Do the Work Wednesday #3: How's it Going So Far?
It occurred to me today, looking at my desktop calendar, that we're exactly 6 weeks from January 1, a day many of us probably used to set our "goals" for the year. (Otherwise known as New Year's Resolutions!) I'm sure any social scientists in the Crew can tell us that most people fall off the resolution bandwagon in, what, 2 to 3 weeks. I know that's when you start to see the beginning- of- the- year crowds thin at the gym.
So, at 6 weeks, are you where you thought you would be on January 1?
If you are, good for you. How have you powered through? And, if you're not, how do you plan to readjust and get going again?
For me, I had specific page goals for my new book . Am I there, 6 weeks in? No, I'm behind in the total page count. But on the flip side, I think conceptually, I'm way ahead of where I thought I'd be. The story is coming together fairly well and I have an overall creative concept that I'm really happy with but it did take a few weeks extra to get there. I had to do some research, play around with ideas in my head, try out a few pages. It wasn't some creative flash that sparked a writing rampage. It was slow, steady work but when I got there, I knew it was right for the story. So, I'm at ease reassessing the quantity of my page count goal because I think the quality is high.
I don't believe in beating myself up over work not done. It's not productive in any way. In fact, it can be really counter-productive, causing you to give up all together or feel trapped in an endless cycle with no forward progress. ( Raise your hand if you start a diet every Monday because you "blew it" the previous Friday?) Life happens and expectations can be re-set. Moving forward is the key for me, not regretting what I didn't do last week, but buckling down to get the work done the next week.
On that note, I'm moving forward. Back to the book. How about you?
Embracing my Chaos, Lian
Need motivation? Catch up on Do the Work Wednesdays with these Related Posts:
Do the Work Wednesday #2: Getting Started
