Hey everyone,
As a teenager, I was an excellent runner, faster than any of my classmates. However, there was a caveat to this: I was excellent at running short distances and for short periods. I was a beast at the 100-metre race, but I would never win a marathon without substantial amounts of training.
I liked to compare myself to a cheetah who, if there were ever an animal Olympics, would dominate in the sprint categories.
“The writing life is a marathon, not a sprint.”
I’ve heard this advice given many times. I’m sorry to say that I may also have passed it on.
I don’t believe it anymore.
Because in writing, as in running, I’m a sprinter and not a marathon runner.
That while, yes, I’m in this for the long haul and I will continue to keep working hard, keep pushing, and keep focusing on my goals like any committed athlete, the way I do so is no longer in long sustained periods spread over the months and years, but in specific short bursts of energy.
That now, instead of focusing on monthly goals and weekly targets, I work in projects.
In November, for instance, I finished up a novel (project #1), redesigned The International Freelancer website (project #2), and edited a memoir book proposal (project #3). Other things got done as well, of course—you received this newsletter regularly, I had a four-week coaching program running with weekly calls and unlimited support; I had a Finishers coaching call; I had two freelance assignments due, and I did bits and pieces of other things (email, far too much email). However, I’m also very aware that if I don’t focus on the long-term goals, the books and movies that I want to get made, they will always remain on the back-burner and never see the light of day.
Most years, I set goals and targets by the week and month. Often, by income. This year, however, I’m doing it by projects. I’ve got a list of 20 projects that I’d ideally like to finish by the end of this year, but I have no timeline or deadline by which I need to do them. I’ve picked the first project to finish and will work on it consistently and with full focus until I get it done and then I will move on to the next.
Some projects, such as re-doing the SEO on my websites, will take a few days. Some, such as writing the first draft of my next novel, will take a few weeks or maybe even months. By giving them my full attention and the time and space they need to get done, I hope that by the end of the year, I’ll have not just built habits of consistency (which is great), but also been able to finish several projects that can become assets for my writing career (which is so much better).
So that’s how I’ve been thinking of my goals for this coming year—in terms of projects.
It’s a different way from how I typically do things, but it feels right at this time, when it’s difficult to say what the next week, let alone the next year, will bring. (I’m still waiting to hear whether my son will go to school on Wednesday. This is not messing up my schedule or my brain at all.)
Have you been setting goals and targets for the coming year? Hit reply on this email and tell me your biggest one!
Cheers,
Natasha