Tyrean Martinson - writer, daydreamer, teacher, believer.: How I Choose What to Do Each Month, Each Week, and Each Day

These are podcast "light" notes.

You can find the full episode at The Truth About Storytelling.

I want to start by saying that I had a bit of a hiccup this past week. There was a lot going on, and I probably should have realized earlier that things were shifting. I will have an interview episode next week. Today, though, I want to do a craft talk.

This episode is about choosing work—what to do, how to do it, and how I decide what to work on each month, each week, and each day. This is not a prescriptive podcast in any way. It’s simply me sharing what works for me and how I choose to use my time as an author.

DECISIONS

Today I want to talk about how I decide what to work on month by month, week by week, and day by day—especially as someone who has a lot of ideas, a lot of curiosity, and a deep desire to actually finish things.

This isn’t a productivity system or a rigid planner method. It’s more of a rhythm shaped by my strengths, my limits, and the season of life I’m in right now. If you’re someone who’s easily tempted by new projects but also wants meaningful forward motion, I hope you find something useful here.

DISCOVERING AND RELYING ON STRENGTHS

Over the last year, I’ve discovered how helpful it is for me to know what my strengths are and to shape my work around them. Taking the CliftonStrengths assessment helped confirm a lot of what I already suspected, but this episode isn’t about that test specifically. If you’ve never taken it, that’s completely fine.

What matters is taking time to consider what your strengths are when you plan your year, your month, and your days.

I’ve learned that I’m wired for ideas, connections, strategy, achievement, reflection, learning, and future vision.

I lead with ideation, which means ideas come easily—and often loudly. I see possibilities everywhere. That’s a gift, but it can also be a distraction if I’m not careful.

I also have strong strategic and connectedness strengths, which means I don’t just see ideas—I see how projects relate to one another, how one can feed another, and how they fit into a larger story or theme.

Achiever means I need to move something forward each day. Intellection and learner mean I need time to think, reflect, and understand what I’m doing. Futuristic means I’m always imagining where all of this could go.

When those strengths are aligned, I feel grounded and energized. When they’re not, I feel scattered and frustrated.

I want to pause here and talk about the temptation of new projects.

Ideation is one of my superpowers when I use it well. I have ideas constantly. It’s fun. It’s relaxing. Because of that, I intentionally create space for ideas rather than trying to suppress them.

On Sundays, especially in the afternoon and evening, I allow myself to play with ideas. Sometimes I write. Sometimes I just daydream or jot notes. It’s a reward for me, and it’s deeply energizing.

But I can’t chase all of those ideas.

They are ideas to be played with—not automatically promoted into active projects.

If you’re like me and struggle with the pull of new ideas, what helps me is allowing space for them while also remembering that ideas don’t get promoted by default. I keep them in files, notes, and journals. They may become projects someday, but they don’t have to become projects now.

So how do I choose what matters each month?

I start by looking at the next six months, then I look at the current month. I ask myself what truly needs to move forward now.

I always start with the month, not the day. When I start with the day, I end up with far too much on my plate. I can easily write a 50-item to-do list for a single day, which simply isn’t realistic.

Looking at the month first allows me to break things down into manageable weekly and daily tasks.

AN EXAMPLE OF MONTH-TO WEEK-TO DAY PLANNING

For example, I know that in March I’ll be running a Kickstarter campaign for The Dark Blade Trilogy and then fulfilling rewards afterward. I also know that before that, I’m publishing a polished edition of my poetry collection To Speak.

That means that in January, my main focus is finalizing the ebook, paperback, and hardback editions of To Speak, since it’s releasing in February.

Other priorities this month include fixing a small formatting issue in the second edition of Light Reflections, building and sustaining my podcast rhythm, doing light editing on Dark Blade Unbroken, and journaling regularly for mental health during a season of significant stress.

Not everything on my list moves quickly, but everything is there intentionally—for progress, sustainability, and health.

QUESTIONS I ASK MYSELF

Once I know my monthly focus, I plan my week.

I ask myself:

How much time do I actually have this week?
What else does life require of me?
What’s realistic—not ideal?

Only then do I plan my days. If I skip that step, my achiever strength takes over and I expect too much of myself.

One thing that helps me manage temptation is keeping my core goals steady. I read them daily. I also reread my strengths as affirmations. They remind me why I’m doing what I’m doing and what kind of work I’m meant to be doing.

That foundation—believing in the power of stories to be meaningful, creative, and connective—sits underneath everything else.

ALLOWED FREE TIME AND MARGIN

I also allow myself a small amount of time—five to twenty minutes—on a tempting side idea when needed. This honors my ideation strength without letting it run the show. The key is that my main goals still receive my best energy.

I also need margin. Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Some days shift unexpectedly. In those moments, I remind myself to give myself grace and stay flexible.

This rhythm—month, week, day—isn’t rigid. It’s intentional.

If you’re juggling ideas, responsibilities, and creative work, I hope this gives you permission to slow down, plan from the top down, and trust that consistency matters more than chasing every possibility.

If you’d like to reach out, I’d love to hear how you decide what to work on next. You can email me at tyrean@tyreanstales.com, or use the contact form on my website.