Right now my writing to do list reads like this: Blog, 2 chapters of SMS edits, 1,000 words of CLAIMED, research agents.
But some days that just looks too overwhelming. The blog part is never a problem for me. I’m just talking on my blog, and I’ve got about 10 posts in the queue ready right now should I have a day with nothing to say, and really what are the odds of that? What usually ends up happening instead is, I have some posts that never get posted.
But when it comes to edits and rough draft, some days it feels like a lot. I had one of those days the other day. So I thought…”I can mope about it and not get anything done, or I can lower my expectations and keep moving forward.”
So that’s what I did. I lowered my edit requirements to 1 chapter, and my CLAIMED words to 500. I ended up doing 2 chapters of SMS edits and 561 words of CLAIMED.
Sometimes I think we take an all or nothing approach. We have this amount of work to do and if we can’t do it today we suck. But we all have natural rhythms and some days it really is hard to make the quota we’ve set for ourselves. Other days we can just go and go. Like the day I edited 4 chapters, and wrote 2200 words. I was going like gangbusters that day.
In the end I think it all evens out. As long as we keep moving forward.
July 3, 2008 at 9:44 am
My goal every day is to write 100 words. It’s so small I can never weasel out, and it’s big enough to get me started. That’s the hardest part. Once I’ve started, I end up writing SO much more.
I once read that some people are motivated by really easy goals and end up doing more, some people are motivated by making goals that are no more and no less than they can do, and some people are motivated by really high, unachievable goals. Discovering which one you are can help.
July 3, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Hehe Spy, I had the same goal when I was in a hard slump. I’m not sure if I got the idea from your blog, or somewhere else, but it’s great to be able to think: “I just have to write 100 words today” then after that, just keep going and think, “well maybe 100 more” etc. Before you know it, you have a respectable word count. It’s like how I used to trick myself to exercise. “I’m just putting on my shoes, I don’t have to actually work out.” “I’m just going TO the gym” (then of course once you get there, you may as well workout for a little while…maybe just 15 minutes… etc.)
That’s a really good idea. I used to be stuck in this, “Make giant goals” rut because “success motivator people” (is that even a category) suggested such things. And I think it’s a good idea to have a “dream/larger future goal that you’re working for” but I don’t operate well with giant goals looming directly over me.
I think I do better with a tiny list, and then a backup list of things to do next, should I “be in the mood.” Once I start on whatever I’m doing, my mood shifts and I get into work mode.
July 3, 2008 at 9:40 pm
I had to lower my goals this week. I just let them go, because I wasn’t reaching them. I had to delete what I had, and there was other stuff going on in my life. Tonight if I write two pages, I’ll be happy.
I saw Kung Fu Panda today, and really enjoyed it.
July 3, 2008 at 10:09 pm
hehe I want to see Kung Fu Panda.