Return of the fugitive–first check-in 2019

My Round One goals reflect the fact that I never stop to sharpen my saw, which I believe comes from Steven Covey. I should be the poster child for the person who is too busy cutting down trees to stop to sharpen the saw, and therefore gets slower and slower at cutting down trees. The Round One plan is to put some time and effort into organizing and planning. I tend to rush into writing without thinking things through.  While there are many people who can do that successfully, but I am not one of those people. Therefore, I am going to pull back and try to go more slowly.

Grounding mantra: Organize, plan, contemplate

Organizing Goals:

• Work through Susan Bischoff’s blueprint series, which is based on Randy Ingermanson’s snowflake method (It starts here if anyone is interested in it)
• Continue to organize the dissertation files, which I swear reproduce at night.
• Report to my accountability partner every week.

Writing Goals:

• Write 750 words a day, whether musings, character profiles, or back story.
• Edit three pages a day of the dissertation.

Health Goals:

• Walk at least forty minutes a day.
• Use the standing desk at least three hours a day.
• Keep current with medical appointments.
• Meditate daily.

Creativity goals:

• Draw once a week.
• Knit for at least a half-hour daily.

As always, these goals may well change as the Round continues, which is the beauty of the challenge. If you’re interested, you can find out more here.

Round Two Wednesday Six Slightly Obsessed

My thought this afternoon was How in the world is it Wednesday already? However, here it is, and here I am. I’m feeling slightly guilty this week, because I have not written my reflection post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge. Honestly, I am having trouble balancing life and sabbatical project, and not in the way I expected. I am having a lot of trouble doing anything but the project, and have spent more than 10 hours a day on it since Sunday. Therefore, I must thank Eden for dragging me out of my hermitage for live classical music and lunch yesterday, and more importantly, for keeping me slightly sane about the project.

So, it is painfully obvious that I am meeting the write or edit at least five hours goal, to the detriment of the other goals. I did spend an hour Monday organizing the sabbatical space, but I have not touched it since then. I have not read criticism for a half-hour, but I have not given up on either the organization nor the criticism, but I am pushing them back slightly. I have been thinking about the reflection post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge, and may write it whether I meet the deadline or not. It was an interesting experience.

Today was the last day of classes, and campus has been a nuthouse, even invading my quiet corner. I have a regional library annual meeting “do” to go to tomorrow, and have surgery on the right eye Friday morning, so I am going to take it easy for a bit.

Here’s to a lovely, productive rest of the week. Please visit the other RoWers here, at the hashtag #row80 or in the FB group.

Round Two Sunday Five Deep Dive

Ready to write

The past week has gone by quickly, but it has been a good week. I managed to finish the A-Z April Blogging Challenge, and plan to write the relection post tonight or in the morning.

I have also managed to Write or edit for at least five hours five days a week. I took Friday off, because I had eye surgery that morning. After a self-indulgent day of listening to audio-books, I was feeling much better yesterday, and have worked more than fifteen hours between yesterday and today. The plan for the sabbatical was to do the boring stuff first so that I would build steam rather than run out before the time was over. To my surprise, I have dived into checking citations and fixing footnotes that I have not had the patience to address for months. I am even taking great pride in proofreading.

The new short-term goal (Find the most efficient, and least obtrusive organization for the sabbatical space) needs some refinement, so I will amend it to Spend one hour the next four days finding and implementing efficient organization for the sabbatical space.  I am also going to add another task, Read criticism one-half hour a day. I am stunned, but very grateful, that I am enjoying these nuts-and-bolts tasks.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Please visit the other RoWers here; at the hashtag #row80, or in the FB group.

 

Round Two Sunday Four: Freedom ahead

Writing Desk

The old saying, pride goeth before a fall seems relevant at the moment. I did not post last Wednesday, the first check-in I have missed since I started this Round. Why did I miss it? The major reason was last week was off the rails. Everyone at work suddenly realized I was going to be gone May 1st, and panicked. I had back-to-back meetings last Wednesday from 9am through 4:30pm, with a 20-minute break. Someone actually asked to meet with me in that 20-minute stretch, but I took joy in telling them I planned to eat lunch and I was not going to meet during my lunch. Even so, I was completely exhausted, and couldn’t even muster the strength to put a comment on FB. I fell short of the Work toward more consistency in my check-ins goal.

However, I did post T-Y in the  A-Z blogging challenge this week. I looked at my draft for Z, and decided that I needed to find a different subject for Z. I wrote the post yesterday, and it is scheduled to go up tomorrow. Therefore, I did meet the goal: Post the A-Z blog challenge posts.

Despite the ridiculous work week, and a day spent in medical appointments, I continued transcribing handwritten notes into the sabbatical project, meeting the Write or edit for at least two hours five days a week goal.

As for the goal, Plan the move into the sabbatical space, for at least an hour a day for the next ten days, I finished that packing last week, and got most of the packing for the permanent move done as well. I am going to my office today to finish up what is not going to the sabbatical space.

Finally, I will be able to increase my writing goal on May 1 to Write or edit for at least five hours five days a week.

Have a lovely week, everyone. Please visit the other RoWers here or in the FB group.

 

Round Two Sunday Three

Wow, folks, I am on a roll. Here I am checking in again. I am still posting more consistently, even beyond the A-Z blogging challenge. Since all the posts were 90% written before April started, I can’t count them as proving consistency now. However, I am checking in more consistently than I have since, oh, 2016 or so. I have to tweak Y and Z, but T through X are scheduled.

After a rocky start last week, I did manage to write or edit for at least two hours a day Wednesday through Saturday. A lot of it was transcribing handwritten notes into a piece, but no one was going to magically do it for me, so it counts.

On the theme of life finding reasons to give one perspective, I looked back at the goal I set last Wednesday: Plan the move into the sabbatical space, for at least an hour a day for the next ten days. My perspective was altered by my boss, who told me Thursday morning that I have to vacate my current office by close of business April 30. Although my current office is a cubicle, it is a large “Head of Department” cubicle, with floor to ceiling windows. I have to move to a cubicle about half the size, with no windows. I regret even more how much I have accumulated in this office over the past six-plus years.

Need I say that I am looking forward to my sabbatical? I met my goal of planning for the move today, after 7 hours of packing. I am now going to concentrate on maintaining my writing goal: Write or edit for at least two hours five days a week, and increasing it on May 1.

Excelsior, everyone. I had to learn Longfellow’s poem of that title in third grade–imagine my surprise when I moved to New York State and saw the motto on the flag: Excelsior. Have a lovely week. Please visit the other RoWers here  or in the FB group.

Round Two Wednesday Three

 

Here I am for my second check-in since posting goals. Therefore, I am meeting my first goal, of posting more consistently. The A-Z blog challenge posts are posted (today P was posted) or scheduled (Q-S are scheduled tomorrow through Saturday).

Unfortunately, I did fail to meet my third goal, of editing or writing for two hours a day. I managed to get at least one hour a day, so the habit is still there, but I spent most of my writing time pulling together the books and papers I will need for the sabbatical. There are many in my office at work. And those I do not need, I want to return so that I don’t get notices to return them. While I will be in town most of the time, I do not want to keep traipsing into my office to get things I forgot. Since I realized that I had so much preparation to do, I am going to add another goal for the next two weeks: Plan the move into the sabbatical space, for at least an hour a day for the next ten days.

I am going to keep my writing goal, (Write or edit for at least two hours five days a week) for now, in hopes that I can adjust my schedule to allow for both goals. I think I was caught by surprise by the amount of books, articles, and the like I have squirreled into my work office.

I feel confident that I can keep to my other goals of posting more consistently, and of completing the A-Z blogging challenge.

Have a lovely rest of the week, everyone. Please visit the other RoWers here or in the FB group.

 

Round Two Sunday Two

 

Although it is officially the fourth check-in for Round Two, I only posted my goals last Wednesday, so I have not made the progress of my compatriots. Even so, I am going to stick with the official check-in numbers. Otherwise I will confuse my compatriots, and myself in the bargain.

I had minimal goals for the beginning of this Round, for several reasons. The day job has been brutal since the beginning of this Round (April 2nd), and will not lessen in intensity until I walk out on April 30th for a six-month sabbatical. Also, I have eye surgery in May, which should not affect my sight for a long time, but I would rather increase the goals once I am past it than have to scale back.

All that said, I have done quite well so far. I can see that I would not be able to keep up with the Blogging A-Z challenge had I not drafted all the posts in advance. It is also good in showing me what amount of posting is comfortable for me.

Finally, I find that I am more able to edit than write new words during these last few weeks at the day job. I feel quite sure that I will move more toward composition once I am on sabbatical.

Work toward more consistency in my check-ins. Well, here I am after my first post last Wednesday. So far, so good.

Post the A-Z blog challenge posts. Yes, I have posted A through M. N through S are scheduled to post this week, and I will do final edits on T through Z next weekend.

Write or edit for at least two hours five days a week. More editing than writing, but it counts.

On another note, I am sitting by my fireplace in my woolies. The high today was 35F, and freezing rain is forecast for tonight. Sigh. I just finished a woolen scarf for my son, and woolen socks for my husband. Who knew they would be so welcome in mid-April?

 

Round Two 2018 Goals

I am starting this Round late, although I know that late is better than never, especially in the challenge that “knows you have a life.” I am starting very small, and will add more goals when my day job calms down in a few weeks. So, here they are, in all their simplicity:

Work toward more consistency in my check-ins.

Post the A-Z blog challenge posts.

Write or edit for at least two hours five days a week.

 

Please check out the goals of other ROWers, which you can find here.

 

 

Round One–Week Eight in the Rear View Mirror

The past few weeks have not led to any blogging, so I clearly am not meeting that goal. Things are generally better they were when last I posted, so I’m pleased about that. My sleep is still not where I want it to be, but there is definite progress. In part, I was thrown off by having a conference in Denver. The change in time zone was exacerbated by getting back to town at midnight; my poor psyche didn’t have a clue what time it was for a day or two. I have been using essential oils (thank you for the suggestion, Chris Kincaid), as well as turning off screens an hour before I go to sleep. Both methods help immensely.

Despite not blogging, I have been continuing to plan the A-Z blog posts for April, so that goal is coming along. I have also put in many hours on the sabbatical project. I have been hyperfocussed (ADD is sometimes handy), and spent over twelve hours this weekend working on it. The fiction is simmering in the background, but I can’t seem to give more than a few minutes a day to it. The good news is that I will be at the point where the non-fiction and the fiction intertwine in about a week, so there may be more synergy there.

I’m not at the point of giving up any goals, although I am falling behind on keeping the day job at bay as well as neglecting the blogging. I believe both goals are still within reach, if I just stretch a bit.

How are you doing with your goals? Just in your grasp, or still just beyond your fingertips? Whichever it may be, I hope everyone has a productive week.

Round One, Week Four — Back on the Horse

Despite having had a good week two weeks ago, last week was very “meh.” The day job was partially responsible, in one of those “What crisis awaits me this morning?” sort of ways. Partially, I fall into the trap of being responsible beyond what I should be, so it is not all the day job’s fault. Also, I slept an average of 4 hours every night last week, which is just not enough. I have read up on some things that I can change, and have tried several of them. It may be time to do them all.

So, goals–well, I have been able to get some things done in the past couple of days, so I am on the upswing. I am momentarily alienated from my fiction characters, who now seem to appear only when I am well-rested, but I did finish planning the entire A-Z blog list and have all of the topics briefly outlined.   I have been able to throw myself into the non-fiction, so I’ve gotten a lot of drudge work for the day job written, and outlined/planned/compiled my sabbatical project.

I hope for this coming week to be better, and hope everyone is having a good week.