Rethinking my goals

There are approximately 39 days left in 2011, so it is time to rethink my writing goals. I changed from a nineteen-day goal achievement focus to a 30-day focus. I am going back to the nineteen-day focus because it is easier (for me) to determine where I am falling short and what I have to do to accomplish the goal.

A 30-day focus is too stressful and gives me too much time to procrastinate. By setting my goals for nineteen days at a time, I have less time to put off and I cut frustration to a minimum. I have found that the more I putt off the more frustrated I become when I do not achieve a specific step in the goal achievement process. The less time I have to procrastinate the better off, I am because I decrease the stress.

Setting and achieving goals

The New Year of 2011 is less then three months away, so it is time to reflect on the goals set in 2010. The best was to achieve goals is to plan, act, and reflect. Reflection on your goals should occur about every three months. This way you can see which actions assist in accomplishing the goals and which actions you have to change. Reflecting on the goals every three months lets you decide if you set the goal too low or too high.

Think about these questions when you reflect on your writing goal or goals. Did you achieve the the goal too easily? Have you achieved part of the goal or the entire goal? Did you put a deadline on achieving the goal? Did you place that deadline on your planning calendar? Even though 2010 is almost over, there is still time to achieve part of your writing goal.

The first quarter of 2010

The first quarter of 2010 is almost behind us and the second quarter will soon begin. It is time to regroup and reevaluate. It is time to take a good look at the goals set in January when the year was new and hopes were high.

There are three quarters left in 2010. There is still time to achieve this year's goals before throwing the towel into the washing machine or the trashcan. In three days, the second quarter of the year will begin. There are still nine months to achieve the goals set in January.

Nine months is the length of time it takes a child to grow in its mother's womb. In nine months, a woman gives birth to a child. In nine months, anything is possible. Therefore, now is the time to begin working harder to achieve the goals set in January or to change the goals to something more desirable.

Writing Sunday Thoughts

This is the last Sunday in 2008 and this morning's paper listed the top ten news stories of the year. Since I did not take a paper or watch the T.V. news for most of 2008, I'm not going to comment on them yet. Now I am more interested in reviewing my goals and deciding which to keep and which to discard.

This is the beginning of a new week and the end of an old year. This is a time of reflection and evaluation. As a writer, I am evaluating my 6th decade list and my writing plan. I will start with the 6th decade list, which I began on my 60th birthday December 24, 2006. In 2007, my world fell apart when my mother went into the hospital and the list went out the window. In 2008, Mom and I were recovering from 2007.

There were events in 2008 that caused more stress, but most of the year was spent in recovery from 2007. From my vantage point, 2009 will begin better then 2008. How the year will progress is another story, but I don't have to worry about that now. I'm looking forward to 2009 and achieving some of the goals on my rewritten 6th decade list.

Sunday thought flow through my mind,
reviewing last week,
and reviewing the old year.