I struggle to keep goals and stick to them. I want to create healthy habits, and healthy writing habits, but I find myself floundering from time to time (or is that most of the time? eek).
So, this year, I decided to find as many goal keepers and encouragers as I could and join in the fun.
Goal keepers helps us keep track of our goals, they motivate us in the midst of our trip-ups, and celebrate with us when we make our achievements.
Encouragers are encouraging . . . sounds simple, but these amazing individuals share, and encourage us to find, hidden depths of strength.
The best goal keepers and encouragers I know of on the web are:
IWSG: Insecure Writer's Support Group. Yes, you, the Positively Rockin' Ninja Army of IWSG! If you aren't member, you need to join. Alex J. Cavanaugh started this group, and now it's a movement, a place of safety and encouragement. It all started at Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog, but now it has a website and a facebook page.
Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly group that celebrates the small stuff - the accomplishments that help us through our days - getting a load of laundry done, writing a line or two, and even, taking time to rest. These are all worthy of celebrations. Viklit started this group a year ago, and it's still going strong! Again, I highly recommend it!
Write 1 Sub 1 is a challenge group. The challenge is: to write 1 and submit 1 poem a week, or to write 1 and submit 1 story a month. It's tough, but it's been good for me as a writer, and has stretched my sense of what's possible to get done in a week. They have a blog and a facebook page.
#writemotivaton is a group that I just joined, and they are awesome at encouragement and goal keeping. They have a site and are active on twitter. The sign up is monthly, so you don't necessarily have to join for the year, but you can join for a month and try it out. However, as I belatedly realized after January, the posts are weekly . . . I'll have to do a bit better on that this month.
And I just joined, Misha Gericke's Do You Have Goals? which is a group dedicated to creating and keeping some huge yearly goals. There's a monthly update post on the last Friday of every month.
In addition to all these awesome groups, there's a great event coming up on the 25th for Indie authors: Indie Recon. Check out there site for details on this awesome online three day conference.
So, are you able to stick to your goals? Do you have goal keepers that help you? Know motivators and encouragers that cheer you on and celebrate all the small things with you? If not, I highly encourage you to join some or all of these groups.
Happy IWSG!!!
Once I start, I don't stop until I hit it. (It's the starting that's difficult.)
ReplyDeleteAwesome there are so many places to find encouragement online!
I am slow, plodding and methodical. I like to finish things. Generally I do. There is nothing more powerful than have people believe in you and your work. That keeps me going. Surround yourself with good people. My absolute best advice. M.
ReplyDeleteThat is cool there are so many places that help. I will have to go check them out.
ReplyDeleteAlex - I have an easy time starting thing, but keeping the momentum going through the finish is hard for me.
ReplyDeleteMollyMom - Plodding and methodical works. I wish I had a little more of that in me. And I agree - surrounding ourselves with good people is key.
Brandon - Very true!
Thanks for the great round-up of encouragers and support systems. I'm with you on the floundering. I wish I could bottle up the momentum I feel in the beginning of things so I could splash it on myself in the middle, like cups of cold water people hand runners as they race by. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't set time goals with my writing, just goals of finishing. And it takes me about a year from starting a draft to getting it the way I want it.
ReplyDeleteMadeline - lovely image!!! I definitely need to bottle the momentum for a splash later on . . .
ReplyDeleteBarbara - sounds like a good way of making goals!
So true. I've tried other 'goal keepers' and find IWSG works for me. It's as much about goals as forcing myself to go outside my comfort zone (open up to strangers).
ReplyDeleteI am going to check out the others on your list.
I love seeing all the support out there, and the list of my "gotta visit" blogs has increased greatly over the past few months as a result.
ReplyDeleteGoal-keepers and cheerleaders are two different animals, but they're both essential. Everyone loves a good cheer, but the follow-up of, "Now get back to work," is always welcome. Well...maybe not always welcome, but always needed for balance. :)
I'm horrible with meeting my goals too. =P I hope you at least get to meet some of yours this year. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteBlogging helps to keep me accountable, and that keeps me motivated.
ReplyDeleteIt's one of the reasons why I started the bloghop, so that I have a reason to regularly post updates on my progress. :-)
Like you I am also bad at keeping goals. I need to focus more and get distracted less.
ReplyDeleteThese are very helpful!
ReplyDeleteI'm still trying to figure out the goals I want to commit to and then join Misha's Do You Have Goals? Group. I have to hurry though. February just started which means its almost gone too lol
I am awful with goals. Done several lists along the centuries but never kept one. The IWSG is an achievement in itself. I really enjoyed the Celebrate meme, should sing in again.
ReplyDeleteLately, every time I set goals, life seems to kick them to the curb. I am playing it fast and loose now, so I don't go nuts. Eventually, the little bit I can get done, will add up to something, right? At least, that's how I'm going to look at it. LOL
ReplyDeleteI need to get back into Celebrate The Small Things. One needs to be thankful in life to make life meaningful.
ReplyDeleteRegarding goals, I have enough on my plate. I try to power through them and let the little things go.
I've always been big on goal setting. Goals are dreams with deadlines.
ReplyDeleteYay for goal-setting and people who nudge us to complete our goals! My CPs are good at that; just needing to have something to swap gets me in gear. And Celebrating the Small Things sounds awesome. It's way too true, especially for us as writers. Every step is a step closer to our goals!
ReplyDeleteHere's to reaching those goals! Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteJacqui - IWSG is definitely a great place to find encouragement!
ReplyDeleteLynda - yes, cheer and a nudge are a good combination.
Caffee - Best wishes on your goals this year too. :)
Misha - yes, accountability helps.
Rachna - yes, but . . . Squirrel!
SK - I think you can join anytime!
Father Dragon - IWSG is great!!!
jaybird - every little bit definitely counts!
Stephen - yes, letting little things go is necessary sometimes. Goals are helping me get through all the things on my plate - which is overflowing at the moment.
Diane - I love how you see goals as dreams with deadlines. :)
Carol - CPs help a huge amount! And yes, every step gets us closer!
C.Lee - Thanks!!!
One of my biggest, which I've not stuck to this week, is to not get on the internet until I have 1K down. I just switched projects so claim 'I'm easing myself into new stuff'. Truth is, I need to stay off the internet and knuckle down.
ReplyDeleteAwesome collection of groups here! So much in writing comes down to doing things on your own, so reminding yourself that there are others out there struggling and trying just like you is always a plus.
ReplyDeleteStarting is hard, finishing is harder, but, once going, it's easy. It's just those two bookends that get me. ;) To that end, IWSG and my local critique groups are the best help.
ReplyDelete-Jessica
Visions of Other Worlds
Awesome you have these groups that are keeping you on track. I'm constantly struggling with the healthy habits and staying on track. Doing pretty good right now. And I'm staying productive, even if it has to be an online class for my career change rather than writing mostly.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky to have amazing cheerleaders in my writing career--they aren't afraid to kick my booty when I'm slacking either. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe blogging and online writing community is so helpful in managing goals and continuing motivation. A few items on your list I haven't heard of, so I'll check those out.
ReplyDeleteSticking with goals can be a challenge, but the hardest challenge is dealing with success. Sometimes we're not ready for it. :)
ReplyDeleteSaw you on WriteMotivation and just wanted to stop by to say good luck with your goals! Those have always been tricky things for me, but I'm thinking being accountable to web friends might just do the trick!
ReplyDeleteKaren - don't beat yourself up! Getting goals done is great, but we need encouragement to get there some days.
ReplyDeleteM Pax - Oh, that's a good goal. I think I need to make that one of mine.
EJ - yes, having a crowd in the same race is sometimes easier than running the race alone.
Jessica - critique groups and IWSG are great!
Natalie - great job staying productive!
Tara - those sound like exactly the right kind of cheerleaders!
Stephsco - I agree. Glad I could help you find a few more groups. :)
Maurice - that's true. Sometimes we aren't.
Bess - nice to meet you!
This is a pretty cool list of resources I didn't know about. Thanks for sharing these. I have no big problems with setting and keeping goal, but I lack encouragement. I may check some of these out...obviously I'm aleady feeling pretty good about IWSG.
ReplyDeleteToinette - Glad you like the list! IWSG is a great group!
ReplyDeleteI'm all for accountability, but find it difficult to have friends "help" me meet my goals. It feels like I have instant bosses, and one of the reasons I enjoy writing is to avoid that. I know I'll have bosses in the way of editors and such, but the fewer bosses, the better. ;)
ReplyDeleteM.L. Swift, Writer
I'm pretty horrible with goals myself. Thanks for sharing these resources!
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com