Sunday, January 08, 2012

Reset

It's time for the ROW80 check-in.  And I don't have enough to report.

No, that's not true.  I just don't have the things to report that I wanted to have today.  All right, then, I'll just report what I've done and put aside what I hoped I would do.

The most important thing is that I've realized I need a bit of a change.  A relatively minor adjustment, but I think it's going to make quite a difference in what I get done this round.  But I'll talk about that in a moment.


What I've done:
  • Had a pretty major breakthrough on why my main character is so intent on searching for the faeries.  This why is going to be important to a later part in the story, too, and it's helping a lot of the motivations for actions make sense.  I really needed this clarity!
  • Got my novel and synopses moved over to Scrivener and finished the tutorial so I can actually make good use of the program.
  • Worked on a knitting project while watching TV with the boyfriend and cats and letting myself just relax without trying to do all sorts of things like checking e-mail, writing blog posts or being "productive" while watching.
  • Cleaned/organized one section of my closet.
What I haven't done:
  • Exercise.  Not even once.  
  • Finished my house areas list for cleaning.
  • Written anything new on my story.

Back to that change I mentioned.  I realized that I haven't broken my goals down into small enough chunks.  I overwhelmed myself, even though I thought I had done a good job of being specific and small.  The good news here is that this is easy to fix.  This is actually more of a honing of the goals I've set rather than a real change, because I still think the goals are reachable.

My new, smaller goals:
  • Engage with/work on my novel at least 15 minutes each week day.  Weekends are optional and will depend on what I feel like doing--I need to make a point to have leisure time for recharging.
  • Exercise just 10 minutes at least four times each week--I need to make an actual plan of what exercise I'm going to do so I don't have to try to decide what to do when it's time to exercise.
  • Clean in one mini area for 10 minutes at least twice a week--I believe the short time limit along with the mini areas will help make the cleaning/organizing less stressful and overwhelming
That's the new plan.  I like it, and it doesn't make me feel stressed out about whether or not I can do it.  I need to build up a level of confidence and accomplishment, and that's going to get done better and more easily with this tiny little steps.  

I also have a couple of one time goals for this week.  I am going to write about why I'm including exercise and cleaning/organizing in my writing goals.  I'm also going to post the exercise plan I'm going to use to ease me back into regular workouts.  I'll probably throw that all into one post tomorrow, though.  For now, I think I'm on a better path, and I'm feeling happy with what I've come up.  That seems like a good place to wrap up for the night.

7 comments:

Laura said...

Great goals Kim. I know what you mean about overwhelming yourself with goals. It's something I'm guilty of doing too.

Have a great week. :) x

alberta ross said...

I reckon you've done well this week - the beginning of these rounds I think is all about getting the goals sorted and it often means dipping in toe saying oach thats ot and putting in a little cold - getting the focus right at the beg should mean the goals will be easier to acheive so well done you for sorting

all the best for coming week - what are you knitting? (I'm just plain nosey:)

Shan Jeniah Burton said...

Kim - I love what you have done, are doing, and plan to do.

I often clean by my microwave timer in tiny bursts, alternating through several target areas in tiny bursts.

It doesn't often get as clean as I'd like, but with two unschooled children and pets, it wouldn't be likely to match my imaginary "good enough" no matter want I do, so I remind myself that familial peace and joy mean more to me than a magazine-cover house.....

So I make a bit of a game of it, and enjoy my cleaning time, and that gives me oxygenated blood and time for ideas to wind out in my mind.....

I like the way you tweaked your goals. It seems like the adjustments will really help you toward your goals!

Live, Love, Laugh, Write! said...

Good job at breaking your goals down to even smaller chunks :D That's something I end up doing through out the week. I have my weekly goals, then I'm constantly evaluating where I'm at on my goals and what I need to be getting done now.

Yolanda Early said...

Great job this week! Overwhelm can really just take all of the excitement out of pursuing your goals and even the will to pursue them if you let it. Breaking the goals down even smaller is an excellent plan. Good luck!

Eden Mabee said...

Sometimes what we think we want and what really fulfills us are two different things. I think you've started down the path that will give you a better sense of fulfillment than just "success", Kim.

The ten minute exercise idea actually works really well. Another idea that my husband suggested (and works) is to elevate your computer so that you have to stand to work at it. You might need to play around with books and such under the laptop (or keyboard/mouse) until you find a comfortable position, but since your leg muscles are some of the biggest "burners" in the body, making them work helps.

Until next time!

Anonymous said...

I like your point about breaking your goals into smaller chunks. It's too easy to overwhelm oneself with tasks to do. I'm guilty of overcrowding my to-do list, so I need to learn to prioritize my daily goals.

The most important thing is the sense of fulfillment. Often it's just a matter of completing a few more important tasks out of the whole list.

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