This time last year I did a mid-year check-in proclaiming that the year was half over and it wasn’t anything close to what I thought it would be.
That was mostly because I didn’t foresee a worldwide pandemic and shutdown, which threw all my carefully laid plans into a whirlwind state.
This year it’s different. Mostly because I lowered my expectations. No, that’s not right. My expectations weren’t lowered – that would imply that my standards were lessened, and that’s not happening – as much as adjusted.
I used to have a massive to-do list with calendar pages filled in and check boxes next to each item, all of which were color-coded according to media, genre, and due date. I threw everything I had into getting those boxes checked, and I got frustrated if I didn’t meet the goals I’d set. I then would spend time trying to figure out how to get back on track. Back in the fast lane.
But after spending a year in a forced slow-down, I decided to revise the way I do things. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t immediate. There were lots of fits and starts and some aggravation along the way. But I finally came to “new and improved” methods for productivity.
Nowadays, I set my big-picture goals and work my system (butt in chair every day; finish what I started; write first, then edit) in a way that will get things accomplished. I found out that if I work the system, I’ll reach the goals.
I adjusted my pace too. Last year the plan was to hit the ground running, go at full pace, and get stuff done. Yeah, and we know how that went, don’t we? Screeching halt followed by a reassessment of … well, just about everything.
Over the course of the year, I slowed down – there was no alternative, really – and worked at a more determined pace. More focused. More deliberate.
Instead of pedal to the metal all the time, with my motor running even when I took breaks, I stopped the vehicle and took time to look around and take stock of where I was, where I wanted to be, and what I needed to do to get there.
Instead of go-go-go, it was look-ponder-plan. And that felt good. So much better than the frantic pace I’d been on before.
All that said, what have this different pace and adjusted expectations helped me accomplish?
- A book deal
- A screenplay that tied for 1st runner up in a prestigious competition
- A line of journal books into production
- A line of crafts into production
- More clarity in my work and my plans
- A calmer mind and spirit
- A consistently better mood
That last bullet point is reason enough to consider changing how to go about getting things done.
I’m glad I did.
Go Write Right Now 