Setting Goals and Getting S**t Done!

Last week I talked about how difficult the transition to motherhood was for me. I received a lot of questions about how I managed to write while having an infant, so I thought this week I would talk about goals.

The only reason I was able to accomplish what I have this year (wrote, edited, and released Why Not Me?; Wrote, edited, prepping for release of The No Player Rule; Wrote, prepping for editing All About Forever; and starting the first in my PNR duet) is because I set realistic and achievable goals for myself and then I worked for them.

I’m going to preface this and say I worked very hard in the beginning to get Alayna into a routine that would allow me to focus. It wasn’t easy and there were days I was a mess because nothing was going right. That’s where having an incredibly supportive boyfriend really helped.

Despite the fact that we established a routine and I have a solid support network, it still takes WORK to accomplish even simple goals.

Alayna is in bed by 8/8:30 p.m. and from the moment her door closes, I’m working on achieving the goal I’ve set out for myself for the day. Some days I don’t achieve them, but then it gets added on to the next day and I remind myself excuses don’t lead to success.

When I worked full time I was less exhausted than I am after my day with Alayna. Feeding, playing, cleaning. Not to mention diapers, diapers, and more diapers. It’s getting easier now that she’s older and crawling, she loves to play on her own and we’ve babyproofed off a section of the house so I can work a little when she’s awake, but it’s still on me to sit down and actually do the work.

Tips for Achieving Goals

A while back I took a course on goals. And I love the acronym we learned: SMART

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time-Based

Using this method to set goals for myself is the only reason I get as much done as I do.

Don’t get me wrong, there are days, sometimes weeks, where I get nothing done, I’m human, but I always regret allowing myself to make excuses when that happens.

Anyway, I just wanted to talk about that because I know it’s something that I’ve been asked about a fair bit since I had Alayna.

 

What I’m Working On

This past week I’ve been trying to reach chapter five of Out of the Fog. Once that’s complete, I will be setting it aside and pulling out the rough draft of All About Forever to get it ready for editing which begins in October.

ICYMI, The No Player Rule comes out September 20th and is available for pre-order for 99 cents only. The rest of the Rule series has also been discounted.