to find where to cut, it’s not always the least paying gigs that I unleash from my commitment list. Sometimes, actually, I cut the best paying sources. Why? Sometimes those come at another cost: time and energy.

Really, then, the be-all-end-all of my assessment is this:

_Does X still add something to my life/creative endeavors?

_Does X still contribute to my greater goals?

_Does X take up too much time that could better be spent writing?

And, in a very subjective question, I admit, I also consider whether my efforts are truly appreciated. That’s a tough one to ask and an even tougher one to answer. But it’s important, too, to not only feel good about one’s efforts, but to feel others benefit from and appreciate what you can offer. That’s half the ‘pay-off’ sometimes. That’s the seed of literary citizenship, to give something of one’s self to others in the community. 

Writers write. Balance. Quality of life. Save yourself before you try to save others. These are the thoughts that I keep in mind regardless of adding to or cutting something from my schedule. The result is sometimes temporary, as I continually add (hoard) things throughout the year. And even when I feel guilty about cutting something from my task list, I remind myself this: I am not downsizing. I am upgrading.

Creators of Habit: Writing that Works for You

In “7 F***in' Great Ways to Build Your Writing Routine,” author Phil Jourdan recently shared a tried and true science experiment. In an effort to increase his writing productivity, Jourdan researched the psychology of habit-formation. He then applied a few new theories and tricks to his daily writing routine—with perhaps not surprising results. 

Writers or not, we are all creatures of habit. We have our quirks and ticks. We have favorite TV shows that must be seen on a particular night with a particular snack, or we have preferred chairs for curling up with a good book. We are drawn to the familiar, be it fashion or cuisine. For those of us who write, we have—whether we acknowledge it or not—a pattern of behavior that either works for us or doesn’t. 

In his drive to understand his creative productivity, Jourdan took a serious look at how he spends his writing time. He made observational notes. He evaluated what aspect of writing results in the most (and least) word count. He set boundaries on social media and phone calls. And, most importantly, he acknowledged that there is something within him, something ingrained as part of his habitual act of writing, that governs all else. 

“Why? Because I am an animal and I respond to environmental cues.”

— Phil Jourdan, in 7 F***in' Great Ways to Build Your Writing Routine

So often I hear emerging writers speak about their productivity woes. “If I had more time to write”… “I want to write, but I get stuck”… “I have writer’s block”… and so on. We all hear it. We have perhaps been there ourselves.  

Yet I’ve often wondered how much of this lack of productivity is our own fault. Emerging writers hear so much advice, and all too often the tips for success are prescriptive, even if vague: Write every day. Wake up an hour early. Stay up an hour late. Don’t leave your page until you hit the desired word count. 

Specific? Yes, in some ways. But as Jourdan discovered, writing 250 words of dialogue is not the same as writing 250 words of narration. Every piece of the writing puzzle has a high or low and what may move quickly for one writer may be slow and draining for another.  Or, while one writer may find morning writing time to be exhilarating, another may find the early hours to be less focused. We need to recognize our own strengths and weaknesses whether these conform to someone else’s advice and standards or not. 

My own habits have altered over the years. I have not forced myself to change; rather, I have adopted in response to what has happened organically. I used to be a heavy night writer, staying up until 4 or 5am to complete a chapter. Now I crank out more words before 10am than I would have ever imagined. Our lives change. Our bodies and internal clocks change. 

Forcing myself to stick with the old habit would dampen my productivity. Instead, I have grown into the changes by recognizing my own habits. Like Jourdan, I acknowledge what works and what doesn’t—for me. While I used to enjoy the thrill of completing a chapter in full, I now prefer to leave a chapter incomplete at the very last paragraph. The next time I sit down to write, I know exactly where to pick up. I don’t need to generate momentum. I finish the train of thought left hanging the day before and in no time I am moving on to the next page, the next chapter. This is a trick I implemented organically a few years ago. I could have never foreseen this tactic working for me, but it does. Now. 

What Jourdan’s article brings home is this: our creative power is ours and ours alone. All the dos and don’ts offered by others are just one piece of the puzzle. It’s up to us to determine how and why we write the way we do. There are no wrong ways to go about your writing day. 

Learning what works for you—and working with that knowledge—can not only heighten your productivity, it can alleviate any lingering guilt that you’re doing something wrong or not living up to your potential when compared to others. If we allow ourselves to create in the environment that suits us best, and respond to those creature habits that influence our state of contentment, then we’re on the right track. Then we’re focused on the writing.