2016 Goals: First Check-In

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Look at that, another third of a year is behind us! Spring is in the air, although for those of us in the Calgary area it’s been here for weeks, and it’s already time to check in with those January goals.

Like I said when I outlined my plans for the year, I have an issue with quantitative goals. In the short term I think they’re wonderful. In the long term, I just can’t make them. That’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned –yet again– in the past three months.

The first item on my list has been haunting me a wee bit. I’ve had a terrible go writing-wise since the start of February. I’d like to blame my full social calendar, not to mention all the life-necessary things that also filled my calendar, high personal stress, more hours at work, plus some new allergy medication that knocked me on my butt through most of the month, but I’m not going to.

What it really came down to, with this particular goal, was me not hitting my goal of 3 000 words a week often enough that I felt successful. I’d have a bad week, feel bad, then have to climb out of that mental well for the next week. I just wasn’t up to that in February. So I didn’t even crack my WIP, which, piled on my lack of target success, made me feel worse.

I debated throughout the month whether I should rephrase the goal into something more qualitative, but I can’t find the words. So I’m making a minor edit and hoping that in the next three months I can get my act together.

Write close to a minimum of 3 000 words per week, half that for blog weeks –that’s a less stressful target, right?
Shop “Brew Disaster” around –I’ve been so neglectful of all the writing things.
Shop my literary stories around –see the comment above.
Read a minimum of 68 books over the year –the year is young.
Introduce something new to Anxiety Ink –oh the plans I have, that I need to work on….
Write a new short story –I have lots of new novel ideas?
Learn how to meditate –I should get on this sooner rather than later.
Keep up the exercise to boost energy –now this is a goal I’m taking serious!!
Run 5 km without stopping –since January I’ve upped my distance by 0.29 miles or .47 km to a total of 2.01 mi/3.2km. I know that’s small number-wise but really big for me.
Cook more often –does making myself smoothies count? I didn’t think so.
Try something new –working up to this.
Be POSITIVE –I need to up my game with this one.
Participate in NaNoWriM0 2016 and exceed 2015’s word count.
Finish writing RA2 –I am SO close!
Turn RA1 into a readable manuscript –RA2 needs to be done first.
Read a Shakespearean play –I should do this during Easter.
Be greener –working on!
Set goals for myself at the day job and hit them –I’ve set the goals and have seen vast improvement. Last week I was 100% off, but Monday is a new day.
Edit and complete my crow story –my poor writing.
Draw more –I actually have things I need to draw for RA2, so two birds and one stone.

After writing my little update comments I actually feel a lot better about my goals. Yay! I’ve been obsessing so much on the first one and being negative that I didn’t realize I was actually making steady progress on the others. Sort of.

How is everyone else faring?

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