Alyce Wilson's Blog: Dispatches from Wonderland - Posts Tagged "goal-setting"
Cleaning Up My Act
Several years ago, I was the mom of a newborn, despairing at my messy house. I'd never been a great housekeeper, but with a baby needing nearly every spare moment, the kitchen was covered in grime, the carpet accumulating pet fur, and dust thickening on every surface. When I bewailed the lack of funds to hire a housekeeper, a friend told me about the Fly Lady web site, designed for people like me, who felt too busy to clean. My friend urged me to sign up for the newsletter, which delivered simple household tasks each Monday through Friday, each of them taking 15 minutes or less to achieve.
Dutifully, I signed up for the newsletter, but I deleted the first one unread, believing that before I started this new regime, I ought to first give my house a good top to bottom cleaning. Not this week, I told myself. And not the next, and the next, and the next.
For roughly two years, I deleted those newsletters unread, feeling guilty each time. Finally, about two months ago, I mustered up the courage to read one top to bottom. To my surprise, instead of chiding me for being lazy and disorganized, the newsletter was friendly and cheerful. Instead of bombarding me with a host of undesirable tasks, it recommended just one, easily achievable task: spend 15 minutes putting away clothes in the master bedroom. I could do that! Better yet, the email ended with a reassuring reminder: "You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?"
For 15 minutes, I put away clothes, including the shirts which had made a semi-permanent home on the radiator. This meant cleaning some too-small clothes out of a drawer, but I figured it was better to make space for clothes that are currently wearable. In just 15 minutes, I made a huge difference in our bedroom, making our nighttime refuge more livable.
By the end of the week, I'd made huge strides in the bedroom and felt great about it. The next week the newsletter moved me to the front porch, where I cleaned and dusted and decluttered until I felt much happier each time I came home.
After a few weeks, I was beginning to see a real difference. When my landlord called to inform me he'd be coming through with a county inspector for the annual inspection required of rental properties, for once I didn't panic. The house, I knew, looked better than it had in ages. A quick mop of the kitchen floor was all I needed to make it presentable.
I don't always have time every weekday to follow through on the day's "flight plan," but I remind myself not to fret about the days when I can't. The result is that I'm finally beginning to feel better about our living space and, as a result, to feel more in control as a mother, as well.
Now it's time to apply those lessons to my writing. I need to follow my own advice, which I've provided in the past to other write-at-home moms. If I set realistic goals each day -- whether it is to write a 600-word article or to send out a poetry submission -- over time, my efforts will add up.
If I ever doubt that slow and steady efforts can make a huge difference, all I need to do is look around at my house!
What about you? What works best for you when it comes to working writing into your life?
Dutifully, I signed up for the newsletter, but I deleted the first one unread, believing that before I started this new regime, I ought to first give my house a good top to bottom cleaning. Not this week, I told myself. And not the next, and the next, and the next.
For roughly two years, I deleted those newsletters unread, feeling guilty each time. Finally, about two months ago, I mustered up the courage to read one top to bottom. To my surprise, instead of chiding me for being lazy and disorganized, the newsletter was friendly and cheerful. Instead of bombarding me with a host of undesirable tasks, it recommended just one, easily achievable task: spend 15 minutes putting away clothes in the master bedroom. I could do that! Better yet, the email ended with a reassuring reminder: "You are not behind! I don't want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.?"
For 15 minutes, I put away clothes, including the shirts which had made a semi-permanent home on the radiator. This meant cleaning some too-small clothes out of a drawer, but I figured it was better to make space for clothes that are currently wearable. In just 15 minutes, I made a huge difference in our bedroom, making our nighttime refuge more livable.
By the end of the week, I'd made huge strides in the bedroom and felt great about it. The next week the newsletter moved me to the front porch, where I cleaned and dusted and decluttered until I felt much happier each time I came home.
After a few weeks, I was beginning to see a real difference. When my landlord called to inform me he'd be coming through with a county inspector for the annual inspection required of rental properties, for once I didn't panic. The house, I knew, looked better than it had in ages. A quick mop of the kitchen floor was all I needed to make it presentable.
I don't always have time every weekday to follow through on the day's "flight plan," but I remind myself not to fret about the days when I can't. The result is that I'm finally beginning to feel better about our living space and, as a result, to feel more in control as a mother, as well.
Now it's time to apply those lessons to my writing. I need to follow my own advice, which I've provided in the past to other write-at-home moms. If I set realistic goals each day -- whether it is to write a 600-word article or to send out a poetry submission -- over time, my efforts will add up.
If I ever doubt that slow and steady efforts can make a huge difference, all I need to do is look around at my house!
What about you? What works best for you when it comes to working writing into your life?
Goal Setting & Resolutions
This is the time of year for people to evaluate how they did the previous year and to set new resolutions. The question is: How useful is this practice, really?
As a writer, it's tempting to set goals that are too ambitious, too far-reaching. Then, by the end of the year, I tend to focus on only those things I haven't yet achieved.
This year, I've set two main goals: to complete my two works in progress. On my master "To Do" list, I've moved all my other writing projects to the bottom of a list, in a new category called "Shelved Projects." That way I'm not weighed down with guilt about them whenever I consult my list, but I also won't forget about those ideas.
As a reader, I have seldom set goals about how many books I would read. This year, however, I'm going to set a modest goal of 10 books, just because I know how hard it is to find time to read. And yet, I think that if I use my time effectively, I can finally get through some of the books on my "to read" shelf.
I'm also resolving to complete reviews (even if they're only one paragraph) for the books I did finish reading in 2013.
What about you? Are you setting writing and reading goals for 2014?
As a writer, it's tempting to set goals that are too ambitious, too far-reaching. Then, by the end of the year, I tend to focus on only those things I haven't yet achieved.
This year, I've set two main goals: to complete my two works in progress. On my master "To Do" list, I've moved all my other writing projects to the bottom of a list, in a new category called "Shelved Projects." That way I'm not weighed down with guilt about them whenever I consult my list, but I also won't forget about those ideas.
As a reader, I have seldom set goals about how many books I would read. This year, however, I'm going to set a modest goal of 10 books, just because I know how hard it is to find time to read. And yet, I think that if I use my time effectively, I can finally get through some of the books on my "to read" shelf.
I'm also resolving to complete reviews (even if they're only one paragraph) for the books I did finish reading in 2013.
What about you? Are you setting writing and reading goals for 2014?
Dispatches from Wonderland
Author Alyce Wilson's blog, providing both writer's thoughts and reader's comments.
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