Time Is Flying

Two hundred and forty days of this year have already flown by leaving only one hundred and twenty-five left. Before I look up, those will be gone as well. It’s not that I fear getting older, because I don’t. I’m enjoying my life now more than ever and the second half of my journey has me excited. No, I fear the quick passing of time because I am so far behind in what I had planned to get accomplished this year. The intentions were there, the To Do Lists written out, and goals set. Then the distractions began and the days fell from the desk calendar.

When I quit my 9 to 5 last September, I had several manuscripts halfway done and a list of blog posts to write that should have kept me busy for several months. I began strong. I published Circle of Justice and, a couple of months later, Reaping the Harvest. The blog posts were going well and I had even started doing five a week, which eventually I dropped down to three. I was also doing some guest spots on other blogs and working on some short stories. However, the plan was to have four books out this year. I know that seems a major undertaking, but as I said before, I had most of them halfway done. Therefore, I assumed I could finish them. After all, I have all day to write, right?

When I was making my goals, however, what I failed to take into consideration was Life. The girls’ work schedules changed, one son was getting married, another going to college, one visiting from college, and the 8 year-old needing help with her homework. Of course, there was our own busy social life and the many trips that needed to be taken. There was also visiting family and the unexpected emergency. Now, as you read that list you may think I’m whining and the girls would be quick to tell you I whine a lot, but don’t listen to them. They like to poke fun at me. The truth is, I enjoyed every one of those disruptions, even when it totally disrupted my home and my routine, and you know how I love my routine.

Still, they set me back on what I had planned to get accomplished. So now, with only 125 days left to go, it’s time to reevaluate that To Do List. Of course, now we’re coming up on the holiday season - I hope you’ve started buying my Christmas gift - and I already know of at least two trips we have planned. The next four months are going to be chocked full of activity.

And I have to write around all of that!

So, having learned what I did the first three quarters of the year, I have been looking at the remaining days left to me and readjusted my goals to fit - at least, I hope. A Confused Life is almost done, so I am confident that book will be out soon, and LosingFaith is halfway through the second draft. In order for this novel to be finished, it needs to be my main focus, so I have dropped some current projects in order to make sure it happens. I’ve also partnered with Stephanie Neighbour in founding Bloggers against Bullies and while we are planning on having quite a few bloggers helping with the writing, it will still take work as well as time away from my current schedule. That has to be taken into consideration as I make my daily goal list. Add to that the time spent marketing and platform building, which I really didn’t take into consideration the first time out, and you can see the time slipping away.

However, school is back in so college kids and the 8 year-old are out of the house for quite a bit of the writing day so the distractions are fewer. I’ve changed how I do things a bit and bought some necessary hardware to make my productivity higher. Now I have to be realistic in setting the goals for the rest of the year in order to accomplish something and not just spinning in circles. When things are not working, you have to make adjustments in order to gain the desired results.

How are you doing this year on seeing your dream become reality? Have you had to make adjustments in order to reach your goals and, if so, what kind of adjustments? Use the rest of the year to cut out the time-wasters and increase your productivity. And be realistic, so that when Life steps in and knocks your routine out of whack you won’t be thrown completely off course. Plan ahead for what you cannot plan for and you won’t be as surprised when it actually happens. And it will happen, trust me. It’s been one of the lessons I learned this year. What have you learned?

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