My writer productivity skyrockets when I set monthly writer goals, and it’s time to share…
Let’s Set Goals {September 2021}
My writer productivity skyrockets when I set monthly goals. At the beginning of each week I break them down into daily tasks that will work within my current schedule. Do you know how great it is to finish projects? Of course you do! For me, setting monthly goals makes it all possible.
Every month I share how I did the previous month as well as my new goals. Let’s get to it!
How Did I Do? Jill’s August Goals
- Writing
- Revise and polish the sample chapters and synopsis of Wyoming Ranchers book 4. CHECK!
- Health
- Exercise 5 days/week CHECK!
- Continue eating more unprocessed food NO CHECK. I did fine for two weeks, then I had a weird week with lots of crackers and a few ice cream cones. Oh, well!
- Drink minimum of 72 ounces of water every day CHECK!
- Other
- Continue reading fiction for a minimum of 20 minutes every weekday NO CHECK. I struggled to stay focused and just didn’t feel like reading a novel every night.
- Enjoy summer as much as possible before fall arrives! CHECK! I’ve been squeezing in little fun activities here and there like visiting a flower farm, getting dinner from food trucks at the farmer’s market, and relaxing on my deck.
This month–as you can tell from my previous blog posts–was difficult for me writing-wise. August is usually hectic with school stuff (my youngest is a sophomore in college), vacation (we had a wonderful time renting a house with my family), deadlines (I could have planned this deadline better!) and all the other end-of-summer tasks.
Honestly, I had very little motivation. What ended up being the key to me meeting my goals was two-fold: I focused on the essentials and I shortened my work day.
Jill’s September Goals
- Writing
- Finish drafting the rest of Wyoming Ranchers book 4
- Prep all the marketing/promotion for my November release, The Prodigal’s Holiday Hope
- Health
- Exercise 5 days/week
- Continue eating more unprocessed food
- Drink minimum of 72 ounces of water every day
- Other
- Continue reading fiction for a minimum of 20 minutes every weekday
- Try new recipes on Saturdays for college football!
I’m keeping my shortened workday until September 13. Then my fall/winter schedule begins. I’ll take a few days in there to review my remaining goals for 2021 and figure out if I can still meet them or if they need to change.
As far as my health, I’m more relaxed about it than I’ve been in a few years. I find not logging my food on MyFitnessPal takes a lot of pressure off me. Also, I set mini-habits that (for the most part!) have stuck–eating two fruits every day and adding protein to meals and snacks. I’ve always enjoyed low-impact exercise, so honestly, the exercise factor has never been a problem to stick with. It’s the food!
What were your August goals? How did you do? What would you like to accomplish in September?
By the way, I have a super fun announcement next Wednesday! I hit a milestone I can’t wait to share. See you then!!
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Well, let’s start with what I DID get done. Doing better on health goals, walking 3 to 5 days a week and eating a lot better. My husband wants to eat healthy now, so I’m getting encouragement from that end that I didn’t get before. 20 years as a diabetic didn’t budge him, but getting a pacemaker did. Sigh.
Nothing on the house.
And a half-answer on the writing. I’m contracted for a nonfiction history book with Arcadia Publishing and I’ve met or exceeded my goals on that. I’m where I need to be. My fiction, alas, has suffered. There are THREE chapters left in my WIP, that was my goal for August, and I didn’t write a word. I’m really stalled on this one, beginning to wonder if I should even have written it, which is uncomfortable talk when you’re three chapters from the end.
BUT…I did get some major work done in the areas of editing and publication. I got my edit letter for my last fiction story and my page proofs for my last nonfiction book practically on the same day. I just bulldozed my way through them, I didn’t get up from the computer for three days, so there’s that.
Goals for September:
— Finish the Vietnam and Korea sections on my War Monuments book for Arcadia.
— Finish collecting the photos for War Monuments.
— Finish my fiction WIP, or have a good reason why I don’t.
— Walk 3 to 5 times a week and eat salads for lunch.
— Start the fall cleaning. And the undone spring cleaning. And the preparing-to-go-into-a-retirement-home-at-some-point cleaning.
We’ll see. Right?
Kathy Bailey
Wow, Kathy, you’re doing great! And I’m so happy your hubby wants to eat healthier, too. Makes it easier! Congrats on all your contracted work as well as the fiction. Woohoo!! As for the cleaning, I laughed! I’m right there with you… 🙂