Skip to content

Discover Authors

Planner

New Year: Do You or Don’t You?

Are you one of those people who buys about ten planners and by the end of February, hasn’t kept up with any of them? That’s me. I’ve started the New Year super organized, and started the New Year haphazardly, and honestly, it makes no difference. Now, doing a statistical analysis would take further planning, so maybe I’m right and maybe I’m wrong.

fullsizeoutput_68b7

I’m starting to get sick each time I see one of these new planners advertised, like I should be doing something I’m not. I love to create. I don’t love to plan. First, I’d have to figure out what type of person I am. That can be painful. It can cause sleepless nights.

Big Planner

I have my author planner for 2018 with no entries in it past April. My QuoVitas was the same way, nothing posted since February. But when I moved, I located many planners that had nothing written in them. I reminded my husband that some of them were so old they could fit this year’s dates. All I’d have to do was scratch out the year on the front and I’d have a beautiful rare vintage planner no one else was using this year.

Planner Craze

I’ve spent nearly $100 every year on my Erin Condron planners, which I dearly love. And I have three years worth of blank ones so precious I never used them! OMG how beautiful they are. Some with a custom photograph or inspirational saying.

But, when it comes down to it, planning for me has become a job, because I wasn’t sure exactly what I needed to do to achieve those lofty goals. Then I read something recently that said we should have big goals, and aim for them, not plan for them. We can execute training for how to do various parts of our work/responsibilities, but “aiming” has become almost a dirty word these days of highly digitized and over Uber “success” systems. As if aiming isn’t enough.

The Teacher PlannerIt is for a sharpshooter. It is for a bowman or for a pub dart player. But that also assumes some detail work, like practice.

So maybe planning is really practicing for success. I become a better writer by writing more books, not less. By reading more, not less. By dreaming more, not less. But no amount of planning will help me when I have those weeks when I can’t write a shopping list. Or how I take it when my husband explains to me in great detail how his shirt wasn’t folded correctly (it sounds worse than it is–NOT COMPLAINING!).

So, here’s what I’m aiming for this year:

  1. Write 6 new full-length fiction novels in two genres (1 paranormal, 1 time travel, 1 crossover and 3 SEAL Brotherhood books)
  2. Successfully double the size of my NL list (we had some issues this past year).
  3. Rebrand several covers (at least 5 that I know of).
  4. Increase my income by 30%.
  5. Introduce one new series.
  6. Attend 3 brainstorming mastermind group meetings in 2019.
  7. Attend 6 book signings.
  8. Get back to Hawaii for at least a week this year (vacation)

What about you? What are you aiming for this year?

Aquaman

 

 

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. I’m going to be busy. I’ve got a lovely builder who’s extremely efficient to build me a built in wardrobe. Make the hole in the loft bigger and fit a ladder so I can finally get the loft cleared. He’s going to put a new parquet floor in my small hallway, new skirting boards and lots more throughout the year. His friend is going to decorate most of the house too. We arent getting any younger and the things I get done now will hopefully last. I’m not going to make any resolutions, as life can change in a blink of an eye. I’m wishing you lots of luck with all your books. It will be exciting to read your new genre too.

    1. Sounds great, Julie. Just the types of things you need. What’s the point of having all the stuff if we can’t access it, right? I’m with you. Have done so much downsizing and reorganizing, I’m now getting good at it. Can’t wait for you to read my new series!

  2. New Years resolutions I don’t make any more. It ends up so hard to follow and fail. Then I’m depressed!

    Instead I aim to carry on the forward motion of my life. Growing with new learning or changing things that aren’t good for me. This year I changed my job because it was physically and mentally making me ill. I took a big pay cut but now enjoy going to work and work with some crazy people. The boss is fab!

    Spend time with family and friends. Hug my parents, my family and friends, tell them I love them.

    May 2019 be an awesome year!

    1. I’m with you, Nessie! Sounds fabulous! Those are my kind of goals. Especially telling those we love that we love them. Time doesn’t stay still, and it isn’t all about us anyway, is it?

  3. My strategy for 2019 is simply to become better at everything I already love to do. I must get back to my morning meditations, clear my mind of all the clutter and focus on being the best narrator, actor, and spokesperson that I can be. I love to surprise myself. I am expecting 2019 to be my happiest and most successful year so far. I am also knowing that your 2019 will be filled with mega success, happiness, and serendipitous adventures. Aloha!

    xoxoxoxox, YP

    1. I think collectively, my prince, you and I will have a wonderful year collaborating, talking and dreaming. Thanks for being so much a part of all the really fantastic things I get to enjoy. You bring that 4th dimension to my books I could never do. Thank you and Happy New Year my prince!

      oxoxoxox
      YA

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Back To Top