“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
-Theodore Roosevelt
“Be happy with what you have while working for what you want.”
-Helen Keller
Each person’s writing schedule is as unique as their own fingerprints.
Don’t be tempted to downplay your successes because of the accomplishments of another.
Why do you write?
Self-evaluation:
1. How many days per week do you write?
2. How many hours do you spend writing per day?
3. What time of day are you most productive?
4. In a perfect world, what would your writing schedule look like?
•List three things that keep you from writing.
What is one thing you could do to minimize distractions?
What inspires you to write?
What do you do when you’re not writing to fuel your imagination?
•List three activities you do to inspire your imagination:
How can you incorporate your writing inspiration into your daily routine?
“Often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us.”
-Helen Keller
GOALS:
How can you apply the SMARTER method to your writing schedule?
SPECIFIC: When you give a vague order to your mind, you can’t execute it because your mind doesn’t know exactly what results you’re looking to achieve.
When you’re specific, you know exactly what you wish to accomplish.
For example, instead of saying, “I want to write.” You could say,
“I want to write a 50,000 word novel.”
MEASURABLE: You can’t achieve something you can’t measure.
For example, instead of saying, “I want to write every day.”
You could say,
“I want to write 1,000 words a day.”
ACTIONABLE goals are something you ACT on – something you can DO to get it done.
For example, instead of saying, “I want to write every day.”
You could say,
“I want to write 1,000 words a day from 6 AM to 8 AM.”
REALISTIC goals aren’t the goals you want to achieve. Rather, they’re the ones you can achieve.
For example, instead of saying, “I want to write 25,000 words a day and finish a book in a week.”
You could say,
“I want to write 1,000 words a day and finish a book in four months.”
TIME-BOUND goals set a limit on when you want to accomplish your goals. Be specific about when you want to achieve this.
When will you complete your novel?
“I want to finish my book in six-month’s time.”
Regularly EVALUATE if you’re staying on track. Set a daily, weekly, and monthly goal and stick with it.
Instead of evaluating once every month or so, do this daily.
“Did I write 1,000 words today?”
“Did I write 5,000 words this week?”
REWARD: What will you give yourself for accomplishing your goal?
For example:
“I will go out to breakfast the morning after I finish my book.”
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”
-C.S. Lewis